New members of the Malta forum, introduce yourselves here - 2018

Greetings to all forum members,
I was born and raised in Belgrade, Serbia.
I am supposed to move to Sliema in a month or so.
I work in the gaming industry as a Game Producer/designer, have just signed the contact with the company on Malta, and I am in the process of obtaining working permit.
I have travelled a lot and lived in several countries, for various reasons - education, work, lecturing on institutes, and now I am pretty excited
to come and live on this beautiful island. I have visited Malta many years ago, but I can see it changed a lot since my last trip there.
Any info on housing, driving, life expenses, would be much appreciated. I will try and not spam with the questions that other members have already posted, but I can see conditions on Malta are changing rapidly, so maybe something that was valid two years ago is totally different - I have seen this type of changes elsewhere.
So, I hope to meet as many nice people there, and maybe stay for longer than I am planning right now - i have many friends from UK on Malta, and they do not seem to want to go home.
Anyway, hope my forum posts to be of mutual benefit to both sides.
Best,
Nemanja.

Hi, I am from Manchester in the UK, my husband has been offered a wonderful job for a company in Sliema, so we are planning on moving our family (2 children aged 3 and 9) and our 2 dogs over in approximately May. Now when he was originally offered this job it was for the Isle of Man, which is considerably different, but now it has changed and our destination is Malta. Now I haven't ever visited Malta (I know this sounds crazy when I want to move my whole family) so I feel extremely nervous, although equally excited as I know it will be an adventure. We have discussed it for many hours and we know that if we don't like it was can always come home after a year. So I have 3 months to visit, find a place I want to live, find out what schools are best, find out how to get my car over, and ultimately make the move! I have several Q's that I hope someone can answer.

1) Does anyone know in which village/towns there are international schools? Can anyone recommend any. (I think my daughter 9 will have to go international school,whereas my son is only young so I hope he will pick up the language and can go to state school - is this realistic?)

2) What utilities (bills) do you have to pay in Malta aside from rent? And does anyone know how much approx we would pay 4 a family for water, gas, leccy, internet? Is there anything similar to council tax?

3) we need to be commutable to sliema for my husbands work (ideally 40mins by public transport as he doesn't drive I do). Does anyone know what areas are nice, quiet but not too quiet, have some nice things for the children and are near good international and maybe state schools?

4) how much do people (approx of course) spend on groceries per week. Here in the uk we spend about £80 a week give or take.

5) is it realistic to bring my car over wih me? I have noticed cars seem to be more expensive in Malta than the UK, but I know I will have to pay registration tax, so I am not sure what to do. I have a Ford Fiest 2015 plate. I have owned it for a year.

6) Anyone that has moved over from the UK, did you move over furniture etc and if so was it expensive to do so?

My husbands company will help us with all the logistics of moving but he has to accept or decline the offer next week. Then we have 3 months to sort things out before we move. Any help or advise would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks in advance

With regards to furniture, most rental places come ready furnished so there is no need to bring your furniture with you, we sold all ours on EBay, we did bring our tv, bedding, cooking utensils etc and personal items which can be shipped over quite cheaply, I would not bring furniture.   
I would not advise anyone to move to Malta without visiting first as it is very different to living in the UK,  saying that we live on Gozo which is a lot quieter then Malta but love it here especially the climate.

We don't mind different as we currently hate living in the UK, especially the weather! We know it doesn't have to be forever, unless we fall in love. We will be coming out to visit before moving, just not before accepting the role. I am just trying to budget to ensure that we will be able to live comfortably on my husbands wage and to know my daughter will be able to adjust well to her new life.

@MrsPi88

Re: Differing water and electricity consumption tariffs for households.

Please see:

http://www.maltatenantsupport.com/blog/ … hree-rates

As regards schooling I think most schools do teach in English as well as Maltese, the Maltese language is quite a hard one to learn but children do normally pick languages up pretty quickly.

Hi everyone I’m Jordan Parker 19 years old from the uk looking to relocate with a friend asap as have trouble with depression and anxiety and was wondering if anybody would be able to help me out on some of the cheapest living options open to us I’d say I have roughly €280 a moth until I start work over there which is my 2nd most import thing I need to sort so if there are any job sites you think I should have a look at please let me know as I will do so.

Thank you in advance.

