And it means, says BONARD’s , that the ELT sector was sitting at 73% of its pre-pandemic enrolment, and 75% of 2019’s student weeks, for 2024.

As to why, the report points to the same headwinds that are buffeting student flows to major study destinations in 2024 and 2025, but also that students are finding alternative options for language study.

“The data shows two dominant forces reshaping student mobility: visa barriers and affordability,” said Sarah Verkinova, Head of International Education at BONARD Education. “This has pushed many students to explore alternative destinations such as Dubai and the Philippines, which together attracted more than 100,000 ELT learners in 2024.” Among the top eight destinations represented in the report, only Ireland and Malta are trending above their respective pre-COVID benchmarks. BONARD attributes that progress to Ireland and Malta’s visa-friendly policies and work rights for language learners that helped, “attract students discouraged by stricter regulations, high course fees, and other expenses in other destinations.”

The report adds that, while ELT volumes in the UK declined in 2024, the United Kingdom remains the most popular destination for English language study, with an estimated 38% market share. Part of that strength arises from the UK’s dominant position in the junior market. Junior students accounted for 62% of total ELT enrolments in the UK in 2024, the most of any of the top eight destinations. Ireland and Malta – again, the only two destinations to reach above pre-pandemic levels in 2024 – also hosted significant numbers of junior students last year (55% and 50% of ELT enrolments respectively).

Softening source markets

The top ten sending markets for ELT accounted for nearly two-thirds (63%) of all student weeks in 2024. Brazil moved past Colombia to become the largest ELT market during the year. With the exception of Colombia, all of the top five senders have declined from pre-pandemic levels.

The outlook for this year

“In 2025, government interventions and economic conditions will continue to shape global ELT trends,” says the report. “Policy shifts, visa regulations, and financial pressures are expected to influence both student decision-making and destination performance.

“Junior student mobility to the traditional ‘Big Four’ countries is projected to decline further. Concerns around safety and perceptions of a less welcoming environment are discouraging parents and students from choosing these study destinations…In summary, 2025 is likely to bring another year of decline for the eight major ELT study destinations. The same combination of factors will continue to weigh on the sector: immigration and visa policies in several countries, persistent visa and affordability barriers, and significant share of international students, particularly from China, choosing not to travel.”

For additional background, please see:

• “Nearly 30 Canadian language programmes closed in Q1, marking the ‘sharpest decline in the sector’s history’“
• “Irish ELT sector sounds note of ‘cautious stability’ for 2024“
• “US ELT numbers moving toward pre-pandemic norms“
• “UK ELT reports a decline in student weeks for 2024“

The post Global ELT volumes dipped in 2024 appeared first on şÚÁĎąŮÍř Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

The report focuses on aggregate trends for eight leading ELT destinations: the UK, Australia, Canada, the US, Ireland, New Zealand, Malta, and South Africa. It finds that the total volume of student weeks increased +34% year-over-year, allowing the sector to recover to 84% of its 2019 volume in 2023 across those eight destinations.

A similar pattern played out in terms of student numbers, for which BONARD reports a +40% increase year-over-year. In 2023, total ELT enrolments passed the 1 million student mark for first time since the onset of the pandemic and overall recovered to 78% of 2019 volumes.

“What we see is a gradual recovery but we also see a slight slowdown in the pace of the recovery,” said Ivana Bartosik, international education director at BONARD, who was speaking during a webinar to present the report’s key findings this week. “One important note is that the pace of the recovery was uneven across individual destinations. In 2023, there were three destinations that stood out as top performers: Australia, Ireland, and Malta. Each exceeded their 2019 student volume and captured a larger share of the global market. These three destinations benefited from being relatively affordable while also offering work rights to English language students.”

As the following chart reflects, Australia affirmed its position as the leading destination, in terms of student weeks. “This was driven predominantly by growth coming from the LATAM region, and the tendency of adult students to take longer courses,” explained Ms Bartosik. She added that 94% of ELT learners in Australia in 2023 were adults, and that contributed to an average course duration of 15.7 weeks, which is “well above average.”

Growth in the junior segment

“We see more under-18 students travelling to study abroad, and they are starting to travel at a younger age,” said Ms Bartosik.

Indeed, the data shows Ireland and Malta returning to a more typical adult-learner split in 2023. In the years leading up to the pandemic, that distribution was roughly 50:50 in both destinations. The UK, however, reported a significant increase in junior numbers, with the proportion of junior ELT learners there reaching 61% in 2023. This compares to 54% in 2019.

