Program Reviews

I worked for EF a few years ago. They used to take great care of their teachers and made the experience fun, however they for some reason decided that teachers were no longer important. They stopped caring about teachers and saw them as a separate body from the rest of the EF team and were not even included in the Centre Parties. I've heard that things have improved a bit. The thing that really annoyed me was they were placing fake reviews on many employment web sites because so many people were giving them a bad review. When a company starts doing this, they obviously have serious moral issues. If you see a review saying it's the best company ever, i would guess it's a fake. If you want to work in China for just a year, then work with them. They will work you hard but the interaction with students is worth it. The adult students I worked with were mostly fantastic and gave me the chance to learn a lot about the Chinese Culture.

EF is a superior company to work for because it is well established within China and worldwide. As a company, they are very good at getting you here safely and getting you setup right away. The salary relative to the cost of living (even in Shanghai) is quite comfortable. If you're genuinely interested in teaching as a career, you can certainly develop here and there IS tuition reimbursement. EF boasts a battery of other avenues for self-development; however, this really depends on who you know. Someone said, EF is really Business First, and in my experience this is true. There is somewhat of a competitive atmosphere within the company and you can choose be part of it or just do your job and enjoy China. If you're planning on living in a big city, be sure to make that perfectly clear-if not, you will most likely be shipped off to wherever EF is expanding in China, i.e. 2nd tier cities (this can be a good thing if you're seeking more authentic Chinese cultural immersion).

I've worked for EF English First in China and it was a wonderful experience. The staff were super friendly, very helpful and gave me a lot to be thankful for as I worked my way through the nuances of living in China. I was able to grow as an ESL teacher, learning the best practices for classroom engagement and challenging my students.

The schedule allows you take maximize your time here, on my days off I go exploring in my neighborhood or take a weekend trip to places around China.

Teaching resources are readily available as well - the lesson plans are easy to follow, but allow you to add your own spin if you want. In addition, there are a lot of training opportunities from teaching certifications to courses that expand your knowledge of teaching the more specific & technical aspects of English language learning.

I've made so many friends here and will be staying for a long time to come!

My boyfriend and I are Americans and have been teaching English for 2 years. We have a TEFL, BA, and job experience in business, etc. We never worked for EF just interviewed, but it was ridiculous. The interviewer, was extremely rude and degrading. The questions were borderline insane, and made us both very uncomfortable. It was by far the most uncomfortable interview we had ever experienced. Once we saw how incredibly rude their staff was, we knew the job wasn't for us, but on top of that they hardly offer any benefits!

If you are looking for a job in China, DO NOT teach here. You can find much better pay at practically any company across China. The hours are double what most other jobs offer, and the pay is not good, even if it is your first year teaching. Try other sites like goldstar recruiting, first leap, or rockies recruiting. The staff is so friendly, hours and pay are fair, and you won't get treated like an incompetent idiot during the job interview!

I taught at an EF Adult school in China.

The good things about EF:
1. You get a Z visa
2. The pay is enough for local living

Bad Things:
1. Little support for learning Chinese
2. Long work hours

I've been working with EF Franchises for nine years now. Originally I worked up North in Harbin for three years and thereafter in Jiaxing for six years. I never once felt the same passion and sense of direction that I've had since working with EF.

Teacher welfare is extremely important. There's one to one support from a mentor that you've allocated just before you join the school. The schools that I've worked in have held at least one workshop every week. We have formal evaluations every three months to give you feedback in detail on key performance areas.

Through EF I met my wife and have been able to settle down, support a family and live a fulfilling work life. I know personally a number of teachers in this school and others who've been with EF for over two years and in some cases six or seven.

If you're starting out and looking to gain time in the class with quality in support, you'd be crazy to go elsewhere. Then, if you're experienced, you're going to be hard pressed to find another organisation pushing itself to thrive at the forefront of the ESL industry.

I've been with EF for 7 years. During this time, I have worked for three EF Franchise schools in Dalian, Qinhangdao, and Tianjin.

Working for EF is a job. The hours are the same as they would be back home. When a teacher first arrives, they are given an induction that last around 3-4 weeks. This induction helps the teacher to become familiar with EF products, materials, teaching skills, activities, and classroom management. During the second week the new teacher will co-teach, which helps them to become more confident. Usually in the third week, the teacher is given some of their own classes and by the fourth week they would be on a full schedule.

There are two intensive periods that last for a different amount of time depending on which city you work in. The winter one ranges from 2-6 weeks and the summer one ranges from 4-8 weeks.

Overall, I recommend working for EF. It's a company where you can have a career if you choose and it's also a place where you can stay for a year and have a new experience.

I taught at an EF franchise school in Zhangjiagang for several years and had a great time. From the first day airport pickup I was made to feel very welcome and the teachers all took me out for dinner on my first night. The local staff arranged all my visa documents and provided me with a Chinese phone and a fully furnished apartment with wi-fi already set up.

I'd not had much experience before coming to EF, but I had plenty of opportunities to observe classes and my workload increased steadily but always with a lot of support from other teachers. They had interactive whiteboards, which made using video and other cool stuff really easy. We had weekly teacher training sessions, were observed regularly, and I had the opportunity to do a TKT certificate while there. The management were supportive and fair. We had a western manager whose door was always open, and the Chinese management generally left him to it.

The city I was in was quite small, but people were friendly - it was a great place to learn Chinese. I had a thoroughly rewarding time there and would recommend it to anyone wanting to experience China.

I taught with EF for a year in one of their franchise schools. I can say it was a nightmare. The other staff were heavy drinkers and drug users. Some staff even came to work under the influence, which is completely unprofessional and unacceptable, but nothing was done.
Teaching was pretty much the last thing the school was around for. Our owner was stingy with supplies and only twice during the entire year sponsored an event for teachers. If they didn't need something from you, you were ignored.
This job was a joke to almost the entire staff, incomplete lesson plans and poor performance went unaddressed, and good work was pretty much just ignored.
It was a lonely, scary, depressing, and really awful year.
If I were to go into it again, knowing how the year would turn out, I would leave immediately. I still kick myself for "sticking it out" and "keeping my word", mostly because I was so let down by that empty promise of an enjoyable year.
Teaching there felt like you were trapped. The apartment was nice though, balcony, nice area, the pay wasn't great, and academic support was pretty much non-existent.
The Chinese staff was pretty new every few months, working there was a nightmare for the CC's and PA's as well. One CC told me she would have nightmares about having no students for demos, which happened frequently. Communication between departments was awful, classes were scheduled and the teacher was never notified, or cancelled and no one was informed, sometimes even the parents didn't know what was going on.

EF courses (their materials) are very well done, and I could see EF in a bigger city, with good staff around being a decent place to work, however that was not the case at all.
No way would I recommend that program to anyone. Be careful and do your research.

EF is definitely a Business. This has it's good and bad points. On the good side you have a lot more security and accountability than a small school and they're quite experienced in bringing people to China. They reimburse your TEFL (I got mine from CCPED fast track so not really an issue) structure your pay with benefits to minimise tax, but if you don't The downside is that there is a lot of bureaucracy, unpaid overtime, demands for you to take on marketing and brand ambassador duties. You're not just there to help people, you're definitely a revenue stream. If you're ok with that then jump on board, you can make reasonably decent money albeit working like a dog. If you're looking to teach, help people and make a difference, probably best look elsewhere.