Hi everybody.
I am Mark from Switzerland, originally from the Netherlands and me and my wife Anita are going to move to Gozo soon.
We are both in our late fifties, actually my wife's just turned sixty, and have visited Malta and especially Gozo more than a few times in the last couple of years.
We even bought a flat on Gozo so are all set to move there in late summer 2018.
I am an English teacher, working at the vocational school here in the canton of Grisons and a caregiver in a home for mentally and physically disabled people. My wife's a medical technician working in the local hospital.
We are coming to Gozo to retire and love the people, the climate and the surroundings there.
In my free time I like doing cycle tours, have been biking around the whole island already a couple of times, swimming in the sea and skiff rowing which is admittedly rather difficult on Gozo. Also I am a freshly certified Radio Amateur.
My wife loves swimming and reading, and especially singing in the local choir here in Switzerland.
So of course, she will be looking for a choir on Gozo as well soon. Any suggestions on this topic?
We are really looking forward to our new lives on Gozo and hope to meet some people on this forum in person soon on Gozo.

All the best and take care everybody.

Best wishes from snowy Switzerland,
Anita and Mark

Hi all,
I’m Nicki, looking to move to Gozo mid to later this year. Currently in process of having houses valued etc, looking to move with the hubby and my mum along with my 2 cats, who need passports!
Any info anyone could give is greatly appreciated, anyone who wants to meet up with us when we there would be great, local grapevine forums would be helpful and also ideas on areas to live.
I love my crafting, from card making and scrapbooking to quilting and sewing.
We enjoy a variety of things and are looking forward to moving onwards to Gozo and hopefully meeting up with some of you guys.
Take care
Nicki

NickiSt wrote:

Hi all,
I’m Nicki, looking to move to Gozo mid to later this year. Currently in process of having houses valued etc, looking to move with the hubby and my mum along with my 2 cats, who need passports!
Any info anyone could give is greatly appreciated, anyone who wants to meet up with us when we there would be great, local grapevine forums would be helpful and also ideas on areas to live.
I love my crafting, from card making and scrapbooking to quilting and sewing.
We enjoy a variety of things and are looking forward to moving onwards to Gozo and hopefully meeting up with some of you guys.
Take care
Nicki

Hi Nicki

Can you please stick to one thread, it saves a lot of confusion and people posting twice.

Kind regards

SimCityAT
Expat.com Expert Team

Sorry about that

NickiSt wrote:

Sorry about that

It's quite alright, will let you off this time 

S

Hi am Dr Beth, new to Malta & this forum since October. ANGLO-Dutch from NL, on ,,technical sabbatical,, living in San Gwann near Uni. Studying Malti, hoping to make a permanent move upon hubby's retirement. Love Malta although today is a bit Dutch-like weather wise. Greetings

Just  think of the lovely hot summer!

Hi all, been here fourteen years, great place to be, even when you think you know everything you actually know very little, residing here has left me unable to obtain car insurance in the U.K. even with maximum n.c.b. says a lot and i don't like to dwell on why,  look forward to reading others peoples experience.

GozoMo wrote:

Just  think of the lovely hot summer!

That easy for you to say with your A/C in all rooms.   

RayAucote wrote:

GozoMo wrote:

Just  think of the lovely hot summer!

That easy for you to say with your A/C in all rooms.   

You'll have to speak nicely to your landlord!

Ray

F0xgl0ve wrote:

RayAucote wrote:

GozoMo wrote:

Just  think of the lovely hot summer!

That easy for you to say with your A/C in all rooms.   

You'll have to speak nicely to your landlord!

Ray

I think that would be pushing it a bit. 

Hi All
I’m made the decision, after years of procrastination, to relocate to Malta after the Easter break here in the UK.
I’ve no ties in the UK but, more importantly, no contacts in Malta so I’m relying on all you expats to give me a hand 😎
First thing is I’m looking for a room fir the first month or so.
I’m happy to pay and would prefer north if the island.
I’m also looking for work. If you know anyone that’s looking for an experienced hard working mature bloke I’m your man. I’ll consider any work in the initial instance.
I won’t go into my “elevator pitch” about my experience, qualifications etc on this post but please let me know if anything pops up.
I’m looking at coming out for about two months week commencing 9 April.

Please drop me a line if you have a room to let.
Or you know someone who needs a hand work-wise

Really excited

Ian

Hello!
WE'RE MOVING TO MALTA! Hurray! My fiancee found a job and she starts in March. At first we're gonna rent a room from a Polish couple, but we'll be looking for something for long let.
We have a 3.5yo beautiful daughter and we'll be also looking for a kindergarten near Pieta for her.
Of course I'm also looking for a job as an account manager or similar sales role - you can check my portfolio here goo.gl/DhZque
We're from Poland and very open for meeting new friends, especially with kids so our daughter - Lily - could feel comfortable in new surroundings. We speak Polish (native), English - quite good (even Lily understands a little in English), and my fiancee is also German native speaker.

