During the academic year, Malta sees some 80-90 thousand international students coming to study and live in the beautiful Mediterranean island-country. However, not everything is just about school. Most people would appreciate and pursue job opportunities. Some people want to get settled immediately and find a career path while others could prefer a less time-consuming opportunity with flexible working hours. So, if you’re an international student in Malta who is looking for a job, what would be the best opportunities for you?
First of all, it’s different for EU & non-EU students
Students that came from outside the European Union will have to spend at least 13 weeks in the island before they can work. Furthermore, non-EU students are limited to working 20 hours per week to avoid exploitation in the labour market.
But, if you came from EU countries, you can find work and have less limitations in terms of finding a job and generating income.
What do most international students do?
People who come to Malta from abroad need to know English in order to find solid job opportunities. There is demand for Italian-speakers as well, but English is the 2nd national language and is the primary choice of business communication in Malta.
Whether you want to be employed at a restaurant or an international company as a customer support agent, or anywhere else, English is usually a must-have skill. Most international students choose work in the service sector, becoming waiters or bartenders at cafes or beach clubs. In addition, there is a large quantity of staff wanted at hotels, which means that there are plenty of open positions there.
Finally, since there are a large number of international company HQ’s and subsidiaries to large corporations based in Malta, you can expect to see a lot of students working in customer support or doing entry-level administrative jobs. Of course, these aren’t the only opportunities, but just like in a lot of countries around the world, students and younger specialists fill these positions.
Career-focused path
Now it’s time to look at two different options for when you’re looking for a job in Malta as a student. To begin with, you have to decide whether you want a job opportunity that offers the best income and the flexible-most conditions or one that has the greatest career prospects ahead of you.
If you choose the latter, it’s time to seek out job advertisements online, on LinkedIn and Facebook. With over 90,000 businesses being registered in Malta and with the economy booming over the past few years, it should be no surprise that a student would be able to find worthwhile career opportunities in this island.
However, it’s quite rare to find a job with lucrative career perspectives in the future that only hires interns or applicants, capable of doing 20-hour weeks. Besides, doing your best and trying to find a career path right away could require that you settle down in Malta for the time being. If such a scenario isn’t something that could interest you – move on to our next line of suggestions.
If you want solid income straight away
Most students aren’t instantly focused on becoming managers or office workers. Entry-level positions tend to offer average-at-best compensation and since that’s what people are usually prioritizing, they choose to pursue other opportunities.
Probably the job which offers the best compensation and the most flexibility for students is being a taxi airport Malta driver. Ride-sharing and car-pooling apps are always looking for extra drivers. Besides, no previous qualification is usually necessary and you can get behind the wheel and earn cash for merely driving from point A to B.
It’s a job that pays for however much work you put in, so salary-wise, it depends on you a lot more, rather than being described on pre-determined terms in a contract.