I have been here for quite a while now, and have picked up a few bits and pieces of information along the way. So if you have any questions about Malta, (living, working and holidaying over here), or about the meaning of life in general, please ask them in the comments section below and I will be glad to help if I can. Anything you don't want to be published, just mark as 'private'.Cheers!
Hi, thanks for your blog - its great!
ReplyDeleteI am moving to Malta next month and hopefully we will stay for a few months if we can find jobs. Can you tell me if it is easy to open a bank account in Malta and what is the best bank to use? We just need it for deposits and easy withdrawals.
Thanks for your help. Ruth
Hi Ruth... You basically have a choice between HSBC and Bank of Valletta so take your pick. Both have ATMs all over the island, internet banking and all that good stuff. I'm going to be publishing a post with more info in the next couple of weeks, but I would strongly suggest that you go and get a Maltese ID card before you try and open your account. Makes life a lot easier. You can find details on how to get a card elsewhere on the site, just enter 'id' in the search bar and you'll find what you need.
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed reading your blog & your odd wee bit of Irish humour makes even the potentially boring stuff enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteMyself & wife are heading over next Feb to look at posssibly relocating to Malta next summer (lived in Canary islands for 10 yrs & fancy a change). We've always lived away from main tourist resorts, and was wondering where you'd recommend to consider. Doesn't need to be ex-pat area either, in fact, we generally avoid those spots too! Still in early planning stages, but I'm sure a week in February will give us a better idea, along with any pointers you might have.
Many thanks,
Ken
Thanks Ken..
DeleteThe real British/Irish hub in Malta is the Bugibba/Quormi area. So that's probably the place you want to avoid! Sliema/St Julian's is where a lot of expats live, but it's not a tourist resort type of place, this is just close to where many people work & shop.
If you are after a 'back to nature' experience, you should probably look for somewhere in Gozo, which is a sedate and rather old-fashioned version of the main island.
As you say, you will get a better idea when you come out here yourself, so let us know if you need any more info before then.
Cheers,
David
Couple of errors in the above reply which I feel duty bound to address: First of all,'Quormi' should be spelled Qormi - or Hal Qormi if you prefer the Maltese. And secondly I was thinking of Qawra when I wrote the above. Sometimes I get confused by all those 'Q' placenames...
DeleteReally enjoyed reading your articles. Which resort would you recommend for us? We are a group of 2 ad, 2 young kids, 2 grandparents. All I know for sure is that I dont want Bugibba. What about staying in Valletta? Not desperate for beaches, we will probably go off for day trips on the bus. We would like to have a choice of eateries on our doorstep. Going end of March.
ReplyDeleteThanks a bunch
I would definitely recommend St Julian's - buses to wherever you want to go and plenty of restaurants to choose from.
DeleteHi! First of all, what amazing blog you have here! I'm 19 year old student from finland, and i would love to go to malta in the summer 2013. I would have to work there that i could pay my visit, which i hope would be from june to end of july. Do you think that i have a chance to work there in the summer? I read your post where you recommended that if you want to come to malta and work here in the summer you would have to come here earlier, in the spring and find a job as a waiter etc. What if that's not possible? I've been trying to find jobs from the web but still empty handed.. Do you know any good sites for finding jobs? I got good social skills and i'm up to any job really.
ReplyDeleteAny advice to my "problem" would be a huge help!!
Thanks
Hi and thanks for the kind words. You have a couple of advantages to start with: 1. You are an EU citizen, so no visa problems and 2. Your English seems pretty perfect so that will make things easier as well. There are lots of jobs around in summer, if you are prepared to do bar work and restaurant type jobs. Yes, the earlier you get here the better, but it is never too late. Any kind of certificates or experience/recommendations will definitely help. These jobs aren't advertised on the internet, it's just a case of knocking on doors and persevering. Try emailing some of the big language schools for jobs as a 'Leisure Team' worker: basically going on various trips with language students and showing them round the island - won't pay much, but it will pay for a summer in the sun.
DeleteI am sure you will find something without too much trouble - Good luck!
Hi David would you say Malta is a very noisy place? Can it be a real issue with property owners leaving dogs on roofs barking, constant building , gas trucks blaring their horns, loads of cars/bikes with loud exhausts all the time?
ReplyDeleteI am about to hit the "buy" button to fly over to see for myself with a view to staying but feel realistically it may be a wasted trip as I'm not keen on noisy, built up, touristy areas. When I read about Gozo or other areas the quad bikes and noisy exhausts issue do get mentioned but only occasionally.
I expect more lively cultural differences, but I do like to be able to escape to the peace and quiet at times so wonder if this is too much to expect.
Thank you.
Well one of the first things to be said about Malta, is that you are talking about a very small island which is home to a relatively large population. It is by far the most densely populated country in the EU; in a 2008 report Malta was found to have 1,274 people per square kilometre, England second on the list with a mere 395 per square kilometre. So in other words, you cannot expect to live a life of splendid isolation over here. Having said that, I don't find it to be particularly noisy and drivers don't blare their horns perhaps as much as they should given some of the driving on display... Gozo is a lot quieter than the main island if tranquility is top of your agenda.
DeleteTo be honest, from what you write I get the impression a small village in Italy, France or Spain might tick more of your boxes than Malta. But of course there's only one way to find out, and that's to get over here and check the place out for yourself.
Hi David,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog!
In regards to a twenty something year old female,looking for a safe, quiet , yet central to daily necessities ,where would you recommend? I keep thinking Sliema as the best option.Defantely want to stay away from Paceville.Also,how important is it to be within close proximity to your job/school(still seacrhing for one)Could i depened on the bus to get me on time and on schedule?
Look forward to your feedback.
