I forgot to write some other things about EF that have just been brought to my attention.

Here they are:

-Flight bonus of 4500 RMB after completion of six months, then another 4500 after a year. If you end up having to leave early do not expect to see any of this. If you are unaware of the bonus then they will certainly not remind you.

- weekly workshops as part of their 'continuous development' program. From what I heard they workshops are not at all useful and usually about subjects that you could go and research online. These weekly workshops are intended for one purpose only, and that is to get all the teachers to teach the same way. This goes against what the original poster said about teachers being left alone to teach what they want. Furthermore, if you are an experienced and well qualified teacher these workshops will patronize the hell out of you.

- Courses shortened, but the books remain unchanged. According to one source EF has now reduced the time of the course in order to speed up the language learning process. This would be good, but they neglected to change the books to align with these new standards. So now you have to skip vital parts of the book in order to get through the course on time, EF would say this is necessary, but the funny thing is is that why would EF even make a book in the first place with 'unnecessary okay to omit sections? Why do you really think EF wants to cut down the time for each course, could it be money perhaps?

- Demo classes that do not reflect what a true class is like. Flashy demos done in order to impress the new customers, for what? MONEY!

- Standard EF contract allows 12 paid holidays per year. Don't expect to go home for Christmas where they will give you a generous 1 day off, but do expect to spend a week on spring festival bored as hell, because nothing is open. During the Spring festival period you could go away, but everywhere is so busy plus you will be so tired from being overworked that you will not want to do anything!

Now I am sure that working for EF Dalian is not all doom and gloom. Like the original poster said, everyone has their own experience, good and bad. We are all adults and we can all make our own decisions. Some teachers at EF Dalian who are happy (I have not met one that didn't complain) are possibly unaware of what else is on offer to them in Dalian, or they are under qualified and can't find a job anywhere else.

The University I work for is by no means perfect, we don't even get a flight bonus; however, we do get the free apartment and paid holidays. Personally I prefer the freedom the university offers me and like one of the other posters said, if you are a qualified teacher why the hell would you work for EF?

I strongly advise any one considering to apply for EF Dalian to have a read of the contract and triple check it. If you are not very good at reading, which is probably why you are applying for EF in the first place then ask your parents to have a look at it.

Original poster, what is your job at EF? I really can't believe that you are a happy teacher wishing to share hos wonderful experience at EF. You must have some hidden motive. Is the school giving you a bonus scheme if you recruit new teachers? What is your game?

Cheers,

Robert