Gateway School of English (GSE) is an English language school established in Malta in 2002, located at No 1 Bosfru Street, San Gwann (St Julian's), Malta. Under the tagline Guaranteed Success in English, GSE offers a wide range of English language courses for all ages and levels, from complete beginners through to advanced and professional learners, both in person on its St Julian's campus and online for students anywhere in the world. Eight out of ten students who choose GSE do so on the basis of a personal recommendation from a friend who has already studied there.

GSE is a deliberately small school, built on the conviction that individual attention and genuine personal care are what make the difference between a satisfactory language learning experience and a truly transformative one. As GSE puts it: Gateway School of English is more than a guarantee that your stay with us will be a successful English language learning experience. It is a promise that you will take back home with you an exciting total memory that will enrich you as a person, making you more aware of the world's diversity and of the importance of reaching out across cultural barriers.

Accreditations

• ELT Council Malta: recognised by Malta's national quality body for English language teaching providers
• Bildungsurlaub approved: GSE is an approved provider under Germany's Bildungsurlaub scheme, allowing German employees to apply for paid educational leave to attend courses at GSE
• Holingo label: quality recognition for language schools
• LanguageCourse.Net Excellence Award 2025: recognised for excellence among international language schools.

Teaching approach

All GSE teachers are native speakers of English, highly qualified and experienced. The school works exclusively with small groups, supplemented by one-to-one tuition, ensuring that every student receives meaningful individual attention both in the classroom and outside it. Classrooms are fully equipped with audiovisual facilities and interactive whiteboards using the latest digital course materials. A library and self-study facilities with modern computer hardware and software are available to all students.

GSE delivers English level placement tests on arrival, regular progress tests throughout a student's stay, and feedback questionnaires to ensure continuous quality improvement. Student support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, by phone, with a school representative meeting students at the airport and accompanying them to their accommodation on arrival and departure.

English language courses

• General English: all levels, from beginner to advanced
• Business English: professional communication for corporate and business contexts
• Professional English (ESP): Aviation English, Medical English, English for Engineering, English for the Media, Legal English and other specialist fields
• Exam Preparation: Cambridge ESOL (KET, PET, FCE, CAE, CPE), IELTS (group and individual), TOEFL iBT and TOEIC
• Conversation English: available as part of the Intensive English Course
• Junior Teens Programme: for students aged 11 to 17 years
• Parent and Child / Family Programme: for parents and children travelling together
• 50 Plus Programme: tailored for mature learners
• Teacher Training Courses: eligible for Erasmus+ funding
• English and More courses: combining English study with sports, culture, history, diving and other activities
• Evening and Weekend Classes: General and Business English on evenings and Saturdays/Sundays
• Internship Programmes and Work Placements: combining language study with professional experience
• Online English Courses: live, interactive lessons available for any timezone worldwide, from as little as €25 per week for 10 lessons, with a minimum booking of 4 weeks

Location

The school is situated in a picturesque, high-class residential area of San Gwann, on the edge of St Julian's, characterised by a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere. It is a 12-minute walk from Spinola Bay, St Julian's and Paceville, and only 3 minutes by bus from the major transport hub at Spinola Bay, from which all major Maltese bus routes connect. The school is fully air-conditioned, with high-speed Wi-Fi throughout.

Why Malta

Malta is one of Europe's most attractive and cost-effective destinations for learning English. As a small island nation at the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta is one of only a handful of countries where English is an official language alongside Maltese. It offers a year-round warm Mediterranean climate, an extraordinarily rich 7,000 years of history, some of Europe's clearest waters for swimming and diving, and a safe, welcoming environment for students of all ages and backgrounds. Malta is an EU member state, and English is used naturally in daily life, in business, in government and across the media, giving students constant real-world exposure to the language outside the classroom.

Accommodation

GSE offers a full range of accommodation options, each carefully selected and managed:

• GSE School Residence: the school's own accommodation, located directly adjacent to the school with only 3 minutes from bedroom to classroom, available to adults aged 18 and above and to parents travelling with children, staffed 24 hours and reserved solely for GSE students, offered on a bed and breakfast basis with kitchen and cooking facilities
• Homestay with host families: all host families are personally known to GSE, reside in up-market residences within walking distance of the school (typically 5 to 10 minutes), and are carefully selected for quality, safety and warmth of welcome
• Hotels: three-, four- and five-star hotel options
• Self-catering apartments and holiday villas: for students and families seeking greater independence and flexibility

Student nationality mix

GSE welcomes students from across the world and actively curates a diverse nationality mix to maximise the communicative benefit for all learners:

• Western, Central and Eastern Europe (60%): Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, Turkey and Azerbaijan
• South America (20%): mainly Brazil, Colombia and Argentina
• Asia (10%): mainly Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and China
• Middle East (5%): mainly Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
• North Africa (5%): Libya, Algeria and Morocco

Student life and social programme

Life at GSE extends well beyond the classroom. A structured social programme offers excursions, cultural visits and activities throughout the week, allowing students to explore Malta, Gozo and Comino together, building friendships and practising English in real-world settings. Students regularly visit Valletta (Malta's UNESCO World Heritage capital city), Mdina, Rabat, the Blue Grotto, the Riviera, Gozo and Comino's Blue Lagoon. The school organises welcome events, social evenings and activity days, and encourages spontaneous interaction between students living in the residence and in host families, all of whom are based in the same neighbourhood.

Course formats and lesson options

GSE offers a flexible range of course formats designed to suit different learning goals, schedules and budgets. All prices are based on 5 days of tuition and 7 nights of accommodation. Students are accepted on weekdays, with courses starting the same day or the day after arrival. The main course formats available are:

• General English group, 20 lessons per week
• Intensive General English group, 30 lessons per week
• General English group (20 lessons) combined with 10 or 20 lessons of private one-to-one tuition per week
• One-to-one General English: 20, 30 or 40 lessons per week
• Intensive Business English group, 30 lessons per week
• One-to-one Business English: 20, 30 or 40 lessons per week
• Combination Business English group (20 lessons) with additional one-to-one Business English (10 or 20 lessons per week)
• IELTS Group Course, 30 lessons per week
• Cambridge ESOL, TOEFL and TOEIC exam preparation group courses: 20 or 30 lessons per week
• Combination General English group (20 lessons) with one-to-one exam preparation private tuition (10 lessons per week)
• Combination General English group (20 lessons) with Professional English group (10 lessons per week, minimum 2 students)
• Closed Groups (20 lessons per week, minimum 4 students)
• Teacher Training: Diversity in Education Programme and Secondary, Tertiary and Adult Education Programme, both 30 lessons per week including 2 half-day cultural activities (Valletta by Night and Mdina Tour)
• Junior Homestay Programme including activity programme
• Young Learner tuition, 30 lessons per week (ages 4 to 12)
• Bildungsurlaub programmes: 5-day Intensive English (30 lessons), 10-day General English combined with one-to-one Business English (30 lessons), and 10-day Intensive English (30 lessons)
• Seasonal programmes: Easter, Autumn, and Christmas and New Year

Pricing

GSE publishes separate price lists for adult courses (including General English, Business English, Exam Preparation, Professional English, Teacher Training, Family Programmes and 50 Plus), Junior Teens Programmes (ages 11 to 17), and Teacher Training Programmes. Full 2026 price lists are available for download directly from the GSE website. An online course price calculator is also available on the prices page, allowing prospective students to calculate the exact cost of their chosen combination of course and accommodation before booking.

Online English courses are available year-round from €25 per week for 10 live interactive lessons, with a minimum booking of 4 weeks. Special offers and discounted prices on specific courses are published on the GSE Special Offers page.

Accommodation pricing options

• GSE School Residence: single, twin, or triple and quadruple rooms on a bed and breakfast basis with cooking facilities
• Homestay with host families: single or twin rooms on half board or full board basis, with en-suite options available
• Hotels: three-star and four-star hotel accommodation
• Self-catering apartments

Airport transfers on arrival and departure are available as an optional add-on. Travel insurance can also be arranged through the school. Payment of deposits is handled securely through Flywire.

Why Gateway School of English

1. Operating since 2002 in Malta, with a consistent record of quality confirmed by ELT Council accreditation, Bildungsurlaub approval and the LanguageCourse.Net 2025 Excellence Award
2. All teachers are native English speakers, highly qualified, and working exclusively with small groups for maximum individual attention
3. A comprehensive range of courses for all ages and all purposes, from General English and Business English to Aviation English, IELTS preparation, Junior Programmes, Family Programmes, Teacher Training and online courses
4. GSE School Residence directly adjacent to the school, available 24 hours and reserved exclusively for GSE students, with all host families within walking distance
5. A genuinely international student community from over 20 countries across five continents, with a carefully managed nationality mix
6. Online courses available worldwide from €25 per week, with live interactive lessons adaptable to any timezone
7. A safe, sun-filled Mediterranean island where English is an official language, providing constant real-world language immersion outside the classroom