Last year 72,695 foreign students visited Malta to follow courses at English- language specialised schools, an increase of 5.5 per cent over 2009.

During 2010, the 37 schools offering English language courses to foreigners collectively registered an increase in students over the previous year, with females accounting for 58.4 per cent of the total student population. In 2009, females accounted for 57.2 per cent. Most students – 26,955 – fell within the 13-17 year-old category, and accounted for 37.1 per cent of the total. 2,540 students, or 3.5 per cent of the total, were under 13 years old. July was the busiest month for student arrivals, followed by August; December was the quietest.

As in 2009, most students came from Italy, followed by Germany and Spain. The top five countries, which also included Russia and France, accounted for almost 75 per cent of all student arrivals.

Female student arrivals surpassed their male counterparts from all countries except Turkey, Brazil and Libya, a trend also noted in 2009. For every male student from The Netherlands, Sweden and Japan, there were almost 2.5 females.

European nationals accounted for 95 per cent of total EFL students. All continents, with the exception of Asia, registered an increase in the year under review. In particular, students arriving from EU Member States increased by 1,645 over 2009.

EFL students’ Share of the Tourism Industry

Foreign students accounted for 5.5 per cent of total tourists visiting Malta during 2010, marginally down by 0.3 per cent over the previous year. Female students made up 6.6 per cent of total female tourists, while males made up 4.4 per cent of total male tourists.

The average length of stay for students in 2010 was 2.5 weeks. Students arriving in January, May, November and December respectively stayed in Malta studying for over 3 weeks.

EFL Employment

Last year teachers employed in English-language specialised schools numbered 1,298. Of these, 86.1 per cent were working on a part-time basis. Female teaching personnel comprised 72.7 per cent of the total in these schools.

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