Does British Council pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, British Council employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.1 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at British Council. This rating has improved by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at British Council?

62% of British Council employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated British Council 3.7 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 3.2 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at British Council?

English Teacher (162) , English Language Assistant (100) , Teacher (100) , Exam Invigilator (93) , Project Manager (67) , Invigilator (64) , Teaching Assistant (55) , Manager (45) , ESL Teacher (38) , Customer Service Representative (30) , Teacher of English (26) , Language Assistant (25) , IELTS Invigilator (24) , Administrative Assistant (23) , Consultant (23)

What are the pros of working at British Council according to real employee reviews?

"Meaningful and some great colleagues" ((in 174 reviews)); "Work life Balance is good" ((in 123 reviews)); "Great people to work with and for." ((in 116 reviews)); "Great working environment and friendly" ((in 73 reviews)); "It's just a shame that the good culture was destroyed by bad organisational management." ((in 69 reviews))

What are the cons of working at British Council according to real employee reviews?

"Salaries are low and you have to work from the office most of the time." ((in 205 reviews)); "Low pay and insanely bureaucratic" ((in 112 reviews)); "But yes Management is Poor and Biased !" ((in 104 reviews)); "Those in senior leadership positions tend to serve themselves and their careers ahead of the corporate mission." ((in 34 reviews)); "This permeates across different offices and countries too as the managers have very often mixed a lot in past roles." ((in 32 reviews))

What are employees saying about British Council layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about British Council layoffs and their outlook for job security at British Council in 2026.

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British Council

British Council reviews

3.7

62% would recommend to a friend

(2,312 total reviews)

Ciarán Devane

57% approve of CEO

43% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.7

Culture & values

3.7

Work/Life balance

3.2

Senior management

3.2

Career opportunities

3.1

Compensation and benefits

British Council has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 2,312 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The British Council employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Gemeinnützige Organisationen & NGOs industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

4.0

Jul 10, 2024

Good

Test day invigilator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible working hours Professional work environment Vast experience Abundant knowledge

Cons

Irregular work schedule Insufficient calls for work

3.0

Jul 8, 2024

Finance

Finance manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexibility on working status - staff can work from home quite frequently.

Cons

Finance currently undergoing restructuring leading to massive loss of jobs.

2.0

Jul 8, 2024

My experience with the British Council in Egypt

Teacher of english

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Healthy work environment (for the most part) - Good, hardworking students - Opportunities for professional development

Cons

- Pathetic pay (way lower than the market average compared to the premium service and prices the BC offers) - Somewhat ineffective management/senior teachers (some inconsistencies and lack of communication among departments and senior teachers) - Workload (I teach 25 hours per week + many hours planning, writing assessments, etc. It will leave you drained) - EDI (they spend a lot of time talking about EDI but very little time actually upholding its principles)

Viewing 322 - 324 of 2,312 Reviews

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Jobs at British Council

Language Learning Project Officer

Service Enablement Co-ordinator - HE

Consultant, UK-German Connection (Comms & M&E)

Erasmus + Single Point of Contact(Wales, Scotland & Northern Ireland)