EF Education First
EF Education First Employee Reviews
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Awful company for online English teachers
Online English Teacher (Former Employee) – Boston, MA – January 26, 2019
Compensation:
$12 per hour
No Benefits
No paid vacation
Part-time hours
Internet connections unreliable
Management often does not respond to communication within a reasonable amount of time
$12 per hour
No Benefits
No paid vacation
Part-time hours
Internet connections unreliable
Management often does not respond to communication within a reasonable amount of time
Pros
Flexible Schedule; Work from home
Cons
Compensation; Management
Summer teaching job
Teacher (Former Employee) – 苏州市 – January 1, 2019
I was hired to work for EF Suzhou for the summer, two months. No sick days or vacation but if I had been there full time I would have had both of those. EF's all depend on your individual team and manager. We had great managers and I really liked the team. I only wanted to work there for the summer but they made it very clear that I could be offered a longer lasting position if I wanted. The pay was awesome considering I only taught 10 or so hours a week and then had one lesson plan day...that's right a whole day just to lesson plan! They were very supportive and would watch the class on the classroom cameras and do supervised class visits to provide helpful criticism.
Pros
envirment
Cons
brat kiddos
Great place, but get ready to work your feet off
INTERNATIONAL SENIOR ENGLISH TEACHER (Former Employee) – 深圳市 – December 27, 2018
I loved my time working with EF, they were a professional company with lots of support for employees, as well as advancement opportunities and development programs. A typical day would generally mean going into work at 3pm and leaving between 8:30 and 9pm; except on the weekends, which were longer days, from 9am to 6:30 pm. The management at the center where I worked was excellent but its not the same across all centers. Each center had its own workplace culture, but I feel that overall there is a supportive and friendly work atmosphere. The most enjoyable part of the job was getting into the classroom and teaching the students; there is nothing else like it. The hardest part of the job was trying to manage administrative duties on top of teaching duties.
Pros
competitive salary, advancement opportunities, trainings, co-workers
Cons
work-life balance, hours, summer and winter courses, time off
good place to start a career in international education
Sales and Admissions Consultant (Former Employee) – Miami, FL – December 27, 2018
Education First is a great opportunity for young professionals who are interested in launching a career in the education industry. It is especially rewarding for people who like to travel and enjoy different cultures and languages.
Pros
opportunity to travel and learn internationally
Cons
low starting pay for most employees
If you care about teaching, do NOT accept a job here
Contracted Teacher (Former Employee) – San Francisco, CA – December 20, 2018
This place is the worst of for-profit education models. They've got a beautiful piece of real estate in Fisherman's Wharf, with floor-to-ceiling windows, hi-tech computer labs, and foosball tables. Their students pay thousands of dollars to attend classes at this beautiful school and live in San Francisco. (Their housing, by the way, is usually in remote or run down parts of the city. Students complain all the time, both to teachers and to management. As far as I know nothing changes). They pay their teachers poorly, barely above minimum wage for teaching time, and prep time is at minimum wage and actual countable prep hours are very limited. No benefits or job security. The CEO, meanwhile, is a billionaire. Management is disorganized, frequently juggling multiple student or teacher complaints/issues at once, and generally unclear about expectations. No support or structure here. At best, I felt overlooked. At worst, I felt exploited.
I saw the bad reviews for this position and thought, how bad could it really be? There are always bad reviews for jobs online from that one person who disagreed with their manager, had a bad experience one time, etc. I don't usually write reviews for my past employers, good or bad, because I believe everyone's experience is unique and job descriptions/interviews give the best sense of whether you think a position is right for you.
But I feel compelled to write this one: if you care abousteer clear of this unscrupulous company. They won't tell you this, but it's an open secret that their teachers quit all the time. People disappeared after more... a few months, weeks, or even days here. This is simply not an environment in which being a dedicated, caring, responsive teacher is valued, encouraged or inculcated. Worse yet, a solid % of the students have realized they're being scammed and will grumble about it during class (rightfully!) - making for a difficult classroom environment to say the least.
Still, I understand that high teacher turnover produces a disruptive environment for students and management alike. Despite my frustrations with them, I sympathized with management having to scramble together lesson plans and teaching schedules at the last minute whenever a teacher would quit. But EF must know that this is symptomatic of a larger issue at the way the organization runs. There's clearly money at the top of this that's not coming down to where it matters most (student satisfaction, teacher support, stressed-out managers juggling more demands than they can handle, etc). Maybe take a look at that. less
I saw the bad reviews for this position and thought, how bad could it really be? There are always bad reviews for jobs online from that one person who disagreed with their manager, had a bad experience one time, etc. I don't usually write reviews for my past employers, good or bad, because I believe everyone's experience is unique and job descriptions/interviews give the best sense of whether you think a position is right for you.
