Is EF (Education First) a good company to work for?

EF (Education First) has an overall rating of 3.4 out of 5, based on over 6,460 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months. 61% of employees would recommend working at EF (Education First) to a friend and 48% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about EF (Education First) have been left by employees working as Sales Manager , Director and Intern .

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 improved by 1% over the last 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 (240) , 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) , Director (41) , EF Activity Leader (40)

What are the pros of working at EF (Education First) according to real employee reviews?

"The company is great for people right out of college and that have an interest in education and travel." ((in 417 reviews)); "Overall really great culture and very easy to feel welcome!" ((in 329 reviews)); "Colleagues are great and share similar values for the most part." ((in 204 reviews)); "Great benefits and travel opportunities." ((in 169 reviews)); "The team has been great and so open to teaching you everything you need to know and more." ((in 119 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 611 reviews)); "Employees are generally over worked and have an incredible amount of work for such a low salary." ((in 513 reviews)); "Poor management and lack of decisiveness from managers that have been stagnating in their roles for too many years." ((in 314 reviews)); "There can be long hours and you get told no on the phone quite often." ((in 156 reviews)); "Bad manager leading the country" ((in 122 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

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EF (Education First)

EF (Education First) reviews

Grueling pace, unsupportive management - Analyst EF (Education First) Employee Review

1.0

Dec 10, 2019

Analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

As with everyone else starting at the company, EF initially dazzled me with its social events, glitz, and gorgeous building. I was an ambitious go-getter and was willing to do anything to do a great job. However, I soon realized it's a place that can break anyone down with its tyrannical work-life balance, and unsupportive HR and management. Caveat: If you find it suspicious to see a series of 5 star ratings all in the same 1-2 days here, it's because you are required to leave a review whenever you are promoted within EF (likely during review time).

Cons

You'll be expected to give more and more of your time to the company, including long weekend events where it was expected you'd dance with colleagues (awkward), with little to show for it. If often felt that you were isolated from your loved ones, like during the holiday party where no significant partners are allowed, just to rely more and more on the company. Unless you are one of the Ivy League recruits that come in from the 360 program or from a famed business school across the river, you will be treated as an insignificant resource whose energy will be taken advantage of, and will soon burn out. Growth can happen - but it's unfortunately mainly lateral. Pay is abysmal, and pay equity among colleagues doing the same work and having the same experience is non-existent. Despite living modestly, my colleagues and I had several side jobs to be able to stay afloat financially. We all had a mix of sad health issues resulting from long hours, the unrealistic expectations thrust upon us, and negative work environment.

EF (Education First) Response

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, although it is of course disappointing to read about your experience. I am sorry you found management and HR to be unsupportive. We pride ourselves on creating a supportive environment that allows all employees to live fulfilling lives both professionally and personally. I do want to clarify that we do not have a practice of requiring anyone to leave 5 star reviews on Glassdoor, and we value genuine feedback - positive or negative. We also do publish all internal career opportunities monthly and have people dedicated to helping staff navigate their careers. I do hope you find another company that is a better fit for you. Best of luck to you! - Emily

Explore other reviews about EF (Education First)

5.0

May 20, 2026

Sales and admissions coordinator

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.

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

Tour consultant

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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Jobs at EF (Education First)

ESL Teacher - Summer 2026

Activity Leader-Summer

Summer Activity Leader

Part-time ESL Teacher

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Grueling pace, unsupportive management - Analyst EF (Education First) Employee Review

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