consultant

travel consultant

english teacher

outside sales representative

marketing specialist

EF Education First

Don't be mislead by my star review IF you want a work-vacation. Really awesome company whom left me with little more than I began a year after assumed employment. 
Recruitment was awesome, and offered outstanding help to get me abroad. (During COVID-19 lockdown.)
I have worked in TEFL for 5 years prior and education for nearly twenty.
Once I got to China, and settled into my apartment I was let go from the center before my probation ended. The reason for this was ambiguously, "a couple of concerns" those being my uniform wasn't on in the staff room not once, but twice! I was late for the check-up meeting scheduled after lunch.  I was told in the style-guide to wear khakis or black pants, and I signed a contract that stated I must dress professionally.
 I meditate after eating, and so I was 5 minutes late.
Someone else had reviewed that management is young and brash, and I concur. The local management was micro(management) and thoughtless during China's transition from for-profit training centers to non-profit.
I can't recommend this job for those of you who suffer context blindness, because it isn't straight forward IMHO.  Show me a little trust.

What is the best part of working at the company?
A challenging workplace environment with ineffective management, minimal recognition, and no clear growth plan. The organization does not prioritize retaining employees or addressing their concerns.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Leadership is often disrespectful and lacks professionalism, providing inconsistent guidance and unconstructive feedback.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
They claim to be a multicultural company, but favoritism often influences decisions, making it feel less inclusive.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Too many meetings and excessive workloads, with little to no recognition or appreciation.

There was no typical day at work in this role, I travelled around the country and the world either promoting the program, providing input on our sales and marketing materials and strengthening our relations with our couterparts worldwide.

The hardest part of the job was changing the community and volunteers perception of the outgoing student exchange program. To overcome that I personally travelled to every high school in western and central Canada to explain the program to our volunteers, teachers and parents.

The most enjoyable part of the program was when a student successfully completed their program and hearing the parents thank us for pushing them to let go.

Job included leading fun games for international students and leading tours around local areas. An incredible experience meeting people from all over the world and kids learning a new language. Managment and upper managment were extremely disorganized and at times unproffessional. There was little to no training and you are expected to lead children on tours in a country you have never been in.

- Very friendly people in the office
- Might be okay for new grads looking to build sales skills and confidence as the training programme is decent
- Low salary + bonus
- No commission
- Tour Consultant performance metrics are never measured in $, likely to have employees dissociate from the amount of sales they are generating vs. their compensation
- Because compensation and benefits are poor, the office focuses very much on vibes; sort of a 'drink the kool-aid' mentality

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!

With EF, you get to set your own hours, choose your clientele, and decide on what to teach and how to teach it. It offers the ultimate in flexibility. It is also an incredible blessing to meet and help students from all around the world. However, the pay is poor. Also, being with the company for five years does not help you get a promotion or a raise. Advancement is based solely on the number of hours of work you put in each and every month.

Unlike most ESL private schools, this one in Toronto is unionized.  But with that comes seniority so it takes time to get the schedule you want in order to get the benefits plan.  Plenty of opportunities though to do independent projects: design new courses, curriculum, syllabi, develop PD questions, etc...

This establishment checks off most of the checklist when one searches for "toxic workplace environment". I had no trust in management because they treated me completely differently and worse than others. My team is  extremely overworked, understaffed, and underpaid. 

The most enjoyable part of the job were my coworkers, we all bonded fast through all the tough times. 

Pros - nice work culture and great people. Flexibility to suggest and try new things. Great to have coworkers all around the world. 

Cons - not enought pay, the head office is far away and the local cost of living is not reflected  at all. Most people have second job or partner who financially support. Very limited space for growth. 

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Consultant 4 salaries reported	$44,750 per year
Travel consultant 2 salaries reported	$52,500 per year
English teacher 1 salary reported	$32.00 per hour
Outside sales representative 1 salary reported	$77,500 per year
Marketing specialist 1 salary reported	$30.00 per hour

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