But I feel compelled to write this one: if you care abousteer clear of this unscrupulous company. They won't tell you this, but it's an open secret that their teachers quit all the time. People disappeared after more... a few months, weeks, or even days here. This is simply not an environment in which being a dedicated, caring, responsive teacher is valued, encouraged or inculcated. Worse yet, a solid % of the students have realized they're being scammed and will grumble about it during class (rightfully!) - making for a difficult classroom environment to say the least.
Still, I understand that high teacher turnover produces a disruptive environment for students and management alike. Despite my frustrations with them, I sympathized with management having to scramble together lesson plans and teaching schedules at the last minute whenever a teacher would quit. But EF must know that this is symptomatic of a larger issue at the way the organization runs. There's clearly money at the top of this that's not coming down to where it matters most (student satisfaction, teacher support, stressed-out managers juggling more demands than they can handle, etc). Maybe take a look at that. less
Poor Leadership
Client Service Representative (Former Employee) – Westerville, OH – November 16, 2018
Poor leadership without direction. Executive management is clueless regarding professional ethics. HR try but the leadership salaries are more important than the staff, employees, and members.
Cons
Literally harassment on employees. Each time you speak with the CEO, you are reinterviewing for your job. No respect, no values, and irresponsible leadership summarize the leadership.
Summer school fun
EFL Teacher Summer (Former Employee) – Long Beach, CA – November 2, 2018
Teaching EF's summer program is a blast! Not a place to get rich, but definitely an exciting and joyful job to work for the summer. Hopefully something more long term will become available in my area.
Pros
Everybody seems to love what they're doing
Cons
Too-large campus, too little parking
Fast-paced, a bit repetitive at times
Cultural Care Au Pair Account Manager (Former Employee) – Denver, CO – October 25, 2018
Must be adaptable to change.
Primarily sales-related positions, and most departments within the organization will require you to hit goals - not always hard and can be heavily supported depending on manager, but if goal-hitting is not your thing and you would prefer to work at your own pace then I highly recommend you look elsewhere.
Primarily sales-related positions, and most departments within the organization will require you to hit goals - not always hard and can be heavily supported depending on manager, but if goal-hitting is not your thing and you would prefer to work at your own pace then I highly recommend you look elsewhere.
Pros
Fun out-of-work events
Cons
Long hours, Saturday work is required and not always divulged in interview process
Horrible
Operations Manager (Former Employee) – Cambridge, MA – September 22, 2018
I do not recommend EF to anyone. They pay their employees horrible salaries. Some start at $30,000...in Boston. No one can live on that salary in one of the most expensive cities in the world.
Pros
None
Good first job out of college
English Teacher (Former Employee) – San Diego, CA – September 11, 2018
Pros: co-workers are great. Free coffee and pastries on Friday mornings. Some teacher development. Resources provided.
Cons:
1) 15 mins prep time for a each 80 mins teaching block is hardly sufficient. Most teachers spend about 30-45 mins in prep including lesson planning, searching for extra materials (coursebook does not fill 2 x 80 mins block), making copies, grading etc.
2) Teachers are evaluated not by teaching abilities but by Net Promoter Scores (NPS) which is used to rate performances in customer service. If students dislike you and your eval scores fall below 4.2, then management will have a talk with you. You'll feel more like an entertainer than a teacher most of the time. Students are more like customers than students.
3) Management do not disclose the fact that teachers can use accrued sick time if they called in sick, or get paid for jury duty.
4) Work schedule can be unpredictable.
5) Forced to take unpaid time off when enrollment numbers are down.
6) They will cut your hours when you have worked too many hours because they want to make sure you stay in the part-time status. So new hires get more hours than if you have worked there for a while. You have to ask academic manager if you are close to maxing your hours.
7) Pay is inadequate for San Diego. E.g. you make about $3.75 before taxes for each 15-mins prep time. Many teachers have to take up a second job waiting tables on nights and weekends.
Cons:
1) 15 mins prep time for a each 80 mins teaching block is hardly sufficient. Most teachers spend about 30-45 mins in prep including lesson planning, searching for extra materials (coursebook does not fill 2 x 80 mins block), making copies, grading etc.
2) Teachers are evaluated not by teaching abilities but by Net Promoter Scores (NPS) which is used to rate performances in customer service. If students dislike you and your eval scores fall below 4.2, then management will have a talk with you. You'll feel more like an entertainer than a teacher most of the time. Students are more like customers than students.
