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

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (4,608 reviews)

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

1.0

Jan 16, 2020

EF Education First: A Predatory Company that Fishes for Naïve and Unaware Graduates

English as a second language teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Met some good friends there

Cons

Lies about travel opportunities Company refuses to help in times of need Flight to China is, in fact, not reimbursed First paycheck is a loan (unless you don't take it in which case you wait a month or more to get money) Most things recruiters tell you are lies, so take it with a grain of salt

EF (Education First) Response

6y

Thank you for your post and we are sorry to hear EF did not live up to your expectations. We ask that you reach out to us at teacher.welfare@ef.com so that we can identify and review the specific issues you have referenced in your post.

1.0

Nov 7, 2019

Like getting paid (not enough) to go to high school again

Tour consultant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Traveling for free but only if you have never left the states before. You could also just make more money elsewhere and travel on your own without high school children

Cons

Management is immature. Bizarre workplace all around. Culture sets out to be "cool" with start up vibes when in actuality you are working for an extremely corporate place. Money is #1 priority, not "mission driven"

EF (Education First) Response

6y

Thank you for this feedback - we were so sorry to read about your frustrations. It sounds like you had a negative experience with your manager, and we certainly know how much a manager can make or break your work satisfaction and engagement. We always strive to strike the right balance between internal promotions and external hires for our management positions, and we provide all managers with training and development to set them up for success. We take it very seriously to know that you witnessed highly concerning behavior by your manager. While it sounds like we've missed the opportunity to address your concerns while you were still working here, we'd still welcome the opportunity to hear more specifics if you'd like to reach out directly. I hope that you are finding your new job and company to be a better fit for you. Best of luck! - Emily Mantell

1.0

Feb 1, 2018

ESL Teacher - Untrustworthy and unstable employer and work environment

Esl teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

None- Do not take a job with this company unless you are really hurting for one

Cons

Managers yell at you, sexually harass you, belittle you, and corporate just turns the other cheek when current employees complain. Strong sales oriented admissions department students are viewed as numbers and nothing more. This school is getting rich off teens parents and as admissions reps we are trained with horrible sales tactics. They sell our programs to students by showing the school as a tourist attraction and promise to parents that they will learn English. Something that it is not true, no one is able to learn English in a place that it just to have fun and no academic goals.

Viewing 55 - 57 of 4,608 Reviews

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Jobs at EF (Education First)

Sales Development Summer Intern

Sales Support Coordinator

Summer TEFL English Teacher