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EF (Education First)

Engaged Employer

Overworked, Underpaid - Anonymous EF (Education First) Employee Review

2.0
Feb 7, 2019
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- You get to speak with a variety of people, from all ages, which is very beneficial - Their facility is very nice, including Lingo and some of their other spaces - Involved in a global company, which future employers seem to like

Cons

- Horrible work / life balance, say goodbye to weekends and all weeknights - Poor execution of planning and management abilities - Poor use of communication skills, feels like everyone is there by themselves, which creates a bad environment when problems arise. - Push quotas and micro management way too far; don't feel like you can do anything freely or with your strategy - Roll out plans and new opportunities on the fly with little to no planning - Prioritize having fun rather than finding new strategies and ways to perform, which makes the job really hard when you need to perform - There is a "book now, figure out the details later" mentality, which causes complications with students and parents - Management makes you always feel like you're on the hot seat - No weekly strategy, meetings, or planning based on performance. More or less just call as many people as you can as fast as you can - Way too high importance on the numbers for higher ups, which makes it seem like the work is just monotonous with no direction - Get ready to feel like a robot

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EF (Education First) Response
7y
Thank you for this feedback. I’m sorry to hear that you felt that communication and strategy were lacking. Communicating more effectively and empowering employees in all areas of the business to have ownership over their work and strategy are among our core values and are continuing priorities. In fact, these themes – along with motivating teams – have been the focus of our winter manager training curriculum. Thanks again for your candid feedback and good luck in your new opportunity. Mike Kaufman, Sr. Director of People Operations

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.
1.0
Jul 7, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Well structured, comprehensive formal training. Perks and benefits

Cons

Once training is done, you’re pretty much on your own to figure things out. The weekly meetings with your manager end. You spend all day on the phones and there’s not a whole lot of interaction or collaboration going on in the office or across your team. At the end of the day it is a job and the perks and benefits are nice (travel). It just seemed social interaction of any kind, even to ask questions, was discouraged and in fact was viewed as distracting. The cold calling just gets to be tiring after a while, making it hard to stay at the job for longer than 1-2 years. Good entry level sales job, though.

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