A business English course in Malta teaches the English you use at work: meetings, emails, presentations, calls and negotiation. It is a niche product. The National Statistics Office groups business English under English for specific purposes, which accounted for 1.5 per cent of students at Malta’s licensed schools in 2025. That makes the choice of format and school more important than for a general course. Here is how the courses work, what they cover, and who pays.
What a business English course covers
Programmes differ, but most of them work on the same situations:
- Meetings: opening, giving your view, disagreeing politely, summarising decisions.
- Email: tone, structure, requests and reminders that get an answer.
- Presentations: structure, signposting, handling questions.
- Calls and video calls: understanding accents, checking information, closing the call.
- Negotiation: proposals, conditions, concessions.
- Sector vocabulary: finance, marketing, tourism, IT, depending on the group.
Legal English is a separate field with its own exam, TOLES, covered in our guide to English exams in Malta.
The three formats
Group course
You join a class of professionals from several countries and sectors. It costs less per hour and gives you practice with other accents. The trade-off: the content stays general, because the group mixes jobs.
One-to-one
The teacher builds the course around your job, your documents and your weak points. You rehearse your own presentation or your next negotiation. It is the most expensive format per hour, and the most tiring: there is no one else to share the speaking time.
Combination
Some schools sell a mix: general or business English in a group in the morning, and one-to-one lessons in the afternoon. It suits a professional who needs both fluency and a precise work target.
The level you need
Business English builds on general English. Ask the school which minimum level it sets for the business group, and how it tests you on arrival. If your level is lower, a general course first gives better value. Our pages on the B1 course and the B2 course describe those steps.
If you want a certificate, note that Cambridge’s three business exams, B1 Business Preliminary, B2 Business Vantage and C1 Business Higher, are now offered only in China and have been discontinued everywhere else. Ask the school which exam its course can prepare you for instead.
Who pays for the course
You, as a private learner
If you pay for yourself, budget the course, the accommodation and daily costs together with our guide to the cost of living in Malta for students.
Your employer
Some companies fund language training. Speak to your manager or HR department before you book, and ask:
- whether the training budget covers a course abroad, accommodation included or not;
- whether the invoice must be issued in the company’s name;
- which documents they need afterwards, usually a certificate of attendance and the programme.
Erasmus+
Erasmus+ funds English courses abroad for staff in education, through their organisation. A company employee outside education who applies alone does not qualify this way. Our article on Erasmus+ and English courses in Malta explains who qualifies and how the process works.
Questions to ask the school
- What is the minimum level for the business group.
- How many students per group, and from which sectors on your dates.
- Does the course start with a needs analysis of your job.
- Can you bring your own documents to one-to-one lessons.
- Does the school issue a certificate of attendance and an invoice in a company name.
- Is the school on the official list of licensed schools. Check it with our guide to licensed English schools in Malta.
For experienced professionals
Adults who already use English at work often get the most from a course built around a goal. If you are planning a stay later in your career, our article on studying English in Malta after 50 covers dates, class age mix and housing.
