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?

61% 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?

"Good work life balance and focus on employee well being" ((in 125 reviews)); "Great people to work with and for." ((in 113 reviews)); "Entry level internship position gave me something worthwhile to add to my cv and was a good opportunity for some networking." ((in 67 reviews)); "Great working environment and friendly" ((in 66 reviews)); "It's just a shame that the good culture was destroyed by bad organisational management." ((in 64 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 116 reviews)); "But yes Management is Poor and Biased !" ((in 103 reviews)); "Those in senior leadership positions tend to serve themselves and their careers ahead of the corporate mission." ((in 35 reviews)); "This permeates across different offices and countries too as the managers have very often mixed a lot in past roles." ((in 31 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.

British Council reviews

3.6

61% would recommend to a friend

(2,315 total reviews)

Ciarán Devane

56% approve of CEO

43% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (2,315 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

British Council has an employee rating of 3.6 out of 5 stars, based on 2,315 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).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

1.0

Feb 11, 2017

Project Manager

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

learning and development is good

Cons

low salaries no opportunities for local staff, promotions are favoured for UK staff only backstabbing culture

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.

4.0

Feb 7, 2017

Best for EFL working

Efl teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Apart from providing a high level of frequent professional development opportunities, you are treated with respect and not made to feel you are on a treadmill. Their contracts are completely legal and above board, which cannot be said for all of my experiences with TEFL academies.

Cons

Their service is expensive to the user, which means you will mostly work with children from better off families, which I don't consider to be a plus.

Viewing 2077 - 2079 of 2,315 Reviews

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Jobs at British Council

People Project Manager

Customer Experience Manager

Edinburgh, Schottland

Proposition Development Coordinator

Vereinigtes Königreich

Senior Programme Manager (UK), Chevening Scholarships

British Council

British Council reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Project Manager

Teacher of English

Best for EFL working

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at British Council