Can't wait starting our new chapter!

Hi  medam my name is Kishan I m from India and I planning to move to Malta for my study purpose so what you think I will earn 1000 l/ 1500 yuro per month in my collage extra time

Hello my name is Khaled,

I  am a e-commerce entrepreneur from Algeria, and i have technical skills in Electronics product design, IOT development, Software and Web solutions.

I want to open  2 businesses in Malta one for my E-commerce stores ( which i am currently scaling to make £500k profit by the end of the year ), and the other one for is technology company specialized in designing and manufacturing IOT solutions for the African market especially the Algerian market, i have strong connections with large companies in Algeria, who are seeking IOT solutions to improve their businesses, and i have many ideas in mind of which can be universal and sold in large scales.

I am also in love with Malta because of the culture, the well educated young work force, and  the language which resembles majorly to the Algerian Arabic.

I am hoping to make some friends ,business connections, potential partners.

Reach me at My Expat profile , [I removed my email after reading the forum rules]

---------------------------------------
Internet of things ( IOT ) : is the network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and connectivity which enables these objects to connect and exchange data.

My E-commerce business model: I advertise my website and products on different social medias and through email marketing, as soon as i get orders, automatically my agent in china ships the orders directly from the manufacturers to the customers, i have no physical storage or physical office, and i pay for the orders from the money i receive.

Hi the minimum wage here is 5 euro an hour.Wages are quite poor here so don't bank on 1000 to 1500 a month.The rent is high compared to the wages also depending on where you live and the cost of living g isn't cheap either.Hope that helps not trying to be negative but that how it is here

Hi guys I'm Kim the newbie.
Lived in gozo with my partner for 6mths now . He works so has people to talk to .
I'm stuck at home till I find a job so would be nice to know other people


This kim

Hi Everyone
I'm Lynsay and originally from the UK but living in Canada for the last8.5 years. I am now married to a Canadian but he is in the process of claiming Maltese citizenship as his father was Maltese. We are considering moving to Malta once papers come through etc and all our initial research is showing this to be quite an easy process as he would be Maltese and I am from the UK so currently automatically permitted to live in Malta. We have 2 children, my daughter (from my 1st marriage) who is 17 and born in the UK and still British passport, our son who is 2.5 (Canadian).
Is there something critical I'm missing which would make this process more complicated?????
Thanks in advance for all your comments/advice.

Lynsay

Hi yes that's a shame what does that group do .

Kim coopergozo wrote:

Hi yes that's a shame what does that group do .

I don’t belong to BRA but know people who do, as far as I am aware they meet up and have guest speakers I think they meet up at the Grand Hotel, I think many of the members are retired.Where on Gozo do you live?

Hi all,

I'm a British expat who moved to Malta from Manchester last year.
Enjoying my time here, particularly with the news of blizzards back in the UK! 

We brought our car with us from the UK (in a container, rather than driven) and also brought our two cats with us from the UK. If anyone needs any advice or contacts on doing something similar, please feel free to reach out!

We're now settled in Rabat, walking distance from Mdina and love it!

Hello there

My husband and I will be moving to Malta this summer. He will be going out there April to start new job, and I will follow later when we've found a house to rent. We've got 3 dogs so might not be so easy.

As I'll be rattling along on my own whilst he's slaving away it would be lovely to have someone to meet up with. If o.k with you, we could keep in touch and hopefully meet once I'm there?

Kind regards from a thawing Yorkshire

Helle Bayer

Hi a friend from Malta planted the seed for my husband and I to move to Malta which I might add we like the idea can someone help with some advice on
1 moving our stuff to Malta and the costs
2 jobs for us both
3 renting somewhere
Thank you in advance for you comments

Shaz Robotti wrote:

Hi a friend from Malta planted the seed for my husband and I to move to Malta which I might add we like the idea can someone help with some advice on
1 moving our stuff to Malta and the costs
2 jobs for us both
3 renting somewhere
Thank you in advance for you comments

All these question have been asked so many times, please use the search button and read the various topics, if you cannot then find the answers please ask on the correct topic, good luck.

Hello,
My husband and I live in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada (the most western province of Canada). I am a recently retired Nursing Professor and my husband is a custom home builder. We are looking at re-locating abroad & have researched Central & Southern American countries, Dominican Republic as well as Portugal & Malta. Malta sounds like a fascinating country. We love to scuba dive (Caribbean so far). We're interested in Gozo as it seems quieter and less congested. We're considering coming to check it out this year in May. Any thoughts on the similarities/differences between Gozo and Malta would be appreciated as well as residency. I'll check this forum for topics relating to visas, residency, cost of living etc.
Cheers! 

