EF Education First
3.7 out of 5 stars.
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EF Education First Employee Reviews for Director

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Director23 reviews
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3.5Work–Life Balance
3.1Pay & Benefits
3.2Job Security & Advancement
3.3Management
3.7Culture

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Found 23 reviews matching the searchSee all 1,111 reviews

Awesome place to work (mostly)

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The most useful review selected by Indeed
Great place to work. If you have a passion for culture, language and education. I worked with this company for 6 years and have overall had an awesome time. I met awesome people and got to travel around. The only draw back is that the schools are located in high cost cities and do not really pay a livable wage. That may be something to turn you away if money drives you.

Pros

awesome culture, great people, cool locations

Cons

salary
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Great place to develop

Fun young company, great place to spend formative years. Busy teaching schedule and demanding job but good development opportunities for those who care enough to stay. Could switch to another company and do less work for more pay but you would have no professional development.
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EF Tour director

This is a terrible job in which you’ll be thrown in at the deep end with hardly any training and then be expected to successfully lead tours around Europe staying at budget hotels. The quality of the suppliers used for accommodation and meals by EF tours especially in England, France and Italy is generally dreadful and the adults on the tours are generally complaining because of this (quite rightly in my opinion) all the time.

Pros

Good tips

Cons

Everything else
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Terrible company to work for.

Spent 6 years working for EF as a tour director.Profit driven company with no management respect or support for the employees actually producing the end product - the tour directors on the ground. Years later I’m still in the industry & have yet to come across an equally poor company!
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You can move up quickly, but the job experience only applies in China

In just a few years I went from a teacher to a higher role. I got a lot of experience, I've learned a lot of skills, but so little of it transfers back home.If I apply for any job in this field in China, I'll get it automatically. I can't even get offers from retail in the States now.The job works you hard, you get paid less than competitors, the real perk is the stability.

Pros

Stable, fast advancement, development opportunities

Cons

Black and brown teachers treated poorly, not applicable outside of China
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Passion for culture

I live this profession it’s taught me allot how to work with others and enjoy what I do As a tour director I feel like I found my passion situation in the world is making it hard due to Covid but I believe EF is strong and we will be working again soon ...

Pros

Travel

Cons

Work is concentrated into 4 months
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Its china- competitive but not as cut throat as some of the small schools

Overall EF is a solid company. they look after their teacher and give you enough support to do you job. The hours are long and the evening/weekend schedule is bad if you want to go outside the expat bubble. EF owned has a lot of money behind it so the resources are great and the facilities are usually very good. Franchise schools are funded by the owner so they vary from city to city.
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Fun work environment

EF was a great place to work with lots of opportunities provided for further development and career advancement. They provide a lot on ongoing training and support to all staff.

Pros

Ability to meet great people from all over the world

Cons

long hours
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Official response from EF Education First

25 February 2020
Thank you for this feedback! At EF, we put a lot of effort into professional development and thanks to the many offices and schools around the world, we can offer a wide range of opportunities. We certainly agree that the people here are a special group and we are very proud of our strong company culture. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

A good place to grow professionally

EF Education First is a good place to develop yourself professionally, with good managers solid training. There are opportunities for advancement if one is hard working and creative.
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Great expereince

If you enjoy traveling, I highly recommend that you try taking a position at EF. I got to see so many beautiful places and meet many wonderful people.
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Official response from EF Education First

12 November 2019
Thank you very much for your feedback! Our people and culture are something we are very proud of and what really makes us different. I hope 2019 brings more amazing opportunities your way!

A great company!

EF has been a fantastic company to work for, if you are looking for a career with a forward thinking company then apply. I would highly recommend this job to anyone.

Pros

Always listen

Cons

None
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Can't live off tour directing alone

I really enjoyed the tour directing portion of the job but it's seasonal. Would love if there were more opportunities to do tours year round. Very much enjoyed showing kids around the country.

Pros

Travel

Cons

seasonal work
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Warn and friendly atmosphere

I enjoyed engaging with students on a daily basis through giving tours and planning social activities. I found that the staff was open and easy to engage with. We were all free to express ideas. There was a challenge with breaking students out from their shells initially, but creating a fun environment eventually allowed the students to interact fluidly with their peers and staff. The highlight of the job is the ability to work globally.

Pros

access to free sporting events

Cons

wanted a more challenging role
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This one of my favourite jobs

I loved this job. I admit I mistakenly said no to the wrong person and she never got over it. I didn't know I should have said yes and I didn't know who the woman was at the time. Communication and problem solving could have prevented a bad situation from escalating if she would have explained the situation and circumstances. I liked the people I worked with and have stayed in contact with most of them. Direct supervisor was a good boss.

Pros

Travel opportunities, trainings, tours.

Cons

Work life balance needs to be much more of a priority. Hopeful it has changed.
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Excellent place to work

Amazing company with plenty of opportunities all over the world! This company enabled me to travel and experience life in other parts of the world. Worked with the best people.
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Amazing experience to grow

Amazing experience to grow, learn and have fun. Truly gives people fantastic opportunities. However, not the greatest company when you get to senior management level.

Pros

Global mind blowing business experience

Cons

You have to give up your life, to really benefit and grow
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Showing American students around different parts of Europe while on tour for up to two weeks at a time

Hard full on work but overall all very rewarding Guiding groups of up to 50 around different towns and cities of Europe. Hard work but meeting new people and getting to travel myself are perks of the job

Pros

Meeting new people, Travel

Cons

24 hour service while on tour, Being away from home for long periods
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A Good Start for New Foreign Teachers

EF is a standard for corporate learning centers in China. For new Teachers first taking a position abroad, it's an excellent choice to get started in an educational career. With a wide market, there are options for both corporate owned and franchise centers. New Teachers will likely experience differences between different centers and it's important to select a location that is going to best promote development and advancement.
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Supportive Community

EF Tours is a whirlwind job but set in an environment of fun co-workers and supportive managers. Being a Tour Director is fast-paced, demanding and involves long hours: but is possibly the most rewarding job I have done to date. The people you meet and the places you see make it always exciting. It requires attention to detail, flexibility and strong interpersonal skills. In exchange you work with fun, upbeat fellow guides and help bring education and travel to life for students!
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Challenging position with great potential for personal growth.

Challenging position with great potential for personal growth. Position required an incredible amount of overtime and work life balance was very difficult to maintain. Since installation of new camera systems, work environment became extremely stressful.
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Caring, passionate employees and good work environment

One of the better private education companies. Compensation is low for the private sector amongst entry level and mid-management levels. Lots of opportunity to travel/relocate and relatively stable job security. Some divisions operate like start-ups with little structure or clear direction but have big corporate support so that it never feels like the sky is falling.
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Overall rating

Based on 1,111 reviews

Ratings by category

3.5 out of 5 stars for Work/Life Balance
3.1 out of 5 stars for Salary/Benefits
3.2 out of 5 stars for Job Security/Advancement
3.3 out of 5 stars for Management
3.7 out of 5 stars for Culture

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