Typical day
On Arrival
- If you are staying at the Residence, breakfast is from 8:00-9:00 everyday (weekdays and weekends).
- If you are staying with a host family, ask one of the family members to show you the way to the school, and make sure to check at what time meals are served.
- If you are staying in a hotel or an apartment, ask at the Reception or contact one of our staff members for directions to the nearest bus stop and for the bus which stops at ‘Baltiku’, San Ġwann (the bus stop by the School).
- If you arrive on a weekend, you will have your placement test on Monday morning at 9:00 and start your lessons after break at 10:45.
- If you arrive on a weekday (you can also arrive on any day of the week Monday to Friday and not necessarily at weekends), you can have your placement test on the same day and start lessons the following day at 9:00.
Day 1 at School
The Day’s Proceedings on your first day, typically on a Monday however you can arrive on any day of the week (GSE accepts students arriving on any day of the week and not necessarily at weekends)
| 8:30-10:00 | Placement test
We recommend that you will come to school at 8:30am on your first day for the Welcome Speech. The Director of Studies (DOS) will greet you at the school entrance and show you to the room where you will have your test if you haven’t done the test online. You will be given a general introduction by the DOS and can ask any questions you may have at this point. The DOS will also let you know your course timetable i.e. whether you will have morning or afternoon lessons. We always recommend that you will do the test online prior to your arrival in Malta or prior to commencing the course with GSE so that you will not waste an hour doing the test on your first day. The placement test takes between 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes and is the same for everyone. It is a reliable indication of your linguistic competence in English and is therefore crucial for us to determine what level of English you have and which class to place you in. |
| 10:30-10:45 | Break time
You can help yourself to some coffee and meet some of the teachers and other students. |
| 10:45 | Placements
Wait by the reception desk at the school entrance for the DOS to give you your course book and show you to class. Time for your first lesson! |
| 12:15-13:00 | Lessons over & break time
Students can make use of the food vending machines at the school residence located right next to the school or those students residing at the school residence can also prepare their own meals at the residence canteen during this longer break. |
| 13:00-14:30 | Afternoon lessons
|
| 15:00 – 18:15 | Afternoon General English classes (double banking) start at 3pm and finish at 6:15pm with a 15 minute break in between (16:30 – 16:45). |
Double banking system. Please note that the school provides a double banking system whereby General English lessons may be held in the afternoon. The timetable is given to you on your first day at school and we recommend that you will check your timetable every Friday after your last lesson.
On a Monday evening we organize the Valletta by night welcome excursion for all the new students from all over the world – a great opportunity to see Malta’s capital city at night and take wonderful photos. It is also a great way to make new friends on the first day in Malta.
Standard Daily Schedule
Below is a typical weekly schedule of lessons at school.
| Monday – Friday | |
| 09:00-10:30 | General English (Session One – 2 lessons) |
| 10:30-10:45 | Break |
| 10:45-12:15 | General English (Session Two – 2 lessons) |
| 13:00-14:30 | Afternoon Lessons:
|
| 15:00 – 16:30 | General English (Session One – 2 lessons) |
| 16:30 – 16:45 | Break |
| 16:45 – 18:15 | General English (Session Two – 2 lessons) |
| 18:30 – 20:00 | Evening classes for students booking an evening course |
Gateway School of English GSE organises a wide range of afternoon and evening activities as part of the social programme. These activities typically involve visiting places of interest, countryside walks and cultural trips. For further information about the activities we organize you can visit the Social Programme page on this website. Afternoon activities are always held after 14:30hrs.
Last day of school
After the last lesson students go to the office to:
- be presented with the end-of-course attendance certificate,
- reconfirm their flight details,
- confirm any airport transfers booked with the school,
- return the course book and any other resources borrowed from the library,
- say goodbye!