EF English First

I started working for EF in 2007. Without any experience in teaching ESL, I was given an opportunity to work for them. At first, I was a little nervous teaching children while living in a new country but the team is amazing! They made me feel welcomed and supported.

The team provides continuous professional development sessions that help me become a better teacher. It's one of the best decisions I made in my life- to fly to China, experience the rich culture, work for EF and teach children. I would definitely recommend this experience to anyone.

The only reason I'm giving EF two stars and not one is because I do really like my students and have come to form nice teacher-student relationships with them. They are the only good thing about EF.
EF itself is a nightmare. Their platform is CONSTANTLY having technical issues, which prevent the teacher from entering the classroom in a timely manner (which we are penalized for) or for being able to effectively teach a lesson when the classroom needs to be reloaded non-stop.
The scheduling is also frustrating. They advertise March and April as being extremely busy, fruitful months, and in the end, teachers are rushing to claim substituted classes, because you can never get enough hours with them.
If a student no-shows a class, you are only paid a small percentage of the time you have to wait for them, even though the hour of your schedule is blocked out still. For example, if a 40-minute lesson no-shows, that one hour of your time that you aren't paid for and that you aren't able to teach. I am certain that the student is still paying for that class, when they no-show, and EF is just pocketing the money instead of paying teachers for their time. It's so disrespectful. And students no-show A LOT, and it seems there are no negative consequences for it.
Another bone to pick is that EF's contract is really vague, but then they use these manipulation and intimidation tactics with teachers. I accidentally forgot to submit a report within 24 hours of a class, and EF started sending me emails to remind me, stating "This could end in the termination of your contract, but we would really like to avoid this." How manipulative and passive aggressive! Then, when you try to reach out to them to find out if your contract is being ended, they don't respond or tell you anything! I've been in limbo for days now wondering if I still have work.
They absolutely have no regard for teachers, but they try to brand themselves as caring about teachers and wanting to be a good place to work. If they can shell out millions to support a cycling team for the Tour de France, they can pay their teachers more and pay us for the full lesson when a student no-shows.
Also, their customer support for teachers is ridiculous. I was being spoken to inappropriately by a student ( a one-off situation that rarely happens), and it made me really uncomfortable. I wrote to EF and told them I didn't want this student to be able to book lessons with me, because he was making inappropriate comments about me. I'm unable to block students or remove them from my schedule without being penalized. EF wrote me back and said that they would block him from booking lessons with me, but that I should "be aware that this is an exception and we don't usually do this." Oh, so you don't usually prevent your teachers from being sexually harassed by students? How nice, EF. Wonderful support you provide there.
Everything about EF has felt like it's been portrayed in one way, and it turns out the opposite. You can make more money on other platforms and not deal with the garbage that EF puts you through. Run, don't walk, away!

I've subscribed for three months as a trial, assuming that once the trial finished they will inform me and ask me if I want to continue, but I was surprised when they deduct 99 USD from me without any prior notice.

When I complained and ask for a refund, they told me that I've approved the terms and conditions (Who in earth read terms and conditions)

This is the terms but I didn't read it:
"For some Trials, we’ll require you to provide your payment details to start the Trial. By providing such details you agree that we may automatically begin charging you for the Subscription on the first day following the end of the Trial on a recurring monthly basis or another interval that we disclose to you in advance. IF YOU DO NOT WANT THIS CHARGE, YOU MUST CANCEL THE APPLICABLE SUBSCRIPTION BEFORE THE END OF THE TRIAL."

So be careful because your payment card will be used without your permission.

Before moving to China with EF I had very little experience in ESL. I was impressed by the support I received in learning to teach ESL as well as make a transition overseas in general. They gave full financial support in areas of TEFL certification, visa costs, training, and travel to my new home. I was able to feel confident in both the position and making a move to somewhere I had never been and knew very little about. EF was a great place to begin my career in International Education!

Furthermore, China was a wonderful place to work and explore and I'm so happy I had the opportunity to call this place home through EF's teaching position abroad. The cost of living and opportunities for exploration made quality of life for an expat in this country hard to beat. Some cities and rural spaces are tough to travel through as there aren't as many English speakers, but it provides for a great opportunity to learn the local language!

EF is a great company to teach in China, especially for new teachers and people moving abroad for the first time. Their staff was really helpful throughout the visa process and made me feel welcome upon arriving in China. Their assistance was great and helped me feel settled in China right away. At work, I had professional training and guidance that helped me feel comfortable as a teacher. I worked in a diverse center with teachers and staff from all over the world and was given the opportunity to be myself inside and outside the classroom. EF is also a massive company with frequent opportunities to develop as both a teacher and professional.

Overall, I would recommend teaching with EF to anyone who wants to experience something new and exciting in a safe and supportive environment.