Having lived on Gozo for five years and feeling settled I can only give you my opinion and that it is a really lovely place to retire to.   Compared to Malta life is slower, more peaceful especially this time of year although it can get very busy in the summer with foreign tourists and Maltese.  We for the last year have been living in Victoria amongst the locals and find it somewhat quieter then living amongst holiday let’s in Gharb.
Since moving here there have been more shops open, most of the villages have local stores whose prices do not differ very much from the larger ones, there’s also many grocery, greengrocers, fish, bread and drinks vans coming round most days.
Driving here can be quite an experience, nowhere as busy as Malta, the locals tend to drive in the middle of the road and very rarely signal.
Diving is very popular, there are some nice walking areas and of course lovely weather and if you feel like a change you can pop across to Malta.

Health2018 wrote:

Hello,
My husband and I live in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada (the most western province of Canada). I am a recently retired Nursing Professor and my husband is a custom home builder. We are looking at re-locating abroad & have researched Central & Southern American countries, Dominican Republic as well as Portugal & Malta. Malta sounds like a fascinating country. We love to scuba dive (Caribbean so far). We're interested in Gozo as it seems quieter and less congested. We're considering coming to check it out this year in May. Any thoughts on the similarities/differences between Gozo and Malta would be appreciated as well as residency. I'll check this forum for topics relating to visas, residency, cost of living etc.
Cheers! 

As a TCN (Third Country National) you may not find it too easy to find work if you wish to do so and you would need to find a job before you come as you would not otherwise get a work visa. Jobs generally have to be offered to suitably qualified locals first, EU citizens second and then TCN's.
If you wish to simply retire here you may be able to do so on a self sufficiency basis but I think this is limited to a year by year basis for Residency rather than the normal 5 years for EU citizens. You would also need health insurance unless the Canadian government has a Reciprocal Health Agreement with Malta.
Even a simple thing like driving, unlike Australian and EU citizens, I don't think Canadian nationals can exchange their driving licence for a Maltese issue EU one, so you would need to take a Maltese driving test after 6 months.
Other than that I would say Gozo every time rather than Malta!

Ray

Thank you for sharing your opinions. Gozo certainly seems more attractive to what we are looking for (quieter, simpler, landscape etc). I will look into the residency piece limitations (year by year basis....hmmm) as we wish to retire somewhere, not just visit. We may consider starting a small business if there are opportunities/gaps/needs. Thanks again, Wendy

Hello, G´Day..
A little intro..
I was expat in Australia (24yrs) and India and France and Thailand.
For the last 10yrs lived in Sweden..
Remarkably enough I felt at home in all of the different countries that I was an expat in except for the actual country of my birth, "Sweden". Strangely enough..
I'm a single dad and we are planning to move to Gozo,,
I'm going to search for threads relating to schooling for 16+ and private renting, renting house or unit. and a million other Questions and post.
aka Tommy

Hi Tommy
Good luck in your search...we are presently in Canada...I have a 17 year old and also researching post 16 options
Kind regards

Lynsay

SingelDadGoingGozo wrote:

Hello, G´Day..
A little intro..
I was expat in Australia (24yrs) and India and France and Thailand.
For the last 10yrs lived in Sweden..
Remarkably enough I felt at home in all of the different countries that I was an expat in except for the actual country of my birth, "Sweden". Strangely enough..
I'm a single dad and we are planning to move to Gozo,,
I'm going to search for threads relating to schooling for 16+ and private renting, renting house or unit. and a million other Questions and post.
aka Tommy

I think any schooling for 16+ is on Malta not Gozo, the secondary schools go up to 16 then further education is taken on Malta, some of the Malta Universtity is based on Gozo but I do not know what subjects are taken there.

Hello all,

My name is Shannon writing from North Carolina.  I joined expats yesterday after seeing a link to it in an e-mail from August.  Due to my work, I will actually be living in Sicily but frequent Malta often especially as have a few friends there already.  Unfortunately, I have recently broken up with my Maltese partner but can't back out on my arrangements relocating to Sicily.  I have a strong support system there but will need to strengthen it more in Malta/Gozo. Knowing expats (especially ones from US & UK) would help me adjust to my stay here & also will be nice in case I decide to reside for a long term basis after retirement.  Being from the US, I didn't consider living in the most densely-populated EU country & certainly wasn't for the weather. Unforgettable the heat wave last Summer.  I considered Malta for the sake of love & living somewhere new for a few years.   Would be nice to communicate with those living in Malta & Maltese citizens living the US.