In 2009, 68,918 foreign students attended courses at local English-language specialised schools. This resulted in a 17.3 per cent drop over 2008.

In 2009 a total of 36 schools were operating in the business of English-language teaching; however only 32 provided information on students following English-language courses. Both male and female participation decreased over 2008, yet females continued to maintain the majority and comprised 57.2 per cent of the student population.

As in previous years, the 16-17 age group had the highest number of students with 14,554, o 21.1 per cent. The 26-30 age group accounted for the lowest number, with 10.4 per cent of the total.

The majority of students came from Italy, Germany, Spain, France and Russia and collectively accounted for 72.4 per cent of the total. Spain was the only country which showed an increase (+378). From the perspective of age, drops were registered across all the groups shown in the tables, when compared to 2008. The largest reductions, of 4,029 and 2,949 students, were seen in 16-17 and the 21-25 age groups respectively.

The European market continues to dominate with regard to the number o students coming to Malta to follow English-language courses. In fact European nationals accounted for 95 per cent of total English Foreign Langugage (EFL) students. Those coming from EU countries registered the largest drop (-9,903). In contrast, students coming from the American continen registered a slight increase.

EFL students’ Share of the Tourism Industry

Foreign students accounted for 5.8 per cent of total tourists visiting Malta in 2009. Female students made up 6.9 per cent of total female tourists, most of them from Russia and the Czech Republic.

The average length of stay for 2009 was 2.5 weeks. Winter stays were, on average, nearly 1.5 weeks longer than summer and shoulder-month stays, with 3.7 weeks compared to 2.4 and 2.3 weeks respectively. Longer stays were prevalent among students between 21 and 25 years followed by students in the 26-30 age group.

EFL Employment

In 2009, teachers working in English-language specialised schools numbered 1,252. Of these 86.9 per cent were working on a part-time basis. Female teaching personnel comprised 72.1 pe cent of total teachers in these schools.

Permalink: Drop of 17.3% on EFL students attending courses in 2009