A similar pattern is playing out in the US, where the number of junior students continues to grow while adult numbers are declining. Most ELT students in the US are still adults (75% of all ELT enrolments in 2023). “This suggests a trend we have seen across different destinations,” says Ms Bartosik. “That is that the potential of the sector will continue to lie [more] with junior students.”

Where are students coming from now?

The following chart outlines the top 15 sending markets for ELT students, with year-over-year growth for 2023 indicated at the top of the figure. Among other things, it shows the importance of LATAM markets for ELT, with Colombia taking up the #1 spot for the first time, followed by Brazil, Japan, China, and Italy.

“If you are looking for conclusions that can be drawn from 2023 [data], it is that growth was really driven by countries in LATAM,” explained Ms Bartosik. “You have Colombia rising by 72%, you have Mexico rising by 47%, and you also have Chile increasing by 23%.”

More broadly, only six of those top 15 sending markets have reached or exceeded their pre-pandemic volumes as of 2023, with half of those in LATAM. Among the top Asian markets for ELT students, only Thailand and Vietnam have now surpassed their 2019 volumes.

2024 and beyond

“Major ELT destinations are currently facing difficulties due to visa restrictions and added government regulation,” said Ms Bartosik. “We are already seeing some declines in the statistics available for [the first half of 2024].” BONARD expects that because of those headwinds in some of the top destinations, that demand will continue to shift to other destinations, such as Ireland, Malta, New Zealand, and South Africa.

“There are also opportunities,” she added, “and those lie in the junior market. There is stable growth predicted for the junior market globally in 2024.”

The dramatic impact of new policy settings

Commenting on the 2023 data, English UK Chief Executive Jodie Gray confirmed that UK providers were reporting softer numbers for the last quarter of 2023 and first half of 2024. “There is definitely a feeling that that is being driven by a dampening of student demand globally, created by – shall we say – less-than-helpful government policies in various markets,” she said.

Languages Canada Executive Director Gonzalo Peralta picked up the theme in his remarks, adding that, “It’s not so much about the cap [on foreign enrolments announced in Canada in January 2024], it is 100% about how it was handled. The fact that it was announced and then there was this huge gap in not knowing how it would be [implemented]. This caused so much uncertainty.”

Meanwhile in Australia, “The government here did a complete backflip,” said English Australia CEO Ian Aird. “They went from urgently trying to grow the sector post-COVID to kickstart the economy…to a really significant shift in how visas are processed, and they have brought in one change after another over the first six months of the year.” Those changes include “a really significant increase in the visa fee and that has really hurt the [ELT] sector. The visa went up on 1 July and we’ve seen since that visa grants have dropped by about 45% and [visa] applications have dropped by a similar proportion.” Overall, he added, “2024 has [dropped] back to COVID-level student numbers and we expect that 2025 will be quite weak, at least initially, unless the government have a rapid change of heart.”

While the immediate political outlook is challenging in many destinations, the panel set a more optimistic tone looking ahead, based in part on the considerable resilience that the ELT sector has demonstrated during and after the years of the pandemic. The group also saw continuing opportunities in the junior segment and in key growth regions, especially in Latin America.

For additional background, please see:

• “Canada’s language training sector reached 82% of pre-pandemic benchmark in 2023“
• “US ELT providers flag visa denials as key area of concern“
• “UK ELT posts another year of growth to reach 75% of pre-pandemic volumes in 2023“
• “US ELT sector continues a gradual recovery“
• “Student weeks for Malta’s ELT sector surpassed pre-pandemic levels in 2023“
• “Irish ELT sector continues to exceed pre-pandemic levels of business“

The post Report reveals continued recovery for ELT sector in 2023, but also policy headwinds in 2024 appeared first on şÚÁĎąŮÍř Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

Total enrolments, meanwhile, continue to dip below pre-COVID levels, with 78,600 student arrivals reported for 2023, a shortfall of just over -6% compared to 2019.

Those are the headline findings from the , an annual report produced by Deloitte in collaboration with the industry peak body (Federation of English Language Teaching Organizations Malta).

The report also highlights the key role of the ELT sector in Malta’s larger tourism and hospitality industry: “The ELT sector remains an important niche market for the tourism industry in Malta. The sector plays an important role in the diversification strategy of the local tourism sector to promote a more diverse profile of visiting tourists and less reliance on traditional core inbound markets.

