Why not do your BTS SAM work placement in Malta? Malta is a small archipelago in the Mediterranean, very welcoming and offering many advantages. International Horizons has been there many times: it’s even the most popular destination for secondary schools and students for their work placements abroad. Tom, our apprentice, even spent a month there meeting host families and potential companies to welcome you during your work placement abroad. I – Sébastien – went there again in March 2023, to meet other host families, for those who want to maximise their language skills by staying with a family! Malta is English-speaking, chilled-out, dynamic and particularly beautiful. When you know the nice little places to stay and the places to party, you’ll have the best possible time abroad, while improving your language skills: what more could you ask for? I invite you to read this blog, as well as one of the feedback reports we’ve written, and the testimonials of Cécile and François, who went on an internship in Malta with International Horizons.
An English-speaking BTS SAM course
If you’re here, it’s because you suspect it and want confirmation, but Malta is indeed an English-speaking country. The Maltese dialect, which is a mixture of French, Italian and Arabic, is also spoken, but less and less. My grandfather, who was Maltese, hardly used it at all, preferring English or Italian: granny is Italian, so we had to gabble a few words of Ritalian to pick her up at the Sunday ball ?.
English is used by everyone, so you’ll rarely hear it, apart from idiomatic expressions like the famous “mellah” that punctuates every situation. Malta welcomes a large number of students every year, so most companies are relatively tolerant when it comes to the level of English you speak. However, you absolutely must be honest about your level of English, otherwise the company will be disappointed, and so will you: if your level of English isn’t good enough for the tasks assigned to you, you’ll soon get bored and the company will put you on the back burner. To avoid any problems, you can have your level of English assessed free of charge online, using a platform set up by the European Union. You get the results in 30 minutes, and it translates your level of English from A0 to C2: this will enable us to adapt the assignments to your level of English, so you can progress with peace of mind during your work placement abroad!
A little tip: when you’re in the street, be careful about the language you use. There are lots of people, lots of tourists, and French is used just about everywhere, so it’s not uncommon to come across some. It would be a shame to get your head blown off for talking nonsense! ?
A warm course on a human-sized island
We go to Malta regularly; since 2022 alone, we’ve been there in January, February, March, July and October. And we can tell you that, whatever the time of year, the weather is generally good in winter and very hot in summer. But be careful: it’s very windy in winter and in spring, so don’t forget to put on some clothes! And, from April onwards, you need to bring sun cream, drink water and, if you’re taking a ferry, put on a cap. Despite our advice, every year some people don’t follow it, and every year some of you end up in Mosta’s emergency department with dehydration or sunstroke. And it’s a shame to lose 1 week of your work placement abroad because you got the sun wrong! I was there in March 2023 and spent a whole day between the doctors and the hospital after a school outing on a boat because most of the young people hadn’t seen fit to listen to me and put on sun cream and a cap. The result: 5 no-shows on the course the next day, 3 sunstrokes, which is a real shame.
Besides the sun, Malta is a small archipelago: everything is easily accessible. Of course, the buses are a nightmare when it comes to timetables: they’re rarely kept to. But once you’ve got used to the buses, it’s very easy to get around: bus, scooter, ferry… there’s plenty to do to explore the whole of Malta! As well as Valletta, Sliema and Paceville, which you’ll soon discover without our advice, there are plenty of other great places to visit in Malta! You absolutely must visit the three cities and discover all their port history, Mosta for its famous dome, Rabat and Mdina for the history of the Templars, and of course Gozo and Comino for a spot of chilling out on the water and enjoying the magnificent scenery.
For Gozo and Comino, moreover, there are daily departures from Malta’s various ports. But beware: if you leave from Sliema, for example, it’s more expensive than leaving from the north of the main island. We advise you to take one of the famous Maltese buses to Bugibba: it’s cheaper, quicker and there are two companies offering to take you around both islands. Gozo is tiny, and you can do all sorts of water sports there, including jet-skiing and paddle-boarding. Comino is bigger, has a huge castle overlooking the town, and is a lovely place to visit.
Doing your BTS SAM work placement in Malta
It’s a good idea to do your BTS SAM work placement in Malta! Apart from the problem of English mentioned above, you need to start by taking an interest in the assignments. After all, if you have a precise idea of what you want, it also has to fit in with the reality of the field, your level of English and, of course, the educational expectations of your school. In fact, your work placement abroad – and the same applies in France – must meet a certain number of criteria if you are to be awarded your degree. An internship in Malta, even if it’s nicer than in Montluçon, isn’t a holiday, it’s training! Your work placement must therefore include at least one or more of these tasks, and you must have completed all of them before taking your BTS oral:
- Organising a business meeting
- Organising an event
- Administrative management of an activity
- Travel management
- Carrying out a survey
- Monitoring a certification process
- Modifying a process
- Consultation of a tender file
- Processing a response to a call for tenders
- Managing a commercial transaction
- Organisation of a sales prospecting activity
- Managing a fleet of equipment
- Helping to improve internal communications
- Supplies purchasing management
- Creation of a website or online communication space
- Assisting users of an application or software package
- Helping to optimise an HR process
- Participating in recruitment
- Helping to welcome and integrate new employees
In short, you still have a choice, but you have to make sure you meet the conditions! For Malta, not too much of a problem, we can place you in a service company, or in the head office of a company to assist with the administrative function, for example. Malta has a lot of investors in tourism, but in other areas too. Malta has a very advantageous tax system in certain areas, and has succeeded in attracting a large number of online gaming company head offices, which set up there to distribute throughout the European Union, as well as firms specialising in the registration of shipowners. Malta also has many law firms, which can be ideal for developing your administrative management skills. You’ve got it: there are plenty of opportunities to satisfy your desire for an internship in Malta!
We have enough contacts and ideas to give you the best internship experience in Malta. If you give us a call, we’ll be sure to tell you all about Malta as a great place to do your work experience abroad! Before contacting us, however, please prepare your CV in English – we won’t be able to do much with a French CV – also make sure you know your European language level (A0 to C2), and then contact the International Horizons team! Together, we can build you the best possible experience abroad.
For more general questions, visit the International Horizons Internships Abroad FAQ.