EF English First Reviews

Pros

Amazing opportunities for upward development. ESL is a tough industry and it's something you age out of, if you choose to, at EF you have more than a few directions into which you can develop and be promoted. I know people who started off as teachers with no previous relevant experience who are now senior content developers as well as Regional Managers etc As far as annual leave goes: For your second year you'll get...

Cons

If all you do is teach you might find the job a bit constraining as materials are overdeveloped to better assist new teachers so it will be up to you to adapt and change materials to suit your own style. It might at times feel like you are being spoonfed but again, more experienced teachers will probably be able to easily adapt materials and lesson aims to depend on student needs. Another con, especially, if you are...

Advice to Management

Keep focussing on teacher development and make sure you set expectations during the recruitment phase. Don't promise prospective teachers things which a CD or DoS can't deliver on. Also, make sure that PM's keep track of teachers satisfaction with management as unaired issues tend to build up and that causes some people to leave or to become disengaged.

Pros

Flexible schedule, work-from-home, exposure to unique people from around the world

Cons

You have to work two months before pay because they only pay monthly and you have to wait until the following month for your first paycheck. It started off nice and I felt like I was doing well when all of a sudden, they stopped adding classes to my schedule and my friend's despite us having high-scores as teachers even though classes were available, they just decided to phase us out. My friend and I opened EVERY time...

Advice to Management

Management needs to care about employee retention as much as they do student retention.

Pros

They always pay you on-time.

Cons

Recently I can't get enough hours.

Pros

reliable pay, and maybe alright for getting your first year of experience,- if thats the case then work with adults- kids and teens is way more of a hassle- open doors, extra summer classes that being said- wall street english prob pays more for your first year

Cons

if you aren't that zany corporate cheerleader type you will probably want to projectile vomit within the first week- They promise parents that if they give EF a lot of money that their curriculum and magical foreigner teachers will miraculously make it so the students don't have to take an active role in mastering the hundreds of vocabulary words they will be introduced to. I met so many parents who assumed that the...

Advice to Management

keep it classy

Pros

Curriculum is good. Teaching the students is actually fun as you can develop your own style.

Cons

Depends on centers and management. Some werent the most capable and beat around the bush with everything, making problems difficult to solve.

Pros

Some say if you can work here, you can work anywhere. I don't see the need for a teacher to supper unnecessarily, and think prospective teacher should choose the best school and location with the best hours and salary that they can find. In that regard, EF Tangshan has nothing to offer.

Cons

As you will learn, EF Tangshan has some of the longest hours, the lowest pay, and the worst conditions you'll find anywhere. Since I've worked for EF, I've taught and traveled all over the world, and this place ranks as by far the worst. The salary is very low, and the hours are unbeleivable--roughly double the requirements of any other school (I do not recommend working at a private language school at all unless you...

Pros

Great employee benefits such as furnished apartment, monthly team building,end of contract bonus, medical aid options.

Cons

You don't get a weekend or school holidays off as those are actually peak times :(

Advice to Management

DOS was really amazing. Very accomodating and flexible.

Pros

Fun company culture. Opportunity to travel. The people you will work with are fun, motivated, well-travelled, and well-cultured.

Cons

If you work abroad it is hard to find a job in the states if you want to stay with the company.

Advice to Management

Thank you for providing me with the best employment experience I have had in my life.