Malta is a destination where the local language is English, so students visit for a long stay - two weeks or more - to immerse themselves with the language and culture. In the case of Malta, they can also enjoy the beautiful mediterranean climate and historic island!
Teachers usually have a timetable that involves teaching in the morning and afternoon - what you might of as a usual school day. They usually have the evenings free, although there may be activities and events to join in with students.
Monday Morning
- 8am: I arrive at work. The school is already buzzing with New arrivals. The Academic Staff are testing and interviewing the new students. I finalise some preparations for my first lesson, and have a much-needed coffee.
- 8:30am: I teach an Upper Intermediate class which I have had for some time and have developed an excellent rapport with many of the long-term students and I am looking forward to meeting the new students after the break.
- 10am: We take a short break and another coffee.
- 10:15: I teach my second lesson for the day and there are introductions all round. I love getting to know the students and we share many a joke in doing so.
- 11:45: Monday is always Pastizzi day. When all students gather on the roof terrace to meet the new students and eat typical Maltese snacks. These are a favourite with the teachers and students alike. High in calories, but ever so delicious.
Afternoon
- 12:15: I teach an Intermediate+ fluency class. Today we have roleplays focusing around the topic of ‘Heatwaves’ where students practice expressions showing annoyance and confrontation.
- 2pm: After another short break I teach an IELTS class of three students. Today we are working on describing processes, specifically the water-cycle. I love teaching simple techniques which help the students put their thoughts on paper.
- 3:30pm: After a short conversation with the Director of Studies about how the new students fit into the class, I head home .
Tuesday Morning
- 7:45: I come in a little bit earlier today to prepare some specific material for my morning lessons now that I know the composition of my class. Settling into my class at 8:15, I have a relaxed conversation with a couple of students who also come early.
- 8:30am: I teach my Upper Intermediate class again. Today it’s phrasal verbs. I love teaching phrasal verbs and all their various subtle differences in meaning. After the students learn the phrasal verbs, they get to practice them by writing humorous paragraphs in groups.
- 10:00: First break of the day.
- 10:15: Now that the students have their heads swimming with phrasal verbs, we focus on practicing dialogues using common expressions to give preferences.
- 11:45: We take a break and as I’m hungry, I have a toasted sandwich and a few laughs with the other teachers.
Afternoon
- 12:15: I teach fluency again and we put on a mock court case which develops into a great court room drama.
- 1:45pm: After a break, it’s IELTS again and today we look at introducing arguments in essays and giving conclusions.
- 3:15pm: After a quick five-minute break I have a one on one student tutorial with a student to discuss his study needs.
- 3:45pm: After a long day I head home to my three daughters for some Lego play.
Wednesday Morning
- 8am: I arrive at work. I have a quick coffee and the set up the whiteboard audio in the classroom. The students trickle in before class and we find out from each other what happened since the day before.
- 8:30am: In the first lesson today, the students have a listening dialogue activity packed with expressions and they have fun practising these.
- 10am: I have a Twix Bar and a coffee and back into class.
- 10:15: The students describe pictures using the causative passive in this lesson and really master it in the end after a bit of repetition.
- 11:45am: It’s time for some lunch outside in the courtyard to catch a few rays and refresh my mind.
Afternoon
- 12:15pm: Today we have a murder mystery in the fluency class where the students have to use some word clues and a short paragraph to put together a sequence of events and solve the mystery.
- 2pm: After a short break I teach my IELTS students how to give concessions in an argument and how to refute an argument.
- 3:30pm. A little paperwork and I’m off home for some rest.
Evening
- 5pm: I go on a hiking tour with some students along Malta’s stunning northern cliffs. At the end of the tour we take-in the amazing sunset.
- 8:15pm: I head off home again looking forward to dinner as I worked up a mighty appetite.
Thursday Morning
- 8:15am: After a long day on Wednesday, I arrive at work a little later but I already prepared for the day’s lessons so I just have a relaxing coffee.
- 8:30am: I teach a unit to my Upper Intermediate class which includes comparative structures and prepositional phrases. The students make comments using the grammar to describe real situations for them.
- 10:15am: In our next lesson we look at the differences between the verbs look, see and watch and consider other words that can be used instead of them. We also study strong adjective comparisons.
- 11:45am -12:15: Lunch
Afternoon
- 12:15pm: In the fluency class the students, in groups, need to choose items from a list that they would want with them if they were stranded on a desert island with no chance of escape. They then justify their selection.
- 2pm: After lunch I give some pointers to students during speaking in my IELTS class to prepare them for the speaking part of the exam. Confidence is key, but pacing, stress and intonation are also important.
- 3:30pm: I give a student tutorial to a student looking to find a job and wanting help with interviewing in English.
- 4pm: Another good day at work over, I head off home.
Evening
- 7pm: After dinner and putting my kids to bed I sit down in front of the TV and prepare a Kahoot quiz for my students on all the things they have learnt during the week.
Friday Morning
- 8am: Straight into class to make sure everything is ok for the quiz. It is, so I sit, relax and chat with the teachers until the students arrive.
- 8:30am: I split the students up into groups and start the interactive quiz. The students get very competitive and this just makes it more fun. After the quiz is done, we dissect the mistakes and explanations are given.
- 10am: In the second lesson we continue in competition mode with a challenging sentence auction where students determine in groups whether sentences are correct or not and lay bets depending on how sure they are. It’s great for assessing student needs for the following week.
- 11:45: After the lesson it’s time to bid farewell to many students. Today I have four students from my class who are leaving. It’s a little emotional as strong bonds have been formed. I present the students with their certificates and loads of photos are taken. I’m sorry to see them leave.
Afternoon
- 12:15pm: After the break it’s the last fluency class for the week. Today we have a mock election for a fictitious country which has serious problems. The students work in groups to formulate policies to deal with them and present them to the class.
- 2pm: In the IELTS lesson today we have a mock listening and reading test. The students do very encouragingly well, finishing the school week off on a high note.
- 3:30pm: I finish off the week with some quick paperwork. And then head home before the peak hour starts.
Evening
- 5pm: I take my daughters to the beach for a dip in the crystal-clear waters of the Med and fun in the sand. It’s a popular beach so I meet a number of students from the school all enjoying themselves.