3) Management do not disclose the fact that teachers can use accrued sick time if they called in sick, or get paid for jury duty.
4) Work schedule can be unpredictable.
5) Forced to take unpaid time off when enrollment numbers are down.
6) They will cut your hours when you have worked too many hours because they want to make sure you stay in the part-time status. So new hires get more hours than if you have worked there for a while. You have to ask academic manager if you are close to maxing your hours.
7) Pay is inadequate for San Diego. E.g. you make about $3.75 before taxes for each 15-mins prep time. Many teachers have to take up a second job waiting tables on nights and weekends.
A great company with great values
Activity Leader (Former Employee) – Cambridge, UK – August 13, 2018
During two summers, I had the chance to be part of a great team and an entirely new position that I wouldn’t have expected to happen during my life. I was an Activity Leader at Education First in Cambridge, UK.
productive and very nice work enviroment
Office Manager (Former Employee) – Hawaii – August 13, 2018
Work at EF still being a excellent work experience, their workplace culture the staff and specially the work environment is a super plus for this company
Pros
flexible schedule and motivated staff
Cons
healthcare
Upper management ruins this otherwise great job
Technical Support Manager (Former Employee) – Denver, CO – August 13, 2018
Work is very fast paced and the people are mostly amazing. Upper management stays in meetings most of the day while occasionally chiming in with big picture, baseless decisions. If you have a good manager, this company is an amazing place to work. If your manager is more concerned with things other than managing, you will have a tough time.
Pros
People, benefits and occasional travel
Cons
Low salaries, lack of leadership, inefficient methods/inefficient results
This job was not for me
Activities Leader (Former Employee) – Long Beach, CA – August 13, 2018
There were many things wrong with the way the company was run. The communication between upper management and the staff was nonexistent. Nobody knew what they were doing and it caused a lot of unnecessary stress. The kids were great but there were a lot of long and stressful days. This is also a small thing, they said that they would provide food for the staff, lunch and dinner, but we either rarely had time for it or they did not provide food.
Pros
temporary job, travel options
Cons
not enough pay for workload, did not keep promises
Awesome experience
Internship (Former Employee) – New York, NY – July 30, 2018
Even though I was just helping and learning from them, I enjoyed a lot. The work culture an teamwork are one of the most important things about working with them. Also, they always try to help you and push you to follow your path.
Pros
work culture, teamwork, benefits
Cons
work hour depending on your job
No job security, teachers not valued
Teacher (Former Employee) – Online – July 27, 2018
After working with them for three years, they started cutting my hours. I literally couldn't afford to work for them anymore. Low pay, no benefits, no paid vacation, terrible internal customer service.
Pros
Make your own schedule, work from home
Cons
Low pay, no benefits, no job security, no paid vacation
online remote is convenient as always
Online Instructor (Current Employee) – Remote – July 25, 2018
It is absolutely possible to work 40 hours, and even more. There are special incentives for higher pay, especially in the summer. ALL STUDENTS are adults. I sure prefer that... There is AUDIO only option for teaching... its NOT ALWAYS VIDEO. And, I didnt have to sell my classes meaning I didnt have to push for students to sign up. MY FAVORITE PART!
Completely disorganized
Short Course ESL Teacher (Former Employee) – Fort Myers, FL – July 23, 2018
I worked as a short-contract employee teaching English to mostly European students in FL. I met with the coordinators, had lots of meetings about procedure and they way they like things done. I spend a lot of time preparing for my students. When I got into the classroom the first day, NOTHING was done the way they said it was and I was basically told to throw everything I did and prepared out the window. I was so disappointed because I know they do this every summer. It looked like it was the first time anyone did anything. None of the students were properly placed, the projects we were forced to do were unclear and useless. Every day was like walking into a landmine. For anyone who is a prepared and organized teacher, you will not like this job. If you have no idea what you are doing and don't care that all your training is useless, go for it!
Pros
It paid a little extra
Cons
No organization, no help, company too worried about the way they look, and the quality they put out for the money they spend is not equal.
Very fun but stressful environment
Full Time Teller (Current Employee) – Beaumont, TX – July 9, 2018
Everyone makes you feel at home and like family. The job can be very stressful at times with the shortage of tellers, which why the pay is unfair. I have brought up the issue many times about needing more teller with how busy we are on a daily basis and nothing has changed.
Pros
free snacks, loving people
Cons
not enough tellers for how busy they are
Overall rating
Based on 458 reviews
164
155
85
26
28
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Ratings from women
3.4InHerSight Score
3.6Personal Development
3.3Career Opportunities
3.4Family Support
Women rate the female-friendliness of their workplaces on InHerSight
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