During 2023, the sector continued to attract students from markets which are not traditional tourist source markets for Malta, such as Brazil, Japan, and Colombia. Student arrivals from non-EU/EEA countries accounted for 26% of total student arrivals but represented 59% of total student weeks due to the longer training programmes followed by this cohort.”

Overall, sector revenue was also up by 10.9% compared to 2019, driven mainly by increased tuition and accommodation fees.

Speaking at an event to officially launch this year’s findings, FELTOM CEO Jessica Rees-Jones said, “Why does FELTOM produce the report? Why does it matter? It matters because it tells a story. And it matters to the 78,000 and more students that choose Malta in 2023. It matters to the 1,300 [plus] staff in the schools, and how they teach every day…It tells the story of how people make choices of where to study, where to travel, and where to learn.”

For additional background, please see:

• “Non-EU markets boosting recovery of Malta’s English language training sector“

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The average length of stay for ELT students in 2022 was 4.3 weeks overall, but this surged to 14.5 weeks for Colombian students, 13.3 for South Korean students, and 13.1 for Chilean students. The Colombian market is increasingly important for Maltese providers. There were many more Colombian students studying in 2022 than in 2019, especially those in the 18-25 and 26-35 age cohorts. Most other markets have not yet recovered to pre-pandemic levels for Maltese language schools.

Young students aged 15 and under made up the largest proportion of those enrolled (24%), and their number more than doubled over 2021. Significant increases were also recorded for the 16-17 age group and students aged 18–25. Female students outnumbered male students by a considerable margin.
 
The return of students has allowed for more staff hires. In 2021, staff had numbered under 900, while in 2022, this increased to over 1,200 (mostly teaching/academic staff).
 
As in previous years, the largest EU sending markets were Italy (16% of student weeks booked) and France (13%). Germany was the third largest market (13%). Overall, 7 in 10 students came from an EU country. Outside of Europe, Japan and Colombia sent the most students to Malta.
 
Intensive English courses were the most popular, accounting for 69% of all English-language courses on offer in Malta. The previous year, Intensive English courses had been less popular than General English courses among international students enrolled with Maltese ELT providers.
 
As usual, July was the busiest month for business, followed by August and October.
 
If we look at Malta’s ELT recovery trajectory compared with what happened in 2022 in competitor countries, we see that Malta is closer to a return to pre-pandemic business than the UK (where both student numbers and weeks are still down considerably from 2019), Spain, and Australia. Malta and Ireland bear the strongest resemblance in that:

1. Enrolments have yet to reach pre-pandemic levels;
2. Weeks have now surpassed the total in 2019;
3. Latin American markets are a big part of the recovery story, especially in terms of student weeks.

For additional background, please see:

• “UK ELT: Student numbers and weeks up in 2022 but still below pre-pandemic levels”
• “Strong recovery of Irish ELT in 2022 means that student weeks have now topped pre-pandemic volumes”
• “Surge in new students has ELICOS sector leading Australian growth for 2022”

The post Non-EU markets boosting recovery of Malta’s English language training sector appeared first on şÚÁĎąŮÍř Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

English schools were closed in July as COVID cases surged. Government statements at the time attributed the rising case counts to unvaccinated foreign travellers, and to outbreaks reported at nine language schools in Malta. Officials said at the time that up to 700 students had contracted COVID-19 while in Malta to study English.

A statement at the time from FELTOM (the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations Malta) characterised the closure as “disproportionate and extreme,” and said that “The Government has not allowed adequate time to the affected stakeholders to manage this sudden reversal of policies for all tourism. We feel that this is a drastic reaction reached by the Government without proper consultation with the stakeholders.”

Less than two weeks later, however, the closure order was partially reversed so that schools could resume teaching previously enrolled students as of 26 July. , issued on 2 August, allows schools to admit students who were already in Malta as of 26 July or who had booked their course in Malta as of 26 July and could travel to Malta by 2 August.

Further, the schools were permitted to accept only students who were fully vaccinated with a valid vaccination certificate. Those vaccination requirements are detailed in the guidance document linked above, but, in short, students are not permitted to travel to Malta until 14 days after their second vaccination, and must have received a vaccine approved by the .

