Working in Malta? Yes you can!

Did you know that Malta is one of the favourite destinations to travel during holiday seasons, as well as to study English or postgraduate studies? Without a doubt Malta offers varied opportunities to enjoy a unique experience in which you will be able to get to know a country with a fascinating culture, multiple tourist and adventure activities, learn more about the studies that you will begin on the island, extend your network of friends, create networking networks and learn and enjoy the new experiences that you will live. A great advantage of Malta is that if you come as a student, you can always change your immigration status if you get a job that will sponsor a work permit. It's not easy, but it's not impossible and we know many people who, by improving their English, have found work options on the island and decided to stay. However, always do things according to the rules of the country and do not work illegally for any reason, as this will only put you in a risky situation in which you will not be able to appeal to your rights.

Requirements to be able to work

In order to obtain a work permit in Malta, the famous "work permit", you will need the following:

• Photocopy of your valid passport
• Have up to date health insurance
• The rental contract of the place where you are staying, in addition to the rental declaration form, must also be included in the rental declaration.
• A cover letter from your employer, which should state why you are ideal for the job.
• Fill out a job description form at Identity Malta (Malta's immigration office).
• Completing CEA FORM C (Non-EU) and FORM ID 14 (Identity Registration Form) forms
• The fee to be paid for the work visa is 280.50 Euros to be paid in person or through Identity Malta.
• References from former employers
• Curriculum Vitae of the applicant.
• An employment contract signed by both employer and employee.

It is important to note that European regulations state that the employer must demonstrate that it has made sufficient efforts to recruit a Maltese or European citizen for these positions, without success and preferably through JobsPlus which is the Maltese employment agency. Only if the company has been unsuccessful in finding any EU national, then it may recruit a non-EU national for that position. This must be duly justified to Identity Malta in order for it to proceed correctly. However, given that Malta is one of the countries with the lowest unemployment rate in the entire European Union (around 3%, which is known as "transitional unemployment", or the time someone spends between jobs but not permanently unemployed), there are indeed plenty of opportunities open, even for non-European citizens.

How to find a job?

There are many ways in which you can find a job; the first recommendation is that you get to know the island, discover the places it has and in the tours you can find opportunities or people who can give you recommendations on where to look for a job offer. You can also find out through networks or contacts, there are several groups of people who live in Malta and like you are also looking for work; in these groups they offer and apply for jobs and more than one could be of interest to you. Another way is through job portals, in Malta you can find several. Some of the ones we recommend are the following:

https://www.keepmeposted.com.mt

You can also find Facebook groups where valuable information and sometimes job offers are shared. For Spanish speakers, we recommend the group "Todo sobre Malta (in Spanish)".

Most common jobs for students

Another option to work in Malta is to work while studying, for which it is important to remember that as a student you can work 20 hours a week from the 3rd month of your stay in Malta and for study programmes longer than 6 months. To do this you must apply for an employment licence which is issued by the JobsPlus employment office and sponsored by your employer. The job offer for students in Malta is constant and growing; you can easily find opportunities in the tourism and hospitality sector even in high season (June-October). The most common jobs are office administrative assistants, babysitters, waiters, waitresses, room service, cleaning service, among others.

How much can you earn?

The minimum wage in Malta is €776 Euros and this is what you can expect to pay for jobs such as cashier or waiter. Other popular jobs for newcomers to the island are childcare or cleaning, which can pay around €1,000 per month. However, the average salary in Malta is €1,550 according to the National Statistics Office (NSO) and this is explained by the fact that there are many positions in the Igaming sector which is very popular in Malta, where a lot of foreigners are employed, with very good salary conditions. Customer services are provided here, for example, to almost all regions of the world, so there are always opportunities for native speakers of a language, including Latin American Spanish. For professional positions, with qualifications at Master's level and above, average salaries are around €2,500 and it is possible to find positions at that salary level for foreigners coming to study MBA programmes, as upon completion of these study programmes, the country grants the possibility to apply for a "job seeker" visa, which gives you 9 months to look for a job in Malta.

No doubt Malta offers opportunities for everyone, whether your stay is short or long, you can enjoy a new European destination, live amazing moments while learning all the time. At Boom Malta we help you get to experience Malta, contact us to start the adventure together!