Malta is one of Mercuria’s most popular destinations for international work placements. Maria Metsand had also dreamed of working abroad since the ninth grade when she heard about this opportunity during a school presentation in a student counsellor class. In this story, Maria shares her experience of working in Malta and everything she saw and experienced there.
I completed my internship in Sliema, Malta, at a women’s clothing store. I applied for the international internship to gain new experiences and become more independent. Traveling excites me a lot, so this opportunity was perfect. I received a lot of help from my school with travel preparations. Even though I didn’t need much help, it was good to know that assistance was always available if needed.
We bought plane tickets about three weeks before departure, and the process went smoothly. The stopover in Germany during the flights also went without any problems. During the first week, I went to work using Bolt, as I hadn’t yet received my bus card. After that, I always traveled to and from work by bus. Using the bus in Malta is convenient, and buying a bus card was a good idea because you don’t have to pay when boarding the bus; you just show the card to the reader, and that’s it.
Working at Stradivarius
I worked at a women’s clothing store called Stradivarius. My workdays were varied, and my tasks included greeting customers at the fitting rooms, pricing new clothes, and returning clothes to their places. Sometimes I searched for clothes in the stockroom for orders. People in Malta were much more social and asked for sizes and help. I mostly spoke English at work, and sometimes I helped colleagues who weren’t proficient in English.
Living and Spending Free Time in Malta
We spent our free time visiting different cities and admiring at the sights. The school also offered trips to certain destinations, but we decided it was better to explore the sights on our own and at our own pace. We visited many different places. The must-see spots, in our opinion, were at least Comino Blue & Crystal Lagoon, the old town of Mdina, Ghajn Tuffieha Bay, and the capital city Valletta.
Living in Malta is very different compared to Finland. For example, there is no clean tap water. Grocery stores don’t have everything you can find in Finland, like rye bread or dish brushes. We brushed our teeth with bottled water, and sometimes the hot water would temporarily run out if you showered at the same time as the washing machine was running. Meals often consisted of preparing food from store-bought ingredients for a couple of days in advance. Sometimes we ate out.
Final Thoughts
Adapting to working and living in Malta went well. The most exciting part was being away from my family for so long. At my workplace, I learned how to handle and display clothes. I also learned about pricing. Using English will probably be much easier in the future now that I have experience working in English.
I recommend an international work placement to all students who are interested in traveling and want a change from the basic everyday life in Finland.