English language schools are also expected to verify their students’ vaccination status through reporting to Maltese health authorities. The following COVID vaccination certificates are currently recognised in Malta:

• Official Maltese vaccination certificate;
• An EU Digital COVID vaccination certificate;
• United Kingdom NHS (paper or digital) Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccination Certificate
• UAE Vaccine Certificate;
• Turkish Vaccine certificate of full course of vaccination;
• USA CDC record card;
• Serbian “Digital Green Certificate”
• Gibraltar, Jersey and Guernsey vaccination certificate
• The Covid 19 vaccination certificate issued by the Ministry of Public Health, Doha, Qatar
• The Albanian Digital Covid Certificate

Ready for new bookings

As the above guidelines reflect, Maltese schools may only accept previous or continuing students at this point. However, an additional phase of reopening for the sector will come into effect on 15 August, when schools may once again accept new bookings. The 2 August rules allow that active recruiting of new students can begin immediately after as well, noting that, “Advertising/promotional campaigns will re-commence from 16 August 2021 onwards.”

Managing risk through ongoing monitoring

The updated rules for language schools add that, “Due to the nature of the operations and activities surrounding English Language Teaching (ELT) schools and their clients/students, ELT schools have been classified as extremely high risk for the transmission of COVID-19. Hence, for this reason, the standards outlined in this document need to be strictly adhered to.”

As that statement suggests, schools will now operate under strict COVID protocols set out by Maltese health authorities, including monitoring and reporting requirements, capacity limits, and limits on gatherings inside or outside of the school.

ELT operators are further expected to regularly test students, including Rapid Antigen testing between five and ten days of a student’s arrival and then every two weeks thereafter for the duration of the student’s stay in Malta.

Broader travel restrictions remain in place

The latest guidance for foreign travellers to Malta is . It details entry requirements for all travellers, with conditions varying by country of origin or transit.

Of particular note there is the list of “dark red” countries, travel from which to Malta is essentially banned and “only permitted for essential travel in exceptional circumstances” with prior authorisation from Maltese authorities. A number of important sending markets for ELT study are currently included on the dark red list, notably Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico.

For additional background, please see:

• “Malta closes ELT schools following rapid growth in COVID cases“
• “Malta: An 80% drop in ELT students but strong vaccination rollout could help spur recovery“
• “Malta: ELT weeks down; expanded work rights for students“

The post Malta allows phased reopening of English schools appeared first on şÚÁĎąŮÍř Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

In a 9 July press conference Deputy Prime Minister and Health Minister Chris Fearne said that the cases were largely traced to unvaccinated foreign travellers. He noted as well that cases had been reported at nine different English language schools in Malta.

“In recent days, the majority of new cases were related to people who came from abroad or Maltese who went abroad and came back. Most are those unvaccinated tourists,” he added. “A large number of cases also come from English schools.”

Speaking at the same briefing, Malta’s Chief Public Health Officer, Charmaine Gauci, said that most of the new cases were people aged between 15 and 30 years old.

As a result the Deputy Prime Minister announced to come into effect as of 14 July 2021.

• Foreign visitors will only be permitted to enter Malta if they are fully vaccinated at least 14 days before arrival. Further, Malta will accept only vaccination certificates from the European Union and UK. The only exception will be children aged 12 or under, who are required to present negative PCR tests and expected to travel with a vaccinated adult. “We will be the first country in Europe to take this step,” said Minister Fearne. Complete details on the current travel restrictions are .

• All English language schools will be closed until further notice.

The move comes as a shock to the Malta’s ELT sector, where schools had been permitted to reopen since 1 June and where there was optimism for the key summer season ahead.

“This decision will have an unquantifiable effect on Malta’s reputation,” said Rebecca Bonnici, CEO of BELS English Language Schools, speaking to the . “We got the numbers here because we hung on and worked hard to attract people and because England and Ireland were closed to language learning. This will effectively wipe out the ELT sector in Malta.”

“The industry has been on its knees for 18 months and when the first problem came along the decision was to shut schools,” added Andrew Mangion, CEO at EC English Language Centres. “What we have been seeking to do from day one is to work and collaborate with the government in the interest of the country and the industry…This recent announcement has left us feeling scapegoated.”

In statements published in the Maltese press, (the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations Malta) expressed the sector’s shock and frustration at the move, in particular the “lack of direction from government considering the thousands of clients already on the island currently left with no guidance.”

“This sudden unilateral decision by the Government sends out a message that a cluster that did not emerge from any breach of protocols by operators within their schools, can lead to such disproportionate and extreme measures,” said FELTOM.

“We respect the decision of Government to restrict entry to Malta to fully vaccinated persons. However, we feel that the Government has not allowed adequate time to the affected stakeholders to manage this sudden reversal of policies for all tourism. We feel that this is a drastic reaction reached by the Government without proper consultation with the stakeholders of the consequences and implications on the ELT Schools, its employees, its students (present and future) and all the stakeholders. Even with fully vaccinated tourists we can expect that similar clusters will occur in hotels and other tourist establishments and we ask to what extent will Government take similar measures to close these operators.”

