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 3% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at British Council?

65% 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, 3.8 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 (44) , 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 173 reviews)); "Good work life balance and exposure to the market." ((in 124 reviews)); "Great people to work with and for." ((in 117 reviews)); "Great working environment and friendly" ((in 67 reviews)); "It's just a shame that the good culture was destroyed by bad organisational management." ((in 63 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 207 reviews)); "Low pay and insanely bureaucratic" ((in 120 reviews)); "But yes Management is Poor and Biased !" ((in 101 reviews)); "Those in senior leadership positions tend to serve themselves and their careers ahead of the corporate mission." ((in 33 reviews)); "This permeates across different offices and countries too as the managers have very often mixed a lot in past roles." ((in 29 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

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3.7

65% would recommend to a friend

(2,307 total reviews)

Ciarán Devane

63% approve of CEO

46% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.8

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 2,307 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

3.0

Jul 24, 2025

Part time job at British Council

Young learner assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

British Council is well known, but the job itself is not the most fulfilling.

Cons

It is basically looking after well-off kids, and does not allow us to do anything essential.

2.0

Jul 21, 2025

Truly wasted potential

Customer management

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Team members can be great, overall positive atmosphere at the local level, despite what's happening

Cons

The CEO is an absolute joke, admitting during company meetings that yes, he is aware morale is incredibly low, but "mental health is your own responsibility". When asked if he knows that some people are only still employed because of the good atmosphere in their teams and they will leave if that changes, meaning the company will spend extra due to this turnover, his response was simply "yes". Pay is ridiculously low and got frozen again, people are leaving en masse, quantity is clearly being put above quality and teachers don't even get health insurance! I'm seeing people that have been working at the company for 10, 15, 20+ years all leaving. Furthermore, despite the company name, in some regions the nationality of the regional head is preferred for senior management roles. Here it's Greeks all the way up and the last non Greek is, you guessed it, resigning as well. It'll be a miracle if this company survives more than 2 more years at this rate

5.0

Jul 21, 2025

Fantastic Experience

English language assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Cultural Exchange with few working hours, allows a lot of time to immerse yourself in the local community and practice language skills.

Cons

You have to find accommodation independently.

Viewing 106 - 108 of 2,307 Reviews

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Jobs at British Council

Executive Exams Operations

Customer Success Coordinator

View job

Executive - Business Process Services, English & Exams