No News is Bad News in Malta

 

    Got a Bad Feeling about the ETC

 

It’s been about six weeks that the EFL school that wants to hire me has submitted my application to the ETC.  We haven’t heard—and I think that’s bad news.

Last year when the school applied for me, we heard within a week or so. 

I’ve heard that students have been asking for a teacher with an American accent.  That would be me.  I’ve heard that the Maltese EFL system is seeking teachers with the CELTA training. That would be me.  In fact, I have training beyond the CELTA. 

There’s no real good reason that the ETC would reject my application. They certainly didn’t reject the 150 Euros I had to pay to apply.  That was paid by me—not the school.  (By the way, the fee I paid has doubled for NON-EU’s applying for jobs in Malta since last year—but only for NON-EU’s.  For anyone else, it’s stayed the same.)

That sounds like a message to me: NON-EU’s (in particular, Americans) don’t apply for work here in Malta. Yes, come and stay here and pay rent. Yes, come and stay here and buy food. Yes, come and stay here and pay for everything you would in America—plus buy private health insurance that excludes pre-existing conditions (just like in America right now).

Yes, live with an EU partner of many years and share expenses.  But when you don’t get a job—because we (the ETC) don’t want you—leave Malta.  Leave an employer who wants to re-hire you because you did a good job and can meet an EFL need that other Maltese teachers cannot (that’s a native-born American accent and intimate knowledge about America because students from abroad are requesting this); leave an apartment that you just signed a three-year lease on with your EU partner of 10 years; leave a place where you love the people and the place and where you have helped pick up garbage from the streets.  And leave your cat behind who you went through six months of Maltese red-tape hell with to get here. And leave your EU partner, too. 

Leave and go nowhere.  And, yes, I’m feeling sorry for myself.

The school believes the answer will be positive.  I just have a feeling it won’t be.

Someone even told me that if I want to stay and work in Malta, I should stop writing my blog and saying how I feel about things, especially the ETC.  Excuse me, but I thought I was living in a democracy.

Let’s hope my pessimism is wrong.  Thanks for listening all of you.  And if you’re listening—my friends at the ETC—too bad.

 

Comments

[Sennuwy (an ancient Egyptian name)]

Thanks, A.  I have had a premonition that is making the negative energy happen.

Comment Actions:

[Alexandra Claes]

Settle petal --- there goes that negative energy again.

Shall try and help if I can :)