Two students claim host families maltreated them

Two foreign students staying with Maltese families have complained to The Times and the authorities about the "unacceptable abuse" - mostly verbal - they have experienced at the hands of their hosts.

Last year, 55,578 foreign students visited Malta to follow an English language course. Approximately half of them reside with host families.

The Malta Tourism Authority last year received and investigated only 43 complaints, while this year it has so far tackled 24.

In most cases, the complaints relate to the fact that there are more students in the house than permitted by law, or to the lack of comfort and quality, the authority said.

Of the inspections held since January, two unlicensed host families were issued with fines and instructed to regularise their position with immediate effect, while another four were not abiding by the licence conditions. Two language schools were also fined for using unlicensed host families to keep their students, the MTA said.

The complaints to The Times revolve around abusive and aggressive behaviour of members of the host families - experiences that leave a bitter taste and could serve as negative publicity overseas.

René Kautz, a 22-year-old from Germany informed the MTA and the newspaper of his bad experience, during which the host father often lost his temper and even threatened to kill him and to physically throw him out of the house.

Mr Kautz was supposed to be doing a six-month internship at a local company but he cut his stay short by about a month due to the family's aggressive behaviour.

His letter is peppered with seemingly petty incidents which clearly made his life a misery during his stay in Malta. He was accused of helping himself to water outside the times stipulated by the contract (breakfast and dinner), although he tried to explain that it was his own water he was drinking; he was also accused of taking too many apples even though he was not always given fruit with his meal, as is also stipulated in the contract; and he was told off for turning on the water-heater to have a hot shower Mr Kautz maintained that the father of his host family was "a danger for students" and that nothing justified such aggression. He maintained that some host families were simply "not able, nor really willing to keep students".

Nadine Collier, 22, from Germany, who was serving a traineeship at a hotel in Malta, had a similar experience with the family she lived with for over five months. She claims she was screamed and shouted at - even just for opening the fridge - ordered about and treated like she was the daughter.

"I think it is shocking that a person like that hosts students, often of a young age, who cannot speak up for themselves... This abuse of students is unacceptable... and very bad for the image of your lovely island overseas," she said, suggesting that certain people should be refused permission to host foreigners.

But host families are normally carefully vetted. The MTA issues licences following the submission of an application and the conditions are based on regulations set out in legal notice 130 of 2002. Although it is hard to gauge whether the applicants have the appropriate psychological characteristics - they may have the right house, but the wrong attitude - the MTA does ensure that their Police Conduct Certificate is clean.

Together with this, applicants must also obtain approval from the English language school they are working with, showing that the schools have checked that the host families comply with the appropriate criteria.

Host family licences are valid for a year, the MTA said, and fresh applications need to be sent in annually.

Complaints do not fall on deaf ears either. They are registered, assigned a reference number and investigated by the MTA's Enforcement Directorate. When the complaint is not anonymous an acknowledgement is sent in writing, but complainant identities are kept strictly confidential.

A surprise visit is then held to check whether the complaint is justified and the host family's premises are thoroughly checked to ensure that the legal requirements are being adhered to, the authority said.

If more students than permitted by law are found on the premises, legal action is taken, while if poor standards are found, the school is notified and, in extreme cases, the MTA's licensing section may be required to withdraw the host family's licence and refuse re-activation, at least until the deficiencies are rectified.

Regular random inspections are also held throughout the year, peaking during the Easter period and the summer season, the MTA said.

The schools are also responsible for inspecting their respective service providers, in line with their own requirements and conditions. However, they are licensed by the Education Department and, therefore, do not fall under the responsibility of the MTA, which, nevertheless, does its best to maintain a high level of communication and collaboration with the schools.