I thought I'd add my own thoughts to life teaching for English First in China since this forum seems to be full of people saying bad things about their employers no matter which school they work for....so here's some GOOD NEWS. I actually LIKE working for English First and since some of the teachers here have been working at EF Dalian for a few years I'm not alone.

I started my career at English First Chongqing and it was hard work and by no means a perfect experience...like all jobs, you have a boss who demands you work hard to high standards, you have demanding parents and very tiring working weeks...but frankly, I loved it and became a more mature, organized and calm person for my experiences. One thing about English First is that while I'm sure the MANAGERS have to worry about making the school profitable, the teachers are left alone to TEACH...and no just follow a text book but encouraged to analyze how and what we teach and fit it to the learners needs. But there were times where I wanted to quit because it felt like some classes just never went well no matter how hard I tried. But thank god I didn't, because I got better.

At EF Dalian, my wife and myself were welcomed and since new management took over in 2013 its a much nicer place to work. It's still hard, demanding and at times exhausting but if you really want to become a better teach and love the job this is the right school, I've honest never felt more supported and important. English First isn't for everyone, but very few people are going to come online and sing their praises, because the happy teachers are too busy being happy...