A step by step guide to moving to Malta needed

[coops]

Hi
Can anyone kindly offer information with regard to moving to Malta. We are a British family of 4 with a child of 6 years and a 1 year old baby. We will be looking to rent unfurnished property in either Malta or Gozo. We are on a limited budget so we need info regarding the state schools and also work possibilities. We are looking to move in Sept 2006 and wish to have all the neccesites completed by then. Any help will be greatly appreciated.
Coops.

[Ros]

Hi there, can only give you my experience if it will help.We got quite a lot of info from people here so its worth reading all the threads. We moved to Gozo just over a month ago we stayed in a hotel for a week whilst we decided on an area and looked for and found property to rent . Regarding schools (we have 3 children 2 teenagers and one of ten)so basically we went to find the schools that would suit them ie the primary and then the high schools and then we went to the poly clinic in Victoria to book the childrens medicals which are usually done at a school and then we went to the education office in Victoria with the results and they gave us the entry letters for the schools which we then took back to the school(s) and we filled forms in etc.and that was it. The whole process was done in two days everyone was very friendly and helpful we bought their uniforms, books etc and they started the next day! You need to take plenty of photo copies, birth certificates, passports (including yours) school reports etc and advice them of any conditions or problems etc. Once settled you can apply for your I.D.
Everyone is very helpful and if you are not sure just ask they will happily help you. Hope this all helps please feel free to ask me any more will help if I can regards Ros.

[Ros]

Sorry just to add not sure about work possibilities depends what you do but can be very difficul to obtain work unless you either start your own business, or you have a certain trade/profession that is needed here but there are more threads about this.

[coops]

Thanks for the info Ros and nice to hear from you. I read all your threads and found them most enjoyable and interesting. We are hoping to visit Malta/Gozo at the end of Jan for a butchers, so if anyone fancies meeting up for drinks hopefully coupled with Ros's fabled steak and kidney pies (how about it Ros?) then include us. It will be great to listen to first hand experiences!! All being well we hope to sell our house and move over around Sept/October (can't wait).
Our background is in the manufacture and making up of quality cotton bedlinen so maybe there is an opportunity to start up in business supplying hotels etc??? who knows or even cares! Anyway Ros I hope you can help further - what shall we be expected to pay per month to rent a three bedroom house/apartment? What is the approx cost of freighting furniture over? Lots more questions to follow but your help is most appreciated and well worth a drink or two? when we eventually meet or is that meat.
Cheers,
Pete

[Ros]

Hi glad to help if I can and would love to meet up when you come over.
Can only speak from our experiences and Gozo not so sure about things on Malta though.

Renting varies depending on what/where you are looking for. We rent a large 3 bed house with pool for Lm350 per month which is about 550 pounds per month, but there is a wide variety of accommodation available so you just need to look around. House prices also vary again depending on what you are looking for and where and whether you want finished or shell etc.
Again shipping varies we paid 2500 ponds to ship all ours over (not here yet should be another weeks time!)

Not sure about your work idea sounds good but again depends where.
Hope this helps let me know when your coming and well meet up
fire away with any questions wil try to help if I can
cheers for now Ros

[coops]

Hi
Thanks for the info Ros. £550 per month seems reasonable for a three bedroomed house with a pool. Is it air conditioned? We will definitely be looking for something similar. Where in your opinion is the best place to relocate to in Gozo?
Are the kids enjoying school as i read somewhere else in this forum that they had removed their kids from Gozo schools to be educated in Malta schools.
On a different tract can you receive Sky and Broadband, etc, in Gozo?
Cheers,
Coops.

[Ros]

Hi sorry for not replying soner been busy christmas shopping!
Yes our home is air conditioned, think most are and most rents are reasonable. Not sure about best place to live in Gozo as there are some very pretty places and everything is close but we chose Victoria as it suits us because its centre and easy to get anywhere plus kids schools are here, but when we start looking to buy we will look at all areas.
Regarding schools we can only speak from our experience.Our kids seem to be enjoying their schools especially our youngest who goes to primary and has made many friends already.The teachers are all very kind and helpful and no major probs yet How old are your kids?
Yes you can get broadband access and not sure what tv channels you get here but we have Eastenders, and quite a few other english programmes.
Hope that helps look forward tohopefully meeting you in the (near) future speak soon regards Ros.

[Ros]

Sorry just read your earlier thread and saw your childrens ages. Your 6 year old would go to primary, Most villages have primary schools depending where you decide to live or school buses to the next school. My son walks to his school as its close . hope this helps

[coops]

Thanks for the info Ros and I hope you and your family have a merry xmas. Will converse with you in the new year.
Coops.

[Tim]

Hi, I've just seen this thread and thought I'd join in with a couple of comments.

Firstly, thanks Ros for providing such helpful advice. I'll also be back at the end of Jan and wouldn't mind a steak and kidney pud, so maybe we should fix something up when we know Coop's dates!! I'll also be interested to learn then (or here in a new thread) about how you're getting on settling-in and setting yourselves up in business - hope it's all going well!

I did make a guarded comment in another thread about parents who had taken their kids out of school in Gozo and sent them to a private school in Malta. I wasn't more precise because unfortunately I have yet to meet them, so it is second-hand news and now rather old. Anyhow as long as you realise that I might be mis-remembering and therefore creating a Chinese whisper, it concerned the amount of religious education the kids were getting. I think these are young teenage kids, so probably in secondary school, but it's likely the same applies to primary too. Apparently they were getting about 2 hours a day of RE, and it was not what you would call stimulating open-minded inquiry, but dogmatic 'learn the catechism by heart' stuff. Also a lot of the social stuff the kids could get involved in through the school or with their schoolfriends was organised on religious grounds and they felt a kind of stigma against them because they didn't go to church on Sundays etc.

All I want to do in this post is to point out that religious teaching could be an issue when looking for schools for your kids, and not to make value judgements about it. Anybody who would like to discuss the nature of christianity in Malta - which could be a very interesting discussion - please start a new thread!...

....Though if you're wondering where I stand, all I can say on this eve of almighty hangovers is:

Merry Ciskmas!!!!

Tim

[coops]

Tim

Thanks for your interesting insight on religious education in Gozo. I will appreciate it if Ros will add to your comments taking into account her children's experiences with regard to religious education. I stand on the side of each to their own but my personal view is that there is an offer on at Tesco's for 2 crates of Carling for £18.

Merry ****mas!!!!

[Ros]

Hi everyone hope you all had a good christmas and all good wishes for new year!!!! Sorry bit late but not been on line lately as had terrible colds etc. So much rain!!! Still at least the sun is shining today!!!

regarding my comments about religion in schools here in Gozo, yes there is a lot but so far in my experience not too much for the kids!
I think my youngest does have much more than the older two at his school but my kids are Catholics anyway so they are pretty much used to it, although some schools have much more religion than others so it depends where you send your children but generally you can ask when you visit the school(s) before enrolling the children! hope this helps regards Ros