“Our member schools have, under the constant direction of, and collaboration with, the Public Health, implemented and followed the rules and guidelines as outlined by the authorities. Rest assured that the ELT Schools have invested enormous resources in terms of time, money, manpower and materials so that their schools operate within the parameters of these guidelines. Subsequently, while the schools have impressed on their employees and students the importance of adhering to the measures, including mask wearing and social distancing while in public, the reinforcement of such measures by the government has been barely visible, bearing in mind that it is only government that has the authority to enforce such measures. The closure of all ELT schools is not warranted especially as the Government is now going to restrict entry to Malta to fully vaccinated persons in line with EU issued certificates. Schools should be allowed to remain open like all other public institutions to these vaccinated visitors. Most schools have actually done this successfully in the last 15 months or so without an increase in COVID cases in Malta.”

FELTOM representatives met with government officials on 13 July to make a number of proposals as to how schools could continue to operate this summer, and especially that vaccinated adult learners be allowed to continue their studies face-to-face without delay. At this writing, there has been no response from government to those proposals.

FELTOM reports that there are now 2,000 ELT sector jobs at stake as member schools face losses estimated at €36 million arising from a reported 15,000 booking cancellations since Minister Fearne’s announcement less than a week ago.

For additional background, please see:

• “Malta: An 80% drop in ELT students but strong vaccination rollout could help spur recovery“
• “Slower growth and more intense competition in global ELT market“
• “Some notable shifts in sending markets for Malta’s ELT providers“

The post Malta closes ELT schools following rapid growth in COVID cases appeared first on şÚÁĎąŮÍř Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

Roughly half a dozen on the list with the US a likely next addition

The EC recommends letting in travellers from countries with relatively low COVID infection rates and also those “who have received the last recommended dose of an EU-authorised vaccine” at least 14 days before arrival in Europe. The EC proposes that this could also be expanded to people who have received other vaccines on the WHO emergency list.

The Digital Green Certificate – or other certificates approved by the EC – will be the foundation for (selectively) opened borders; non-EU travellers will be able to present this certificate as proof of eligibility to enter. The Digital Green Certificate . Until then, the EC says that certificates from other countries should be enough to allow travellers in “based on national law, taking into account the ability to verify the authenticity, validity and integrity of the certificate and whether it contains all relevant data.”

Because the global COVID pandemic remains fluid – especially given new variants circulating – the EC also proposes a new “emergency brake mechanism” that would allow EU countries to quickly halt all travel from badly affected countries on a temporary basis.

The fluidity of the pandemic means that the list of countries from which travellers will be permitted to enter will be somewhat dynamic and will be updated at least every two weeks. For now, the EC recommends that travel bans be lifted for people from the following countries:

• Australia
• New Zealand
• Rwanda
• Singapore
• South Korea
• Thailand
• China, subject to confirmation of reciprocity

It is anticipated that more European countries will soon allow vaccinated Americans in as well; currently .

Individual countries within the EU speeding ahead

Many European countries have already relaxed – or will imminently relax – international travel restrictions on their own terms in an effort to boost tourism during the crucial summer months. The following list does not include details on what conditions travellers must meet to be able to enter a country – please consult governmental websites for the latest information on those and note that the following information is correct as of 10 May.

• ’s borders are open to arrivals from other European countries as well as Australia, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the UK. Vaccinated Americans will be allowed in on 9 June.
• The UK is allowing arrivals from 12 countries on its “” 17 May.
• is allowing international tourists in, including Americans. Travellers may arrive from the European Union, New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Thailand, Rwanda, Singapore, the United States, the United Kingdom, Israel, Serbia, and the United Arab Emirates without needing to quarantine.
• will open up soon to travellers who will not need to quarantine provided they show they are COVID-negative or vaccinated.
• Malta is open to travellers from many countries on its “Amber” list and plans to open up more widely in June.
• hopes to open 31 May.
• Iceland, Cyprus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, and Estonia .

Vaccination rollouts a key to rebooting mobility

The EC’s recommendation, as well as European countries’ individual decisions, underlines that a recovery of global tourism and international education depends on people becoming fully vaccinated. If the leading vaccines prove effective at protecting travellers against variants of concern, there is hope for a better summer for schools and universities across Europe as quarantine requirements are dropped in favour of vaccine passports.

