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?

"Good work life balance and focus on employee well being" ((in 125 reviews)); "Great people to work with and for." ((in 118 reviews)); "Great working environment and friendly" ((in 72 reviews)); "It's just a shame that the good culture was destroyed by bad organisational management." ((in 67 reviews)); "Entry level internship position gave me something worthwhile to add to my cv and was a good opportunity for some networking." ((in 58 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 203 reviews)); "Low pay and insanely bureaucratic" ((in 119 reviews)); "But yes Management is Poor and Biased !" ((in 102 reviews)); "Those in senior leadership positions tend to serve themselves and their careers ahead of the corporate mission." ((in 36 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

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

Feb 9, 2017

Teacher of English

English teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great reputation, students, facilities, and high caliber English education.

Cons

Corporate is a bit behind the times relative to their competitors. A product was rolled out in direct response to moves made by competitors. Older products were pushed along the wayside and intense focus was put on rolling out this product and replacing older products. The students, in my experience, really found little educational value in this new product. In general, I think the company is going in the wrong direction.

2.0

Dec 10, 2016

immature processes across HR and finance in particular

Programmer manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Nice people but one or two bad eggs.

Cons

Over worked. Weak performance management across operations. Poor processes and weak management. Susceptible to fraud, nepotism, bullying (London office). Too many square pegs in round holes.

3.0

Jun 15, 2016

Examinations Officer

Examinations officer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good company culture of mutual respect irrespective of position Great diversity of staff Good ICT development opportunities Good welfare package, besides salary (25 Days Leave, Health Insurance, 13th &14th Month Salary, Leave Bonus, etc) Great Networking Opportunities Company Profile looks good on CV

Cons

Poor Work-Life Balance Poor Remuneration, relative to the name of the organisation No promotion structure (Tendency to remain stuck in a position for years) Bureaucratic Policies and Practices, Slowing decision making and Action

Viewing 115 - 117 of 2,307 Reviews

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Jobs at British Council

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Executive - Business Process Services, English & Exams