Maltalingua

Maltalingua is an independent, British-owned English school in the heart of St Julian's, one of the liveliest seaside towns in Malta. It opened in 2012 and has stayed deliberately small: a single adult campus, a close-knit staff and a limit of 12 students in any adult class. If you picture a study holiday where your teacher knows your name and you actually speak every day, that is the idea behind the school.

The adult school looks out over the bay at the end of Balluta, with sea views from several classrooms, a rooftop swimming pool and a student cafe on site. It is listed in our directory of language schools in Malta, where you can compare it with other centres such as AM Language, which is less than a kilometre away.

About the school and its approach

Maltalingua is a boutique alternative to the large international chains. Every decision is made on site, there are no agency fees and booking directly with the school carries no booking charge, no course material fee and no extra accommodation fee. The school is accredited by EAQUALS, an international body for language education, and is licensed by the Malta ELT Council.

A typical week combines focused lessons in the morning with optional activities, study time or a swim in the afternoon, then a social programme of dinners, parties on the rooftop terrace and weekend excursions. Classrooms are fitted with interactive screens, and every teacher is a qualified native English speaker.

The management team is led by School Principal Tania Assuncao, who holds a Cambridge CELTA and an Oxford DipTESOL, with Keenan Kleinsmith and Maria Privitera as Assistant Director of Studies and Academic Supervisor and Roswita Vella as Operations Manager. A friendly, multilingual support team helps with course advice, accommodation, airport transfers and visa letters.

Because the school is small, it works hard to keep the atmosphere personal. Students arrive from many countries, so English is the shared language in the cafe, on the terrace and on the excursions, and staff greet you by name. Course completion certificates are given at the end of your studies, and your teachers monitor progress throughout, moving you to a different class if your level changes. Students who travel alone are encouraged to join the social programme, which is often the quickest way to make friends in the first few days.

Adult courses: general, intensive and business English

The Standard English course is 20 lessons a week of 45 minutes, which works out at three hours a day from Monday to Friday and leaves your afternoons free. The Intensive course is 30 lessons a week, with four core lessons in the morning and two fluency lessons in the afternoon. Both run at every level from beginner (A1) to advanced (C1), start every Monday and can last anywhere from one to 52 weeks. Classes average eight to ten students and never exceed 12, and you must be at least 16. Tuition is quoted from €234 per week for Standard and from €343 per week for Intensive, with accommodation priced separately.

A free online placement test before you arrive, plus an interview on day one, puts you in the right group, and your level is reviewed as you improve. One or two private lessons a day can be added to any group course.

Business English is for students at intermediate (B1+) level or above, aged 18 and over, in groups of no more than eight, usually four to six. It covers meetings, presentations, negotiations, emails and telephone calls, and lessons can be adapted to fields such as finance, law, marketing or sales. Courses last one to eight weeks, and private business lessons can be added or taken on their own.

The structure of a lesson is practical rather than theoretical. The core syllabus covers listening, reading, speaking and writing alongside grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, and the emphasis is fluency and real-world communication, so that you can use what you learned that morning when you order lunch or ask for directions in the afternoon. If you only have a week or two, the Intensive course is the usual choice for getting the most out of a short stay, while longer stays often suit Standard with some private lessons added on top.

Courses for over-30s, over-50s and exam candidates

Club 30+ and Club 50+ courses suit adults who prefer to study alongside people of a similar life stage. Groups follow the same 20 or 30 lesson timetables, with elementary, intermediate and advanced levels, and there is no upper age limit. Many students are retired learners combining lessons with a Mediterranean break, which is a good fit for UK visitors wanting a sociable few weeks away.

For a recognised qualification, the exam preparation course prepares students for Cambridge B2 First, Cambridge C1 Advanced and IELTS Academic. It combines four daily lessons on core skills with two on exam technique, practice papers and timing. The IELTS course is quoted from €349 per week, and the IELTS test fee of €270 is paid separately because you register for the exam yourself at an official centre after booking. Students need at least an intermediate level. The school also offers a longer IELTS preparation option that qualifies for Bildungsurlaub, the German paid educational leave scheme.

Junior, teen and family programmes

Maltalingua Junior runs in summer, at Easter and in autumn for children aged 8 to 12 and teenagers aged 13 to 17, with classes of up to 20. It is based on a separate, family-friendly campus in St Paul's Bay and uses the National Geographic Learning Voices syllabus with project work, games and conversation clubs.

A junior booking is fully organised: lessons, accommodation in a supervised residence or with a vetted host family, all meals, activities, airport transfers and round-the-clock supervision by a named, multilingual welfare team. Afternoons are spent on sport, beach time and excursions such as boat trips to the Blue Lagoon on Comino, with evening discos, quiz nights and talent shows. Family programmes let parents and children study during the same school holidays.

The school also publishes autumn offers, for example a room upgrade for stays starting in November or December, and advance-booking terms for the following year. These change, so ask for the current terms when you enquire. Many UK students choose the colder months for a study break, since Malta stays mild while home is wet and dark, and the school's own pool and rooftop terrace make the sunnier weeks even more enjoyable.

Where you stay and what there is to do

The school arranges accommodation in self-catering school apartments within a short walk of the classrooms, or with a host family on a half-board basis, and an airport transfer is required with both options. If you would rather book your own room, there is a wide choice of hotels in Sliema and St Julian's close by.

St Julian's gives you restaurants, cafes, the promenade and plenty of bus links to the rest of the island. The social team organises visits to the capital (see our Valletta city guide) and the old walled city (see our Mdina visitor guide), wine tasting, food nights and beach afternoons, and our guides to the best beaches in Malta and things to do in Malta can fill the gaps. Winter is a popular time to study, and the school promotes its sunshine as a way to escape cold weather, so see our Malta weather guide before you pack. Flights from the UK are covered in our guide to flights to Malta.

How to start

Choose your course, your dates and your accommodation, then ask for a personalised quotation. The school publishes seasonal packages, including free course weeks for stays of ten or twenty weeks or longer, and has run offers on early bookings, so mention your dates when you enquire.

To begin, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page. Tell us who is studying, the age group, the level you think you are and when you would like to arrive, and we will pass your message to Maltalingua, which will reply with options and prices.