Elaine Attard

The Maltese EFL (English as a Foreign Language) business is expected to be negatively affected this summer, in view of the current global economic situation and the fact that the UK, which is one of Malta’s main competitors in the English language student sector, is in a position to offer a cheaper product because of the weakness of Sterling.

The Malta Independent on Sunday met up with Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations Malta (Feltom) executive officer Isabelle Pace Warrington to discuss the current situation and prospects for the Maltese EFL sector.

The British and Irish EFL industries are, for obvious reasons, Malta’s main competitors in Europe and despite Malta’s more enticing attributes – its culture, sun, sea, good weather, safety and friendly people – the weakness of Sterling and the dollar are having an impact on the Maltese EFL business, Ms Pace Warrington explained.

“The impact was already being felt during the last quarter of 2008 and we are predicting that figures for last year will be marginally lower than those experienced in 2007, when around 86,000 English language students visited Malta,” she said, adding that while the local EFL sector has enjoyed year on year increases of on average 10 per cent, 2007 was a particularly successful year, with an increase of almost 30 pr cent on 2006 figures.

The EFL business accounts for some 13 per cent of Malta’s entire tourism bed nights. While many be under the mistaken impression that EFL is exclusively a summer business, statistics show that it is very much a year-round operation.

While students under the age of 18 tend to take study breaks to learn English during their school holidays, especially in the summer, this age group accounts for only 40 per cent of the sector’s annual student arrivals. Adults, and an increasing number of school groups accompanied by teachers, come to Malta to learn English throughout the year.

The EFL business in Malta is a highly specialised segment of the Maltese tourism product – involving teachers, accommodation providers such as host families and hoteliers, and activity coordinators.

Parents of younger students often choose the host family accommodation option, as opposed to self-catering or hotel accommodation, as this provides them with the added advantage of individual attention from the host parents, while also affording students the opportunity of experiencing the Maltese way of life while they practice their English.

Malta has become internationally recognised as a quality EFL destination, with students travelling to the islands from over 80 different countries. While Malta’s core markets are located mainly within the European Union, in recent years there has been a steady increase in the number of students from Asian and South American countries – markets into which EFL language schools would like to tap further. Because of this, most FELTOM member schools have their own marketing strategies in place, but the Federation believes that in some areas of the world, such as Asia, the Maltese EFL business should initially be marketed in a more holistic and unified manner.

Over the last 20 years, FELTOM has taken the lead in establishing quality assurance standards in the EFL industry. Its objective has been “to set, improve and ensure the maintenance of standards in all aspects of English language stays in Malta, primarily in the academic content but also in those services which together constitute the infrastructure requisite of a language stay”.

1996 marked a milestone for the development of EFL in Malta, when the country became the first in the world in which its language learning industry began to fall under government regulation. FELTOM had been instrumental in helping draft the legislation and has since gone a step further by introducing its own rigorous member accreditation scheme.

Later this year FELTOM, in association with Language Travel magazine, will be hosting Malta’s first ever industry workshop and EFL forum. The event, scheduled for September, is expected to attract agents from across the globe to learn more about the EFL industry in Malta and discuss the industry’s future prospects at an international level.

For the event, FELTOM will be bringing around 40 agents to Malta who will have the opportunity to meet representatives from a cross-section of Maltese language schools while also seeing what else Malta has to offer.

EFL student experiences

Much is said about the EFL sector, yet we do not often hear about the experiences of the thousands of satisfied students who visit Malta each year. We spoke to some students of different ages at a number of schools to find out more about what is making this niche market so successful.

Caroline – 26, Germany

We asked Caroline why she chose Malta for her English language study holiday. She said it was a natural choice as the United States are too far away, while the weather in the UK is quite bad. Caroline came to Malta for her first study holiday last February and returned for another two-week course last week. She is currently preparing herself for an English exam back home. She stayed in a shared apartment during her first visit here and is staying in a hotel this time around. Asked what attracted her to Malta, Caroline replied: “The weather is great and it is a fun way of studying because the teachers are dedicated, well-prepared and really helpful. I have enjoyed communicating with the Maltese people because they are friendly and most speak English very well. It’s good that you can practice English in your free time, as you meet people from all over the world in Malta”.

Henning – 13, Germany

Henning has visited Malta five times so far and is planning to come back this summer for a further six weeks. All his family has visited Malta numerous times to learn English. He has stayed with a host family during his visits, where he has been very happy. As a result, the two families have now become friends.

He feels that since he started visiting Malta his spoken English has improved and he is getting better marks in written English exams taken at school. Apart from learning English in the classroom, Henning has also enjoyed various leisure activities organised by his school. His favourites have been a visit to the Azure window in Gozo and eating chocolate cake in Mdina.

Edith – 50, Hungary

Edith came to Malta for the first time last week after her husband had been here for an English course last autumn and recommended that she too should come to improve her English.

One of the things Edith particularly likes is the friendliness of the Maltese people and the general safety of the island. She has been impressed by the dedication of her teachers and found the staff at her school both friendly and helpful.