Does EF (Education First) pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, EF (Education First) employees rate their compensation and benefits as 2.9 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at EF (Education First). This rating has improved by 1% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at EF (Education First)?

61% of EF (Education First) employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated EF (Education First) 3.2 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 3.2 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at EF (Education First)?

English Teacher (293) , Teacher (246) , Tour Consultant (240) , Online English Teacher (199) , ESL Teacher (198) , Sales Coordinator (137) , Activity Leader (74) , Sales (74) , Online ESL Teacher (67) , Sales Consultant (63) , Manager (61) , Educational Tour Consultant (46) , Marketing (42) , Director (41) , EF Activity Leader (40)

What are the pros of working at EF (Education First) according to real employee reviews?

"The company is great for people right out of college and that have an interest in education and travel." ((in 424 reviews)); "Overall really great culture and very easy to feel welcome!" ((in 326 reviews)); "Colleagues are great and share similar values for the most part." ((in 216 reviews)); "Great benefits and travel opportunities." ((in 161 reviews)); "The work environment can be fun and energetic." ((in 116 reviews))

What are the cons of working at EF (Education First) according to real employee reviews?

"You'll be doing a lot of work for low pay and have no life outside of EF." ((in 623 reviews)); "Employees are generally over worked and have an incredible amount of work for such a low salary." ((in 500 reviews)); "Poor management and lack of decisiveness from managers that have been stagnating in their roles for too many years." ((in 310 reviews)); "There can be long hours and you get told no on the phone quite often." ((in 151 reviews)); "Bad manager leading the country" ((in 124 reviews))

What are employees saying about EF (Education First) layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about EF (Education First) layoffs and their outlook for job security at EF (Education First) in 2026.

EF (Education First) reviews

3.4

61% would recommend to a friend

(4,616 total reviews)

Edward Hult, Ph.D

62% approve of CEO

48% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Culture & values

3.2

Work/Life balance

3.2

Career opportunities

3.1

Senior management

2.9

Compensation and benefits

EF (Education First) has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 4,616 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The EF (Education First) employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Educación industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

5K reviews

5.0

Feb 9, 2015

Has given me a great international career

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

+ My career at EF has allowed me to take responsibility early, including management responsibilities. + Great international career possibilities. Personally I've gotten to live and work in several countries (plus a lot of traveling) + Informal (not hierarchical) + Fun colleagues and a great company culture + A great industry/ product (international education) that can truly change the customers' lives for the better

Cons

- Education is obviously not the industry with the highest salaries (but I believe EF pays better than other companies in the sector)

5.0

Feb 8, 2015

Country Manager

Country manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexibility and lack of bureaucracy means easy sensible day-today decisions are made everyday. Flat hierarchy systems. Fantastic team spirit with a REAL work hard play hard philosophy. Young, dynamic and energetic colleagues who are willing to solve problems related to their dept or not. Superb entrepreneurial atmosphere with freedom to create and contribute in a positive way. Being an international and global organization means many opportunities to advance on a career path whether in your own country or a country of choice. A chance to learn how a successful global company is run from human resources to how to control your own budgets. An exciting unique environment with consideration to the staff who are treated as members of the worldwide community and company family. Most importantly are the fun elements in our daily office hours. Whether celebrating a birthday or a wedding or just having drinks and discussing issues together as a global team.

Cons

Truthfully there is nothing negative to say....

2.0

Feb 8, 2015

Plenty of Entry, No Advancement

Regional account coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Paid in Perks: International Travel once a year all but insured, probable opportunities for additional travel. - Progressive Work Environment: Young workforce, including managers which means it is very laid back and everyone is very approachable.

Cons

- Salaries very low. Sales incentive payments also very low. - NO opportunities for advancement. EF is proud of its "flat" company structure. Meaning that there is not a lot of hierarchy. EF does not off-set the lack of advancement with career development opportunities. This leaves many at the company feeling replaceable and insignificant in the workplace. - Unskilled managerial teams: The typical team at EF consists of a group of 20-somethings at the beginning of their careers with an early 30-something at the beginning of their managerial career. This creates a toxic environment where the team cannot have its needs met because the manager constantly feels out of their depth. Advice, direction, and development are all very far from being the norm with the manager/employee relationship.

Viewing 4300 - 4302 of 4,616 Reviews

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Jobs at EF (Education First)

ESL Teacher - Summer 2026

Activity Leader-Summer

Summer Activity Leader

Part-time ESL Teacher