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 been stable over the past 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) , Online English Teacher (199) , ESL Teacher (198) , Sales Coordinator (137) , Sales (74) , Activity Leader (73) , Online ESL Teacher (67) , 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?

"Met some great people and walked away from each class with a smile on my face." ((in 417 reviews)); "Overall really great culture and very easy to feel welcome!" ((in 334 reviews)); "Colleagues are great and share similar values for the most part." ((in 210 reviews)); "Great benefits and travel opportunities." ((in 165 reviews)); "The work environment can be fun and energetic." ((in 114 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 601 reviews)); "Employees are generally over worked and have an incredible amount of work for such a low salary." ((in 503 reviews)); "Poor management and lack of decisiveness from managers that have been stagnating in their roles for too many years." ((in 311 reviews)); "There can be long hours and you get told no on the phone quite often." ((in 157 reviews)); "Bad manager leading the country" ((in 125 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.

What are the top reviewed EF (Education First) locations?

Boston , Cambridge , Denver , Tarrytown , San Diego , Austin , New York , San Francisco , Thornwood , Santa Barbara , Miami , Chicago , Miami Beach , Brighton , Los Angeles , Washington , Honolulu , Atlanta , China , Redondo Beach , Remote , Long Beach , Pasadena , Monterey , China Grove , Dallas , Houston , Seattle , Portland , Baltimore

EF (Education First) reviews

3.4

61% would recommend to a friend

(4,611 total reviews)

Edward Hult, Ph.D

62% approve of CEO

48% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

3.8

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Culture & values

3.2

Work/Life balance

3.2

Career opportunities

3.1

Senior management

2.9

Compensation and benefits

EF (Education First) has an employee rating of 3.4 out of 5 stars, based on 4,611 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 Education industry (3.8 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

5K reviews

2.0

Feb 8, 2015

Plenty of Entry, No Advancement

Regional account coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Paid in Perks: International Travel once a year all but insured, probable opportunities for additional travel. - Progressive Work Environment: Young workforce, including managers which means it is very laid back and everyone is very approachable.

Cons

- Salaries very low. Sales incentive payments also very low. - NO opportunities for advancement. EF is proud of its "flat" company structure. Meaning that there is not a lot of hierarchy. EF does not off-set the lack of advancement with career development opportunities. This leaves many at the company feeling replaceable and insignificant in the workplace. - Unskilled managerial teams: The typical team at EF consists of a group of 20-somethings at the beginning of their careers with an early 30-something at the beginning of their managerial career. This creates a toxic environment where the team cannot have its needs met because the manager constantly feels out of their depth. Advice, direction, and development are all very far from being the norm with the manager/employee relationship.

3.0

Jan 15, 2015

Great place to work when just out of college, but not a place to build a career.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great environment, fantastic mission, ability to see the world and make like long friends. The average employee is in their 20's and well educated. Definitely has a work hard-play hard mentality.

Cons

Not alot of growth potential to advance career-wise. Pay is on the low side. Advancing to more senior roles can often be a popularity contest. Managers are also on the young side and not able to motivate teams adequately. Because it is a family owned company not alot of transparency on how strategic decisions are made.

2.0

Jul 9, 2014

Great place to start your career, but move on after 2-3 years.

Marketing

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The company is great for people right out of college and that have an interest in education and travel. Their new office is stunning, with a fantastic open-layout and beautiful park outside. The office culture is fast-paced, where people work hard and play hard. EF is great for taking care of its employees, as there are often free meals served and plenty of opportunities for travel. 80% of the Cambridge office is sales staff, who are a little cliquey, so you need to find your niche. EF also offers a great benefits package (medical, dental, vision) and will match your 401k up to 25% over 5 years (which is just okay).

Cons

Management is slow to make decisions, and at times very weak. There also isn't a lot of help with career development, and although they preach about innovating educational travel, it is clear that their main mission is to make as much money as possible, as their trips still skimp travelers as much as possible. They use curriculum development and their "innovation" products as tools to sell their bread-and-butter European trips. If you start as a Sales Associate it is extremely difficult to move up, even if you have fantastic sales numbers. When you hit your sales goals you get bonuses, but be careful because if you make too many bonuses the company may 1) not promote you to a new position because they want to keep you in sales, or 2) let you go because they can always find a cheaper alternative. This job is all about selling trips and it can be extremely cutthroat at times. Bonuses are very difficult to hit and the pay is low, so there is high turnover. If you work in marketing be prepared to fit your creative ideas into the "EF voice". EF has a proven, time-tested way of doing things and they are very slow to adopt new ideas and methodologies. Also, if you have a good idea (even a very small one), you seemingly need to get it approved by 3-5 different Directors, which slows the momentum of a project.

Viewing 106 - 108 of 4,611 Reviews

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