ELT Council

Anyone planning to study English in Malta, or to teach it here, will sooner or later meet the ELT Council. It is the public body responsible for the English language teaching industry, which brings tens of thousands of overseas students to the islands each year for lessons mixed with leisure and cultural activities. The office is in Pembroke, in the north-east of the island, a short drive from the resorts of St Julian's and Sliema.

On VisitMalta.co.uk the Council is listed among our language schools in Malta and under government services in Malta, because it sits between the two: it does not run classes itself, but it decides which schools may operate and which teachers may work in them.

What the ELT Council does

The Council's stated mission is to foster the English language teaching profession and industry in all its aspects. Its objectives include safeguarding the profession, raising standards in teachers' qualifications, and running quality assurance systems that audit English language stays at regular intervals. It also works on a framework of ELT qualifications linked to the Malta Qualifications Framework and keeps formal links with the tourism industry and other public and private bodies.

Its powers come from the Education Act and from Legal Notice 221 of 2015, the English Language Teaching Council Regulations. These cover schools, teachers, home tuition providers, distance learning providers and the ancillary services that make up a student's stay. For a UK parent or adult learner, the practical meaning is that a licensed school has met a national framework, so it is worth checking the Council's published list of licensed schools before you pay a deposit.

Students and families who prefer to compare schools in person can look at an independent example such as AM Language, another entry in our language schools directory.

Information for students

A dedicated area of the Council's website is aimed at students. It includes a map of ELT schools, a procedure for students from outside the EU who seek employment in Malta, and guidance on the visa process for ELT students. A helpful guidebook about studying English in Malta and Gozo is available in English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Turkish, Portuguese, Korean and Japanese.

Malta has two official languages, English and Maltese, so visitors find English widely spoken in shops, restaurants and public offices. That makes a language stay easy to combine with sightseeing, and our guides to things to do in Malta, Valletta city guide and the best beaches in Malta are a good place to plan the free afternoons.

The Council also runs a host family scheme that recruits households willing to welcome students into their homes. Anyone interested in hosting, or in finding out how the scheme works, can ask through the enquiry form on this page.

Teachers and ELT permits

Teaching English as a foreign language in Malta requires an ELT permit. Applicants must be at least 18, hold the qualifications set out in the regulations and provide a clean police conduct certificate. The requirements listed include a Level 4 qualification in English at grade C or higher, a Level 4 qualification in EFL methodology approved by the Council, and a Spoken English Proficiency Test for Teachers (SEPTT) result of Band 3 or above. A CELTA covers both Level 4 requirements.

Both temporary and full permits cost a single payment of €15 per client every four years, payable by bank transfer, and renewals cost €20. Renewal depends on evidence of 32 hours of continuing professional development completed in the previous four years, with at least 20 hours on methodology and language awareness. Foreign qualifications generally need to be rated by the national higher education regulator first, though CELTA, DELTA and CertTESOL do not need that step. Non-EU applicants also need an employer to apply for a work permit.

The Council also publishes teacher resources, offers free CPD sessions and holds an annual ELT conference. Teachers relocating from the UK may find our Malta relocation guide useful for the wider move, and the Malta weather guide helps with timing.

Getting to Pembroke and making an enquiry

The Council's office is in the Bice Mizzi Vassallo Complex on Triq Alamein, Pembroke. Most visitors arrive via flights to Malta and stay near the coast, and our where to stay in Malta guide compares the main areas.

Public opening hours are shorter than the working hours of the office, so check the times in the practical section before travelling. For questions about schools, permits, host families or student information, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to the ELT Council.