Malta - British Expat Forum

Hi there, apologies if this is not posted correctly - virgin user! Im really hoping somebody has experience of or knows somebody whom has actually managed to move to Malta as a UK qualified RGN and WORK in Malta AS A NURSE. I know all about registering with Maltas Council for Nurses and Midwives (I am in the process of applying for this - dont know what the outcome will be!), and I know that the Maltese recruit nurses via a 'government call' (I just got my application in on the 26th June). What Im woried about though, is that I have googled untill Im blue in the face trying to find out statitics of the numbers of nurses working out there, for example, do the Maltese LIKE employing british nurses? I cant find anything about ANY british nurses working out there. I would really really love to speak to somebody who has done this and been successful, or if not, would appreciate knowing why not! Any hurdles etc. I have even emailed the government bods, and said that if it helped my case I am willing to move to Malta before I even have a nursing job and work voluntarily within their hospitals (again, I know a lot of these things are word by mouth so thought physically being in Malta would help my case). I am 25 years old, have no dependents, and if worst comes to worst I would like to just move out anyway, then fly back to the UK every couple of months to earn some money working bank shifts then flying back and being a lazy beach bum whilst in Malta! ANY suggestions hints or tips would be MUCH MUCH appreciated. many thanks everyone!! (PS I aim to be permanently relocated to Malta by October 2009).

Hi Rachel, and welcome to the forum

Sorry, can't help you with this one, but hopefully someone else on the forum will be able to. My only suggestion is to contact ETC (Employment and Training Corporation), the Govt job club

http://www.etc.gov.mt/

Hello,

Thank you for replying. I should give a bit more information on whom I have contacted! I have contacted the ETC already - nothing is advertised there. I have contacted various recruitment agencies (bizarrely, there doesn't seem to be any openings there either, nor is there any agencys specifically for nurses - of which there must literally be hundreds in the UK!). I tried to access their malta union of nurses and midwives, but their website is very basic and no links to this kind of information. All the council for nurses can tell me is that on average it takes about 3 months to register with them. I have contacted lots of nursing homes etc (got their address's through Malta's yellow pages) - no response.

On contacting the royal college of nursing in UK I was told that nobody had ever spoken to them before about leaving the UK as a nurse to work in another EU member state, I quote "it is usually the other way around, my dear". I have emailed public hospitals (Mater Dei DID reply with the link to the public call application - the only one I have managed to find!). I have searched the classifieds over and over in the times of malta. It appears that they do have some sort of nursing shortage, but there is literally no info on whether I would be appreciated in the country! I know the wages are quite substantially lower than what I currently recieve here in the Uk, though frankly, I love the country and am more than willing to take the hit on pay to experience a higher quality of life (in terms of the general culture and beauty of Malta).

My heart is totally set on this country and I do not intend on giving up!! I will keep trying and trying and contact everybody on the island if needs be! I will continue to post questions everywhere I can, and if it comes to it I'll set up camp outside the hospital and refuse to leave untill they give me a job . I do find it slightly disheartening that with a qualification such as RGN, and the willingness to drop a salary to work in a country that needs nurses not only am I not being snapped up - but I am just hitting brick walls!! Ah well, Im nothing if not persistant!! Would love any further advice on this guys. Thanks xx

I've broken your post up a bit, as too long paragraphs are difficult to read

Lol, apologies! Thanks x

My only concern is whether they would insist on you being able to speak Maltese

Hmm, I wondered that too. Again, from the little amount of information I CAN find, it doesnt appear to be a requisite skill; rather a preference. Whether this in itself means that a maltese national would be given a particular post over me is probably quite likely - after all, they have to look after their own first. So I am aware that the language barrier will likely set me back but in itself should not be a complete barrier to getting a job, as we all know the standard of english spoken by the maltese community is high enough anyway! Saying all this, I am currently home studying the basics of Maltese through a very clever CD rom....

Whether this in itself means that a maltese national would be given a particular post over me is probably quite likely - after all, they have to look after their own first it wouldn't be because they are a Maltese national (which would be illegal), but because they are better qualified in language skills (ie can speak Maltese).

Now Malta is in the EU, they can no longer give preference based merely on Maltese nationality

we all know the standard of english spoken by the maltese community is high enough anyway! - thats true of 90% of the population, but not 100%. It may well be that nurses talk in Maltese between themselves, and that patients prefer to speak in Maltese as well.

Not trying to put you off, just pointing out a potential hurdle

Thats ok, I appreciate you pointing out these things to me! Just means I'll have to revise harder !! The better armed I am with information hopefully the better chance I stand. Thats why I would really really love to speak to an english nurse who has done this - if such a person exsists! As a moderator of a british expat forum, do you know of any people who have posted questions on here and managed to get a job in Malta in any part of the healthcare system? (doctors, nurses, radiotherapists, health care assistants...)

Thanks for your quick replies by the way, much appreciated!!

do you know of any people who have posted questions on here and managed to get a job in Malta in any part of the healthcare system?

there is a forum search engine you can access at the top of the page - I can't spot any relevant posts

Hi Rachel,

I know this agency says they are recruiting nurses to work in Malta, maybe they can help you out but I don't have references of them nor I vouch for them:

deleted by gozomark - we don't allow compainies to be mentioned like this as it only encourages spamming - you are both free to put your email address in your profile

Good luck.

I've started a new thread in "recommended suppliers" called "job agencies", and put the web address there

http://www.britishexpat.com/expatforum/malta/viewtopic.php?p=48215#48215

Sorry, I should have asked before putting the link. I got confused because I actually don't recommend them I just know they are recruiting nurses and thought I could help. Lesson learnt.

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090711/local/campaign-to-recruit-more-nurses