Electricians' working chances

hello everybody

we are Greeks and we are thinking of moving to Malta.

My husband is a qualified electrician , highly knowledgeable in all sectors of his job , carrying an experience of 27 years .  Could some of you help me by mentioning how the above runs in Malta and what probable chances could my husband have ? Could he succeed as a self-employed worker ?

Regarding my occasion , I have an experience of 10 years on the Tourism Industry , I have been working for a Travel agency as an operation Manager , specialized in reservation department and clients' welcome .I am also familiar with sales , as my first job was as a sales manager of a local company , that handled home products promotion .I have been working there for the first 7 years of my career ( lets say :-)    )

Do we have opportunities in Malta ?

Enlighten us please !

I can't help you with this and I do not know how wages compare between Greece and Malta. But I do know that electricians from UK earn local wages which are lower than UK.

Redmik my friend , if you allow me call you as a friend , thanks a lot for your support

I see , but wages between UK and Greece , differ at the maximum ...
maybe twice less and more I could say .. so , for us , would be better for sure !

Do you know any source , where I could look ?

Hi Lina,

qualifications are always very good. Especially 27 years of working experience as an electrician in Greece.

However, as a self -employed electrician in Malta there are two things that might cause problems.

1) The Maltese electrical installations are based on the UK system of plugs,sockets and wiring. So your husband might need some extra certificates and training to be an electrician in Malta. He would have to check that aspect.

2) The Maltese speak Maltese. It could be difficult dealing with the local electrical installation market as self - employed if you can't speak the language. I'm not sure if the Expat community would generate enough business without Maltese language skills.

Also expect the wages in Malta to be a lot lower than Greece.

The tourism business is very seasonal , probably similar to Greece. You would probably be fine during the season greeting tourists at the airport or from cruise ships. Without speaking Maltese I doubt you would be able to get a job as office manager or similar.

Cheers
Ricky

Unless you can be lucky and find a foreign company willing to take you on board. - difficult but not impossible . maybe try and learn the language

toonarmy9752 wrote:

Unless you can be lucky and find a foreign company willing to take you on board.


.......saw what you did there toon.

Hi Lina,

you could also look at what tour operators in Greece offer 'escorted' tours of Malta or Tour 'Repping' and see if they have any openings for Greek speakers/tourists........honestly can't see there being much call for it though.

Further, if you have to rely on just the one wage in Malta you may indeed find it a struggle.

I know this might not be what you will want to hear but........... why don't you both try something in the 'hospitality' industry for six months (during the season - May to Oct). This would give you an idea of whether you like the island, lifestyle, people etc and would give you the opportunity of networking whilst here.

Good Luck

Mike

MikeInPoulton wrote:
toonarmy9752 wrote:

Unless you can be lucky and find a foreign company willing to take you on board.


.......saw what you did there toon.

Hi Lina,

you could also look at what tour operators in Greece offer 'escorted' tours of Malta or Tour 'Repping' and see if they have any openings for Greek speakers/tourists........honestly can't see there being much call for it though.

Further, if you have to rely on just the one wage in Malta you may indeed find it a struggle.

I know this might not be what you will want to hear but........... why don't you both try something in the 'hospitality' industry for six months (during the season - May to Oct). This would give you an idea of whether you like the island, lifestyle, people etc and would give you the opportunity of networking whilst here.

Good Luck

Mike


sounds like a good plan to me - most need to try Malta for at least 6 months before deciding if its the right place to settle and many dont settle...wages and work is a very strange area for the foreigner..... it will also help you decide on the way of life you could have here...it may be better but it may be worse - a working summer is a great way to find out about life here and build up some more funds to survive winter - winter will be hard espcially for work - good luck to you both

hi Toonarmy

you are absolutely right , we should try Malta by living there for at least 6 months . It is a fact that if you do not face it , you cannot decide correctly . " Hospitality " industry is actually a good shot . Many thanks for your time and your help .Hope we contact each other again

Hi Ricky ,

your aspect helps us a lot , as for making a new start , profession sector is actually a priority .

Ι have another question , maybe you can help me once again . Are there any refineries in Malta ? do you have any idea how are working conditions there ?

Hi Mike ,

I haven't thought about looking for Tour operators here in Greece , that is a very good idea ! Repping also , is very familiar to me , so , maybe we have a chance from there

To be allowed to work as electrician (employed and self-employed) your husband needs to have Enemalta Wireman License A (domestic) and License B (3-phase) ... this all - of course - is based on IEE Wiring Regulations / British Standards BS7671
MCAST offers courses (I think 2x per year) with final exam but they are not cheap ... and it takes some time.
Without this license your husband can only find a job as unskilled worker at a very low salary...

It's easier for electricians from UK, they only need to get their qualifications recognized from MQRIC.

Doing engineering is a little bit easier because of the free movement of services within the EU, but it's hard to find a Maltese employer who knows that ... ;)

but, how knows, this is Malta - so maybe there will be an unexpected opportunity :lol: