bearclaire1

hi,

My husband and I will be coming out at the end of April for 4 nights to visit the area, and check out some schools. We are hoping to make the move from the UK after my son finishes infant school next July 2015 (will be 7 years old then)

We are staying in a B&B farmhouse near the airport, as we wanted a more rustic feel for the place.

We only have Sat, Sun and Fly back Monday around 5pm. So any suggestions on where to go, what to do?
We have no idea yet where we would live, but we don't want to live in an ex-pat area as I want to live a true Maltese lifestyle. Hubby is in IT and will be working from home, and either I will find a job or work self employed and charge for my time back to companies in the UK (Financial Accountant). So the only concern is close proximity to schools for our son.

School wise we want to see a state school and a private school on the Monday, so any suggestions on which would be good.

Many Thanks,
Claire

Gozit

Well if you mean "where to go, what to do" as in touristy things, I couldn't give you a short enough list for four days

But since location doesn't seem to matter for you, I would look at Mellieħa, a nice village in the north of the island. The main expat hubbub areas as I understand are Mosta, Sliema and San Ġiljan (St Julians in English) but it seems as if you want to stay away from that and learn how us crazy Maltese people work. (Are you sure you want to do that? )

The area near the airport you are staying (Luqa) is a rather industrial area, and noisy due to the airport, so I would not consider living there... But it is a good place to start getting a feel around. One thing to mention, is the bus system in Malta at the moment is a little screwed up as Arriva has pulled out and the government has taken over the bus service as of beginning January. So I would highly recommend renting a car for your reccie, and definitely recommend bringing your UK car(s) over when you move down. You can import them tax-free if you have owned them for 24 months prior to the date landed in Malta.

School-wise, I will warn you here and now. The state schools are taught in Maltese. So your child would benefit from learning a bit of it [Maltese] before coming over. The private schools on the other hand can be British ones with the exact British curriculum and in English. But, I would say that learning a second language is awesome for a young child, and wish I had the opportunity myself. Another interesting tidbit if you're thinking Malta might be a long-term thing for you, is that whilst elementary school is mixed gender, once children reach high school, they are separated from the opposite sex.
(Sorry I cant make a recommendation on which school...)

Which brings me to another point about Malta, which can be positive or negative for some. It is 99.7% catholic. Almost everyone is catholic and everything is justified by God. If someone doesn't know the answer to something, they will make something to do with religion if they can help it. Which means alot of what we do (like the gender separated H.S) is based on Catholicism.

Now on to the fun... You absolutely have to try some pastizzi. Pastizzi are a crispy filo pastry filled with either ricotta cheese or a curried peas with beef. Both are great! I could eat just the pastry itself

You need to visit a beach whilst you are there... One thing you will enjoy about Malta if you enjoy warm climates, is the warm climate of Malta and its awesome beaches (some of the best in the world IMO) ...

Well anyway thats enough of my homesick blubbering, hope it helped in the slightest and if you have anymore questions dont hesitate to ask !

bearclaire1

Thanks for the response!

We will be hiring a car, but thanks for the heads up. And we would import my car and hubby's motorbike. Cars are crazy expensive to buy there!

I am a scuba diver so am excited at the prospect of diving every weekend.

We were planning on going to Canada, but the winters are really putting me off, and not sure if I could Scuba Dive a lot there! I am a Canadian Citizen, and grew up there and had a great childhood. But I think Malta will be a great place to live with no snow, and raise our son. I am keen for him to learn as many languages as possible, I speak a little French but want to learn Maltese too.

Thanks again
Claire

Gozit

You sound exactly like me ! Im in canada at the moment too, am also a citizen of Canada as well as a citizen of Malta... Good decision not to come if you dont like winter... Its the main reason i will be leaving canada and heading to malta... If you dont mind me asking , is your husband working from home for a UK company? I ask because i would do something similar if i could...

bearclaire1

Yes that;s the plan. He has three options for tax being a non Maltese national.

1. Set up a company and bill the UK company for his service 5% corporation tax on profits. Plus he would need to take dividends, or a salary and tax would be payable.
2. Set up as Self employed and bill the UK company for his service (not sure on tax yet, assuming personal tax allowance then taxed at normal rate)
3. Continue to be employed by UK company, pay no UK tax and then would pay 15% Maltese tax on the money he brings in. Although there are other requirements for this to work. They are
There is a requirement to have a Maltese bank account and you must deposit at least 15,000 Euros, plus 2,500 Euros for your spouse and each dependent each year.
Within 12 months of obtaining this type of residence, you are obliged to either purchase a property for at least 75,000 Euros or rent out a property for at least 4,500 Euros per annum.

BTW I grew up in Milton!

Gozit

I don't know how the UK tax works but from what i've heard, the flat 15% Maltese rate is cheapest if you meet the criteria.

Wow, Milton ! So close to where I am at the moment. I'm in the London area. Pop over to the Canada/Maple Leaf forum and chat in there if you want!

cottingley

Its misleading to say Malta beaches are awesome , in fact Malta downfall is its beaches they certainly cannot be called some of the best in Europe .Malta has very few sandy beaches , in fact in Buggiba a major tourist area they had to create a man made beach so that should give you an idea how awesome the beaches in Malta are .

Gozit

Really. And which beaches would you think are better? I'll say they're much better than the "beaches" we have in Ontario! And if Malta's beaches are utter rubbish like you say they are, why do thousands of tourists flock there almost year-round for those exact beaches! Those man-made beaches in Bugibba were made by hotels for their patrons to go in if they choose, not because the other beaches were "rubbish" ... Mellieħa is 15-20 mins away from Bugibba by car and has some of the best beaches/views in Malta. If tourists want to stay at their man-made hotel beaches in Bugibba, that's their choice. But they could always head down the road for a nicer, natural one. Don't judge the rest of Malta based on the fact that there is a man-made beach in Bugibba.

There is a man-made water park in Xemxija called Splash and Fun. It is a great place to go, but not as nice as the natural beaches in Malta. Just because that is there, does that mean the rest of the beaches are bad? No, just means that it is an option for some people to go to where it might be more fun for their kids. Same with the man made beaches you speak of.

Just because the beaches aren't sandy doesn't mean they aren't good. There are quite a few sandy beaches to go to though if thats your forte. Ramla Bay in Gozo as an example. Mellieħa is also sandy. Just to name a few. Maybe research your facts a bit before posting?

Have you even been to Malta?

Gozit

Also, as you can see, I wrote "In my opinion" so you cannot say that is "misleading" . I was giving the OP my opinion.

Oh, and here's a link http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles...beaches.470695

Second best in Europe. Not bad for an island nation of 430,000 people!

So, actually I can say they are some of the best in Europe. (and the world)

not2old

its always a comparison to something you know, have seen or can say 'this is the best beach'. Of course Malta does not have the worlds best beaches - only some of the nice ones, which some folks can say are 'awesome'

http://www.beachholidayguide.co.uk/m...st_beaches.php

britishbull

your husband will need to be careful on UK tax if he is transfering a business away from the UK (a taxable event) or he is being paid directly as self-employed (taxable in UK) even if non-resident... on the other hand, a company based in a third country that does not pay tax from overseas income would work, depends how much he is making. Malta is almost unique in EEC in that it does not tax money earned outside the country and not brought in, not sure how long the euro bureaucrats will let them get away with that, enjoy whilst it lasts.

Gozit

Why, if he is being paid as self employed in Malta whilst being non - resident in the UK would that be taxable in the UK? He is non-resident and earning Euros in Malta, spending and saving that money in Malta. That wouldn't be taxable in the UK as far as my knowledge.