diff --git a/plugin/trino-hive/src/main/java/io/trino/plugin/hive/metastore/glue/GlueConverter.java b/plugin/trino-hive/src/main/java/io/trino/plugin/hive/metastore/glue/GlueConverter.java
index 75b35cc44f02..03785bde62f2 100644
--- a/plugin/trino-hive/src/main/java/io/trino/plugin/hive/metastore/glue/GlueConverter.java
+++ b/plugin/trino-hive/src/main/java/io/trino/plugin/hive/metastore/glue/GlueConverter.java
@@ -90,6 +90,7 @@
 import static io.trino.metastore.Table.TABLE_COMMENT;
 import static io.trino.plugin.hive.HiveErrorCode.HIVE_INVALID_METADATA;
 import static io.trino.plugin.hive.HiveErrorCode.HIVE_UNSUPPORTED_FORMAT;
+import static io.trino.plugin.hive.TableType.EXTERNAL_TABLE;
 import static io.trino.plugin.hive.ViewReaderUtil.isTrinoMaterializedView;
 import static io.trino.plugin.hive.ViewReaderUtil.isTrinoView;
 import static io.trino.plugin.hive.metastore.MetastoreUtil.metastoreFunctionName;
@@ -119,6 +120,12 @@ final class GlueConverter
 
     private GlueConverter() {}
 
+    public static String getTableType(software.amazon.awssdk.services.glue.model.Table glueTable)
+    {
+        // Athena treats a missing table type as EXTERNAL_TABLE.
+        return firstNonNull(getTableTypeNullable(glueTable), EXTERNAL_TABLE.name());
+    }
+
     @Nullable
     @SuppressModernizer // Usage of `Table.tableType` is not allowed. Only this method can call that.
     public static String getTableTypeNullable(software.amazon.awssdk.services.glue.model.Table glueTable)
@@ -149,8 +156,7 @@ public static DatabaseInput toGlueDatabaseInput(Database database)
 
     public static Table fromGlueTable(software.amazon.awssdk.services.glue.model.Table glueTable, String databaseName)
     {
-        // Athena treats a missing table type as EXTERNAL_TABLE.
-        String tableType = firstNonNull(getTableTypeNullable(glueTable), "EXTERNAL_TABLE");
+        String tableType = getTableType(glueTable);
 
         Map<String, String> tableParameters = glueTable.parameters();
         if (glueTable.description() != null) {