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EF (Education First)

Engaged Employer

Hindsight is 20/20 - Tour Consultant EF (Education First) Employee Review

2.0
Apr 1, 2020
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- Prior to COVID-19, great international free travel, though this has been pulled from everyone who works in educational tours. - Interesting fun co-workers, you are surrounded by smart, fun, people - Good parties - Immediately post grad it’s fun

Cons

I honestly am struggling to figure out where to even start. EF is a beast to review. The job pays horribly. It always has it always will, because at its heart, the company cares about profit to the hult family, not any care to their employees. They will tell you an earning potential and I can guarantee that less than 10 people in the entire company in the TC role hit that. In the Denver office you have to be one in one million to get promoted past the TC role. Most directors inform their employees that they have to work for them for 4-6 years in the TC role at barely minimum wage hitting every goal to be even considered for a promotion. If you manage to be one of the million promoted (pre covid) they don’t actually fire anyone so employees get stuck with barely competent managers who don’t even know what the role looks like. TCs are stuck working with employees that managed to have the “magic spark” but yet can do the basic role. Managers also play hard favorites blatantly. Goals are set at an arbitrary 10% growth number. Anything less than 10% is unacceptable and you will be forced out. Why 10% you ask? Great question, literally no one knows. The biggest publicly traded companies in the world don’t even have 10% growth. Also there are a limited number of school in your territory and a limited amount of parents and students that can actually afford the tours. The product (international tours for students with their teachers) keeps getting more expensive and the quality keeps going down. The company is now desperately seeking solutions for a self made problem where they can’t physically support the number of tours they require TCs to sell because there aren’t enough hotels or restaurants to hold them. The hotels are barely inhabitable, especially in the summer, putting the students in inhospitable conditions but it’s never EFs fault. Manager are given free rein on their teams so bonuses, promotions, how work is done is completely to their discretion. This leads to some teams being mandated to have at least 10 sales calls during a global pandemic where others get to sit home and do nothing all day. Pre-covid, certain teams were held to expectations of hours worked where others were allowed to barely show up. This unequal balance resulted in one team getting $5,000 bonuses that weren’t tied to goals where others weren’t ever allowed to see this money for employees that were equal. Watching their treatment of employees as they have started to lay-off has been disappointing and sad and yet proves everything about them. Watching their treatment of their clients has shown even more. Do you want to party all over the world? Work for EF Do you want to grow in your career and advance and learn? Don’t touch it with a ten foot poll.

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EF (Education First) Response
6y
We are sorry to hear about the challenges you faced while working at EF. We take feedback seriously and will reflect on your comments. We did want to clarify a few of your points: the consultant position is a sales role and we try to create an environment that is a mix of professional growth and healthy competition. Growth goals are never standard and they are dependent on a territory’s market potential and past historical trends. During these unprecedented times of Coronavirus, our EF family has been working tirelessly to support our teachers, parents and students. We've amended policies to be more generous and flexible during these trying times. EF has been leading the educational travel industry for 55 years, and we will continue to lead in the coming months and years. We apologize that your time at EF was not a good professional fit, but we're glad to hear you enjoyed your co-workers and travel opportunities. We wish you the best of luck in your future career endeavors.

Explore other reviews about EF (Education First)

5.0
May 20, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Fun place to work at. Lots of opportunities especially early on in a career.

Cons

Sometimes salary is not as competitive as other places in Boston area.

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EF (Education First) Response
1mo
Well this is what it's all about! Early career opportunities while having fun along the way is a big part of what we hope people experience working at EF, and we are happy to hear this in your reflection. Thank you for sharing your note on compensation as well. We review our compensation packages regularly to make sure they align with our industry standards, and we appreciate your perspective on that.
4.0
Jun 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

You get to choose your tour and recruit the students you want to bring. The paid chaperone ratio is 6:1, so it is very manageable. The tours are great and the local experts are wonderful.

Cons

Company support is variable. There is high turnover and new consultants are very sales motivated and don't always get the nuances of your school or community group. I have had some WONDERFUL concusltants, but they have always been promoted before I get to work with them again.

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