EF English First Reviews

Pros

Great opportunities, cool working environment with
international colleagues. You have the chance to choose and conduct projects
that interest you since they believe employees will perform better when they
like what they are doing.

Pros

If you get lucky, unlike me, you could be at a very productive and professional center. Other teachers I know feel very supported by management, have all the supplies they need, and feel prepared for class each day. You will also always be paid on time, which can not always be said for ESL teaching companies. There is also a huge amount of opportunities and venues both in and out of teaching, all within the EF brand.

Advice to Management

The standard of centers needs to be the same across the board. Many other teachers I know have fabulous centers that are very productive and have a good working environment. Other centers are almost famously underperforming and the entire staff is unhappy. Every manager higher and higher that I've spoken to is acutely aware of which centers are the "problem centers", but nothing is being done to correct it.

Pros

get you to china for sure

Advice to Management

stop lying on the ads

Pros

They will like only white people. If you are white this is great for you!

Advice to Management

Warn anyone not white because you cause psychological damage to ANY minority.
If you hire anyone yellow, brown or black tell them your racist history so they don’t get stuck in modern slavery

Pros

EF takes care of all your visa needs. I really like the hours and this company provides great opportunities!

Pros

I get to work with amazing people and make new friends for life. Living and staying in China allows me the opportunity to travel to other countries cheaply and easily. The actual work is easy and not stressful at all. The teaching environment is well-done, usually very well thought through and provides people with a very nice experience here.

Pros

Other teachers are usually friendly
Got me to China

Pros

Well...they get you to China I suppose.

Advice to Management

Be honest with people during the recruitment process. Also legitimate companies have a HR department so that you can avoid favoritism or unfair repercussions for making simple complaints.

Pros

Easy work, Management stays off your back

Advice to Management

I arrived at the company almost a year ago. My manager trained me for two hours on my first day on the job...and then a few months later - he chatted to me for ten minutes because he wanted to interview each member of the team individually. That has been the extent of my interaction with my manager. In all the months since, I have never had my work reviewed or commented on. He has never asked me about my classes. I was never rebuked or praised in my ten months with the company. About the only meaningful conversation I had with my manager as of late was when he asked me to falsify his CertDiptesol paperwork. To be honest...if it weren't for the headache of finding someone to cover my classes, I don't think management would notice if I were alive or dead. I was never given one of those nifty pink lanyards and it took them six months to get my picture on the wall. However, during my time with the company, my EEAs have always been well attended, I have never been late for a class and have always been prepared. I have also worked very hard on the Corporate Solutions side of the business and have done quite well there...so well in fact that I was being interviewed for a promotion. I turned it down because I have had enough of working overseas and wish to return to America. The pay is mediocre, but that is fair enough since the work is quite easy.

I did state as a con that I believe there is a lot of prejudice against people over forty years old. Everyone on the Shanghai management team seem to be in either their late twenties to early thirties.

Having said all that, I have always been paid on time and the on-boarding process made the transition to China a relatively pleasant experience. There are many opportunities to be found in China and I would recommend EF as a way to explore the landscape and put your ambition to work.

Pros

A lot of advancement opportunities and great experience if you want to have a career in TEFL or School management.