Overview
Our son organized his own educational trip to Hawaii through EF (Education First). What was supposed to be an enriching cultural and educational experience turned into a series of disappointments and unmet expectations. This website documents our family's honest experience with EF's services.
- Destination: Honolulu, Hawaii
- Program: Family Stay Option
- Duration: Educational trip with homestay
- Departure: Italy (22-hour flight)
What We Expected from EF
Our son chose the family stay option specifically to:
- Experience authentic Hawaiian culture
- Improve his English language skills
- Live with a welcoming Hawaiian family
- Have a more affordable yet enriching experience
EF's Promises
Professional meet and greet after the long journey
Stay with a Hawaiian family reasonably near the school
Breakfast and dinner daily, all meals on weekends
Authentic family experience to learn about Hawaii
The Arrival Crisis
11 PM - Day Before School Started
After a grueling 22-hour flight from Italy and dealing with a 12-hour jet lag, our son arrived at what should have been the most welcoming moment of his trip.
"You would expect this to be the most important moment of the trip. The arrival!!"
Accommodation Reality
The House Tour
The next day, after calling EF for an explanation, our son was moved back to Maria's house. The EF representative on the phone laughed about the previous night's incident, showing a concerning lack of professionalism.
🏠 House Condition
Complete mess with belongings scattered everywhere throughout the house
🛏️ Our Son's "Room"
What was supposed to be his bedroom was actually a storage room with items piled on the other bed
🚌 Transportation
Over 1 hour commute to school due to irregular public transport - much longer than promised "reasonably near"
Daily Life Reality vs. Promises
Breakfast Promise
Proper breakfast provided by the family
Cereal and milk in the kitchen - help yourself
Dinner Promise
Home-cooked dinners with the family
Sandwich left in the fridge
Family Experience Promise
Cultural immersion and family interaction
Minimal interaction, treated more like a boarder
The Final Resolution - More Costs, Less Value
EF's "Solution" After Much Arguing
After extensive back-and-forth with EF about the unacceptable accommodation situation, they finally offered their solution - but it came at a significant additional cost to our family.
🏠 Forced Residence Move
Our son had to be moved out of the family home into a student residence
💰 Additional €250 Fee
We were charged an extra €250 for this "upgrade" to residence accommodation
🍽️ Extra Meal Costs
On top of the €250, we had to pay separately for both breakfast and dinner
🇮🇹 Lost Learning Opportunity
Our son ended up in a room with 3 other Italian students - eliminating the English learning opportunity he sought
The Real Cost of EF's Failures
| Original Program Cost | Paid in full for family homestay |
| Additional Accommodation Fee | €250 extra |
| Additional Meal Costs | Daily breakfast + dinner fees |
| Lost Educational Value | No English immersion (roomed with Italians) |
| Lost Cultural Experience | No Hawaiian family interaction |
"We paid for a cultural homestay experience and ended up paying extra for a standard student residence with no English immersion. Our son's learning goals were completely undermined."
Evidence Documentation
We have documented evidence of the conditions our son experienced:
📹 House Condition Video
Video footage showing the messy state of the accommodation
📹 Room Condition Video
Documentation of the storage room presented as our son's bedroom
📹 Dinner Documentation
Video showing the sandwich that constituted "dinner"
You're Not Alone - Other Families' Similar Experiences
Our experience is unfortunately not isolated. Research shows numerous families have faced similar issues with EF Education First:
🔗 Recent Complaints & Reviews (2024-2025)
- Better Business Bureau Complaints - EF Education First - Ongoing complaints about refunds, misrepresentation, and unprofessional behavior
- Trustpilot 1-Star Reviews - EF.com - Collection of the most negative customer experiences and complaints
- ComplaintsBoard - EF Educational Tours - Average 2-star rating from 84 reviews
- Swiss Info Investigation - "When a language exchange trip becomes a nightmare"
📋 Common Issues Reported by Other Families:
"Accommodation was not clean, living conditions below expectations" - Multiple reviews cite poor housing quality
"Host family not there to welcome students upon arrival" - Similar to our son's experience
"Students paying for homestay but receiving hotel accommodation instead" - Misrepresentation of services
"Additional fees and costs not disclosed during enrollment" - Hidden charges after payment
"Difficult to reach management, dismissive responses" - Inadequate support when problems arise
"Some students found cancelling difficult, strict refund policies" - Financial penalties for EF's failures
💬 Expert Opinion
"It's scandalous, something like this shouldn't happen, but it's a typical example that apparently certain schools have no idea what kind of accommodations their language exchange students will walk into"
- Franco V. Muff, Ombudsman of the Swiss Travel Industry
Our Conclusion
EF Failed to Deliver On:
- Professional arrival experience
- Quality accommodation standards
- Promised meal arrangements
- Cultural family immersion
- Reasonable proximity to school
- Professional customer service response
- Honest pricing (charged extra €250 + meals for their failures)
- Educational language immersion (placed with Italian students)
Final Thoughts
While our son made the best of his situation and likely gained valuable life experience from overcoming these challenges, EF's delivery fell far short of their promises and our expectations. The lack of professionalism, particularly laughing about serious accommodation issues, was particularly disappointing.
The bottom line: We paid for a homestay cultural immersion experience and ended up paying €250 extra plus additional meal costs for a standard student residence with no English practice opportunities. EF's failures became our family's financial burden.
For future students and families: Be aware that the reality may differ significantly from the marketing promises. Based on our research, our experience is unfortunately not unique. We hope sharing our story, along with links to similar experiences, helps others make more informed decisions.
Consider alternatives: There are many reputable language exchange and cultural immersion programs that deliver on their promises without the hidden costs and poor service we experienced with EF.