A professional company, a rewarding experience
Pros
Although it's not a well-known company in America, EF is one of the best-known English education providers in China.They've been in China for many years, and there are hundreds of foreigners working as EF teachers at schools around the country. As a result, they are very good at bringing in expats: every part of the process, from the job application to visa paperwork to arrival and training, is smooth, professional, and designed to make new employees feel as comfortable moving to a new country as possible. I never had to worry about whether there would be problems with my visa, if my paychecks would be on time, or that I'd be wandering around with no clue what I needed to do. In the two years since I arrived, I've had a great time at EF. My students were great, their parents were mostly supportive, and the courses I taught were regularly updated to use new technology and keep the content relevant. There are opportunities for professional development and career growth within the company for those who are interested, and people who want to move on to non-ESL teaching in a public or private school usually find that transition easy to make.
Cons
EF is very much a business, and it took me a while to get used to the overtly corporate approach to education. In private schools in America (or full-time international schools in China, for that matter), even though enormous amounts of money are changing hands the school administration goes to great lengths to keep the billing hidden in the background. EF is a training center, and Chinese culture seems to view "corporate" more positively than Americans do. It was off-putting at first hearing courses referred to as "products" and working with sales staff who were trying to meet their monthly targets.
