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EF (Education First)

Engaged Employer

Poor management, no opportunity for growth, negative atmosphere & undervalued employees - Anonymous employee EF (Education First) Employee Review

2.0
Jun 5, 2015
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

EF has a lot of great young people and travel perks (if in the right department). There is social events that are fun and generally your peers are like minded. You are hired based on your personality, so you'll fit in if you're hired. For a first job it is fun and will teach you a lot about time management, client-facing roles, and just general professional practices.

Cons

Extremely low salary for an incredibly large work load. Employees are generally over worked and have an incredible amount of work for such a low salary. It is expected that you work outside of 40 hours a week and if you don't, management passes judgement via snide comments. Generally there is a bit of gender inequality as upper management is dominant males who clearly connect better with other men. Entry level staff is very female dominant, so it is obvious when upper management only address the few men on the team. Women often feel disregarded and were recently vocal about this in a company survey, however, it is important to note this response was shot down quickly by a male higher-up in a room full of women. The survey was never discussed with a third party or anyone in HR, so there was no safe environment to discuss the responses; this made it clear to all employees that management does not care about their staff's opinions. High turnover and ZERO job security - they are quick to fire. Management leads by intimidation (via gossip and/or lack of communication in genera and by firing your peers) not by example. Upper/middle management is not respected as a result so there is no "role model" and employees don't strive to improve.

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
4w
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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