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 2% 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 (238) , ESL Teacher (199) , Online English Teacher (199) , Sales Coordinator (137) , Sales (74) , Activity Leader (73) , Online ESL Teacher (66) , Sales Consultant (63) , Manager (61) , Educational Tour Consultant (46) , Marketing (42) , EF Activity Leader (40) , Sales Associate (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 416 reviews)); "Overall really great culture and very easy to feel welcome!" ((in 325 reviews)); "Colleagues are great and share similar values for the most part." ((in 213 reviews)); "Great benefits and travel opportunities." ((in 173 reviews)); "The work environment can be fun and energetic." ((in 115 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 609 reviews)); "Employees are generally over worked and have an incredible amount of work for such a low salary." ((in 520 reviews)); "Poor management and lack of decisiveness from managers that have been stagnating in their roles for too many years." ((in 308 reviews)); "There can be long hours and you get told no on the phone quite often." ((in 152 reviews)); "Bad manager leading the country" ((in 123 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

(4,608 total reviews)

Edward Hult, Ph.D

61% approve of CEO

47% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

EF (Education First) has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 4,608 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).

Reviews by job title

5K reviews

3.0

Apr 9, 2017

Treat employees like they are expendable

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I made a lot of great friends, as I was surrounded by enthusiastic and passionate 20 somethings. It is a good place to work at for a year when you are right out of college in that respect.

Cons

The management does not respect its lower level employees and treats them all as expendable. They demand extremely long hours with very little compensation. It is almost impossible to move up in the company, especially if you are a woman. It is a toxic, sexual harassment-ridden culture, which HR refuses to step in and address.

EF (Education First) Response

9y

Thanks for your review. I'm sorry you felt underappreciated and that you weren't provided a clear path toward career growth. We pride ourselves on our entrepreneurial culture, which means we give staff ownership over their work and careers. This also means that staff are expected to drive -- with management's support -- their careers in the direction they'd like to go. Career paths here are many and varied, and this lack of formal structure isn't for everyone. At EF, women make up 65% of our senior leadership globally, a fact we're very proud of. -- Mike Kaufman, Sr. Director of People Operations

1.0

Oct 18, 2016

No raises, bad management, egotistical owners.

Esl teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

In my position the only plus is my colleagues. The pros are free parties, free t.shirts and promo stuff.

Cons

I've worked here for over 6 years and have not received one raise, not even cost of living. Management constantly changes and their only goal is to cut costs and save money. We have been lied to repeatedly and denigrated. Morale is in the toilet. When you work for EF you quickly realize that you are being bullshitted, they offer fun activities but no real career path. Wages are low and you'll never get a raise unless you get promoted. Managers are only interested in looking good and saving money, there are truly terrible managers who will lie to your face. Everyone is expected to do two jobs. It's not worth it, everyone becomes cynical, if you're Swedish you'll get a good deal. The bottom line of this company is not educating the world but making obscene amounts of profits for the Hults.

1.0

Apr 28, 2015

I loved the students

Online english teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I loved working with the students. Most were very eager to improve their speaking skills

Cons

My "mentor" was a jerk. From the very first meeting I could her a patronizing tone in her voice.

Viewing 46 - 48 of 4,608 Reviews

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Jobs at EF (Education First)

Activity Leader-Summer

Summer TEFL English Teacher

Part-time ESL Teacher