English 1 reviews

3.9

79% would recommend to a friend

(1,197 total reviews)
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Adele Bai

82% approve of CEO

76% positive business outlook

English 1 has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 1,197 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The English 1 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

1K reviews
4.0
Feb 11, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Great place to work if you need some extra international/teaching experience. I signed up for this reason and got exactly what I bargained for. They also give adequate support for international teachers in terms of getting adjusted to life in China. Plus, they throw occasional company-wide social activities that are fun and totally free, which is nice.

Cons

The pay is pretty meager, the hours are long, and the work is stressful. Of course, this isn't surprising as this is mostly an entry-level experience. Come here, do your time, and leave for something better when you're ready.

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English 1 Response
8y
Thank you for your honest feedback. We're happy to hear of your positive experiences. However, it is not normal for management to promise bonuses and then take them away. Please email us at teacher.feedback@ef.com so we can properly follow up.
5.0
Feb 11, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I've been working for EF for around 18 months now as a Kids & Teens teacher and I truly recommend it as a great company to work for. If you are looking for a long term career and to progress they are very supportive, and there are clear career paths you can choose to follow, with opportunities to earn more and take on more roles to gain experience. EF also offers teachers the chance to take full funded qualifications such as the Cert TESOL or Dip TESOL. EF also offers their own long distance qualifications, and supports you in taking teaching qualifications such as the TKTs. Another very important pro, particularly working for EF in China, is that they sort out everything with your working Visa for you. All I have to do, is hand my passport in and they organise everything. This is very unusual here in China for a company to do this and makes life so much easier and takes away this stress from you. They also offer new teachers a 10000 arrival loan to help you set up, and provide a lot of support with finding accommodation and settling in. You are given a mentor at your school, and there is a team of experienced teacher ambassadors on hand to help you. These are just a few of the pros of working for EF!

Cons

The hours can be seen as a con, as often you will need to work weekends and evenings. However, if you stay longer with the company there can sometimes be opportunities to adapt this to suit your needs. This is only really for Kids & Teens teachers, as other departments have varying hours.

3.0
Feb 11, 2018
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

EF is a big-and-getting bigger company with a strong foothold in the private language education industry in China. As such, they are very careful to do everything by the book. Working for EF, you can be confident that you're adhering to all the government regulations as far as visas and the like are concerned, which is a big deal when living and working in China. EF is also a great place to work if you're looking for career development. There's a lot of room for growth whether you want to continue as a teacher, move into management, or move in another direction within the company. If you're looking for more than just a gap year experience and want to develop your career in this field, EF might be the place for you.

Cons

If you're not looking for career development and simply want to spend a year abroad making as much money as possible for as little effort as possible, EF might not be the place for you. EF (especially Kids and Teens) is a lot of work, not a lot of vacation days, and, while the pay is more than enough to live comfortably, it is not nearly as high as some other ESL jobs in the same locations. And while individual centers within the EF community do foster a sense of belonging and family (I have found this at my own center), EF as a whole is definitely a for-profit company and you can feel that sometimes.

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