The past few weeks have been a nightmare for English language schools that are trying to keep afloat with almost no clients.
After getting tens of thousands of cancellations, they are now scrambling to go online while fearing that the aid offered by the government simply won’t be enough to keep them afloat.
One school has already shut down and another saw 8,000 bookings wiped out in just three weeks.
The red light first came on for the schools’ federation in mid-February when the Italian government banned educational travel.
“Our battle-cry from day one was: we were the first to be hit but we were sure the whole industry would follow. That is why we started to push for financial aid,” said James Perry, CEO of the Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations Malta (FELTOM).
He said the state’s wage support was “a ray of light in these dark times” but the federation is still in discussion with the authorities over other issues, among them marketing and visas once the pandemic is over.
“It will take a long time to get back on track. Since our island is small it could go both ways: we could bounce out of it quicker or else find it harder to revive.
“FELTOM is aiming towards the first scenario by ensuring that the right measures are taken, and schools keep strong and united. The Malta Tourism Authority has already informed us it will hit the ground running once it gets the green light to start marketing Malta once again,” Perry said.
One school, BELS, had seen a 35% growth in bookings during January and February before a barrage of cancellations, postponements and refusals of payments by overseas partners.
The sector needs at least another 12 months before we can safely say we are on the road to recovery
So the school’s sales, operations and academic team came together to fast forward the 2021 plans and take classes online.
Rebecca Bonnici, from BELS, believes the “disaster” will not be over once Malta overcomes COVID-19 because the school will not start to see bookings until the feeder markets themselves recover.
“My fear is that students will need more than just the possibility to travel. They will need to get over the crippling anxieties instilled in all of us by this terrible virus,” she said.
“I think tourism and the English language teaching sector need at least another 12 months before we can safely say we are on the road to recovery.”
Another operation with zero clients, after 8,000 cancellations in three weeks, is AM language school. It has tried to postpone bookings without a charge wherever possible.
The school’s owner Julian Cassar Torregiani said the government had fallen short of real assistance and needed to also address rent, bank loans and interest and utilities.
Meanwhile, Alpha School Malta is also moving online but the take-up of classes is small so far.
Most students come for a language learning holiday which includes history, culture and cuisine, staying with a host family, enjoying the beaches and good climate, said the school’s managing director Pat Marshall.
She said that while the State’s aid package recognised the sector’s burden, the pegging of support against the minimum wage was unrealistic. A system like the one adopted in the UK, where wages were subsidised up to the average wage, was more sustainable.
GV Malta English Centre hopes that by going online it can keep some staff in employment and contain the volume of refunds it needs to dish out.
Managing director Gaby Huhn Privitera believes the solution should be an international one: the world could unite and encourage educational holidays in support of the industry.
Unlike catering and retail, which will receive immediate revenue once their doors reopen to the public, the English language teaching sector will take longer to get back on its feet, she argues.