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EF (Education First)

Engaged Employer

Great place to start your career, but move on after 2-3 years. - Marketing EF (Education First) Employee Review

2.0
Jul 9, 2014
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.

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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