Learn English in Malta as an Adult

Malta offers something most language destinations cannot: an environment where English is woven into everyday life, not reserved for the classroom. You order coffee, ask for directions, and chat with locals in English as a matter of course. For an adult learner, that constant, low-pressure practice is what turns textbook knowledge into real fluency.

English as an official language of Malta

English and Maltese are both official languages of Malta, set out in the country's constitution, and English runs through daily life. According to a 2022 national Skills Survey by the National Statistics Office of Malta, around 96 percent of working-age residents have at least a basic knowledge of English. The EU's Special Eurobarometer survey on languages found that close to 88 percent of people in Malta can hold a conversation in English, one of the highest rates anywhere in the European Union. In practice, this means you will rarely face a language barrier, whether you are speaking with shop staff in St. Julian's or asking a question on the bus to Valletta.

Why English is spoken in Malta

Malta's relationship with English is the result of its history. The island was under British rule from the early nineteenth century until it gained independence in 1964, and English has remained an official language ever since. English is the main language of secondary and university education, which is why so many Maltese people use it fluently and confidently every day. For visitors, the legacy is simple: you arrive in a Mediterranean country that genuinely lives in English.

Learning English as an adult is different from sitting in a school classroom. You arrive with purpose and a clear sense of what real progress looks like. Our Malta programme is built for participants from their twenties through to their fifties and beyond: professionals, independent travellers, career changers, and people investing in themselves. The campus is adults only, with no school groups, so the people around you are motivated learners who made a deliberate choice to spend a few weeks abroad.

That mix matters. Your classmates may be architects, teachers, engineers, and business owners from across the world, and the conversations that happen by the pool or over dinner carry real depth. You improve your English, you meet people worth knowing, and you do it in a place that feels like a holiday rather than a chore. For employees in Germany and several other European countries, an English course in Malta can also count as recognised educational leave, known in Germany as Bildungsurlaub.

Our adult courses in Malta cover CEFR levels A1 (complete beginner) to C1 (advanced) and start every Monday. You take a placement test on your first morning, so you join the right group from day one. Every course includes the free Study Club, four extra supported sessions per week at no additional cost, where you can revisit the day's content and work through anything that felt tricky. All learning materials are provided on loan, and at the end of your stay you receive a SPRACHCAFFE certificate confirming the CEFR level you reached and the number of lessons you completed.

The best part of learning English in Malta often happens after class. Our weekly leisure programme includes guided visits to Valletta, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and to Mdina, the walled "Silent City". On a free day you can swim at the Blue Lagoon on the island of Comino or explore the Maltese Megalithic Temples, which are among the oldest free-standing structures in the world and date from approximately 3600 BC. Add in sports and social events at the Club Village, and the week fills with the kind of shared experiences that make a language stay memorable long after you go home.

Malta is the world's first country to enact a specific law regulating English-language schools. FELTOM was instrumental in establishing this legal framework, making Malta a globally unique destination where English Language Teaching is government-regulated by statute.
Source: FELTOM