The extent of the recovery will hinge to some degree on the ability of people in non-EU emerging markets to be vaccinated. reveals just how uneven vaccination rollouts have been across the world to date.

Looking at the leading study abroad destinations on the Vaccination Tracker, some currently have a more appealing vaccination profile than others – and surveys show that students are watching this factor closely. Canada (3.3% fully vaccinated) is currently far behind similarly wealthy countries such as the US (34%) and the UK (26%). France and Italy are currently at 12% fully vaccinated while Germany and Ireland are at 10%.

For additional background, please see:

• “Survey confirms that vaccination rollouts are influencing student choice”
• “The link between vaccine rollouts and the attractiveness of study destinations”
• “EU fast-tracks digital green certificate to promote safe travel this summer”

The post More European destinations setting out plans for selective border openings appeared first on şÚÁĎąŮÍř Monitor - Market intelligence for international student recruitment.

The latest data from Malta’s National Statistics Office indicates that a total of 16,491 students enrolled in a programme delivered by a Maltese ELT provider in 2020 (compared to 83,610 in 2019). Student weeks were also dramatically down by 74.8% for a total of 48,876 tuition weeks (the industry reported a total of 193,832 weeks the year before).

Tourists to be given up to €200

The declines in the ELT sector mirror those across the Maltese tourism industry: foreign tourist arrivals were down 80% last year. But there is hope that this summer will mark the beginning of a recovery. The Maltese government has announced plans to (US$240) each if they stay for at least three days this summer.

Malta’s travel restrictions are expected to be mostly retired this June, helped along by the country’s quick rollout of its vaccination programme. Having already provided 42% of its adult population with at least one dose of a vaccine, Malta has the highest virus vaccination rate in the European Union. As we have written about recently, the speed of vaccination rollouts is set to be a major determinant of international student mobility in 2021.

Commenting on the travel incentives planned for summer, Malta’s Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo said, “The scheme is aimed at putting Malta’s hotels in a very competitive position as international tourism restarts.”

The immediate outlook

In 2020, most language students coming to Malta came from the EU (63%), led by Germans, French, Italians, and Spaniards. More than a quarter of students (26.5%) were aged between 18 and 25.

Malta’s ELT providers began to feel the effects of COVID in March, when 84% fewer students came to study with them than in March 2019. April, May, and June got worse, with declines of more than 97%. Numbers improved marginally throughout the rest of the year but not enough to prevent an overall 2020 decline of 80.3%.

The COVID effect has been felt across the major ELT destinations, including Australia, where English Australia members reported 68% fewer students and 72% fewer weeks in Q4 2020 versus Q4 2019, and the UK, where student numbers were down 79% and weeks off by 65%. 2020 data for Canada, the US, and Ireland is forthcoming.

For the moment, Malta’s ELT schools remain closed for in-person instruction, with classes given online only. Primary and secondary schools have re-opened throughout the country during the first half of April 2021, but English schools have been ordered to remain closed for the time being. Speaking to , Caroline Tissot, the incoming CEO for the sector’s peak body, FELTOM, said that the order was unexpected and had “brought the industry to its knees.”

“The English foreign language industry has incurred terrible financial losses and support for schools is imperative if this industry is to survive,” she added. “The basis of the ELT industry is that students have the opportunity to learn by immersing themselves fully in their surroundings. However, the indefinite closure of schools has led to an increase in cancellations and postponements. Bookings decreased significantly resulting in a huge loss of revenue.”

Aim to come back stronger

When Malta opens its borders more fully again to foreigners, including English-language students, many employees in the tourism sector will be well prepared; some of them will have accessed online courses delivered for free to them during COVID. As KPMG notes,

“Whilst tourism was on hold, an e-learning platform was launched which offers free online courses to individuals working in the tourism sector. The aim is that of making the best use of employee and employer resources in these challenging times and empower the workforce to come back stronger and better after the COVID-19 pandemic. The courses are financed by Malta Tourism Authority and cover a variety of skills and occupational level. The scheme is a one-year project.”

When English-language students do return to Malta, they will also be eligible to work while studying thanks to legislation announced in 2019.

For additional background, please see:

• “New survey updates ELT industry expectations for pandemic recovery”
• “şÚÁĎąŮÍř Exchange Podcast: Reopening visa services for the ELT sectors in the UK, Ireland, and Malta”
• “Malta: ELT weeks down; expanded work rights for students”

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