I agree with you that Sliema is probably the best option. This is where most of the foreigners stay - close to any kind of shopping you need, close to where you will probably end up working, and the centre of the bus transport hub so you can get anywhere you need to. I cannot say you can totally rely on the buses here to arrive when they are supposed to, but in Sliema you will have enough options so that it shouldn't be a problem. If you can find an apartment a street or two back from the seafront it won't be too expensive, and safety is not a concern in Malta compared to just about anywhere else in the world. I'm sure you will have a good time when you get over here, and best of luck with the job search!
DeleteHi David
ReplyDeleteI stumbled across your blog today and have been reading your posts for the past two hours! Great stuff.. it really is amazing for you to share your experiences with others, i can't thank you enough!
I'm due to move to malta in the next month with work but had a few questions I hope you could help with.
I was wondering what the cultural mix is like in Malta? I'm black and have lived in London all my life so am used to a multicultural society... is malta the same? I've read some reports that suggest otherwise so am not sure what to believe!
Secondly, how far (journey wise) is Birkirkara from Silema?
And thirdly, will 22k euros be a decent salary to live on? Compared to what i earn in london it is much less but i havent factored in the lower maltese standard of living.
Sorry for the long message but hopefully I'll hear from you soon!
Two hours eh? Impressive endurance... I will try to answer your questions here:
Delete1. London is one of the great multicultural cities of the world, and it's hard to find too many places which compare in that sense. Malta is certainly no melting pot - that may sound odd, as historically that's exactly what Malta is, but you don't find the cultural diversity on a societal level today. Apart from English and Italians, immigration to Malta from elsewhere is a pretty new thing. Lots of first generation immigrants from Africa, lots of young Europeans who have moved here to find work in various roles. And during summer season the place is bursting with tourists from all over the world. Certainly not as diverse or as integrated a place as London.
2. Birkikara to Sliema by bus is probably between 35 to 45 minutes depending on time of day.
3. By Maltese standards €22K is pretty decent. Some things are still pretty expensive out here, but you will be comfortable enough on that salary - it is certainly more than the national average (although it's hard to pin down those figures).
Anyway feel free to stop by any time & best of luck to you!
I think I read every one of your posts!
DeleteThe national average seems pretty low, I can't see how people live on that much... but i suppose they get taxed less, so it balances up
Like others stumbled across your blog and loved it. Busy running a business and want a well earned break - talking scant 10 days in May. We love to walk & visit interesting places(lazy strolls more like) and so Gozo appealed. However, seems a shame to visit with out doing some sightseeing on Malta, not just a the airport! Read a lot about bad driving in Malta and rubbish tips on Gozo, so wonder what is best/truth.
ReplyDelete1. We hate UK styled/run resorts but we do love rustic/local food and pleanty of wine, so need to hit on the right place on Gozo - any ideas?
2. Is it possible to do day trips realistically from Gozo onto Malta and actually have enough time to visit anything worth while. Would we need a hire car and if so should we get this in Malta before crossing to Gozo or on Gozo.
More I read the more confused....... As our breaks are so rare always like to try to make it perfect and relaxing
Thanks for stumbling this direction... First thing to say is that May is a good month to visit, pretty much guaranteed good weather without being achingly hot. I am guessing you're coming from the UK, so another very important thing to bear in mind, is that Malta is small. Until you get here, you probably won't fully get your head around just how small it is, but try looking it up on google maps to get an idea. So I guess I'm saying that you don't really need to stay on Gozo for all ten days. I would suggest splitting your time so you have at least a few days on the main island.
DeleteThere are some beautiful farmhouses and villas for rent in Gozo, and the main city Victoria is certainly a lovely place to stroll around. Wine is not in short supply anywhere on either island, so that shouldn't be a concern (but remember, no alcohol sold in shops after 9pm)! You can definitely do day trips over from Gozo, but it will take a chunk out of your day, even if you're taking the hire car across, and will require some military-style planning and execution to get to see more than a couple of places. That's why it will probably be more relaxing to have a hotel somewhere in Valletta or St Julian's booked for 2 or 3 nights - you lose the rustic part in these locations, but are free to drive around the main island and find the quieter spots in no time. And although you won't necessarily need a car, it certainly makes getting around an awful lot easier, and allows you to discover some of the more remote spots - even more useful on Malta than Gozo, as the buses take some pretty circuitous routes to get around. You won't find the Mallorca-style resorts anywhere here, although a lot of Malta is pretty built up and Bugibba/St Paul's is probably the closest equivalent, so you should probably steer clear.
Perfection is a tall order, but you will certainly be able to sit out in the sun with a bottle of the (pretty decent) local red, visit some beaches, some historic sites (if that's your bag) and wander around beautiful medieval cities like Victoria and Mdina. I'm sure you'll have a good time.
Thank you, this is so helpful, I am already there, sitting on a harbour wall watching the fishing boats soaking up the sun while waiting for my well deserved glass (or two) and some fine sea food - roll on May. Big thank you, it is great to get the real take on somewhere. And yes from the UK escaping the grey skies for a bit of blue and sun.
DeleteHey David. Thanks for this awesome blog! We are currently in the middle of negotiations with regards to jobs and will probably be moving down soon. Maybe you can answer one question for us that are having a hard answer figuring. How does it work with finding an apartment if you have cats/dogs? In Denmark where we live now, it is almost impossible to find anything rented where pets are allowed, so what are you impressions of Malta?
ReplyDeleteWell, Malta is an animal loving country, particularly if the animals in question are cats and (small) dogs. And as most people live in apartments, there tends to be a pretty lenient attitude towards keeping pets. My small apartment block displays prominent notices warning that pets are not allowed, but that didn't stop my downstairs neighbours from keeping a yappy little dog. In short, check with the estate agents, but I don't think you will have too many problems.
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