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 1% 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 170 reviews)); "Good work life balance and focus on employee well being" ((in 117 reviews)); "Great people to work with and for." ((in 109 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 67 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 116 reviews)); "But yes Management is Poor and Biased !" ((in 99 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.

British Council reviews

3.7

62% would recommend to a friend

(2,315 total reviews)

Ciarán Devane

57% 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 3.7 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

4.0

Aug 12, 2016

BC Review

Finance

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working at the British Council allows you to share with a great number of very diverse people, in a wide range of society sectors. As a teacher, I've had many opportunities for professional development, and I've always felt compelled to challenge myself further! This is usually achieved by great organizations. It also helps a lot that I just love working here, as I believe in the wider aims of the work we do

Cons

1. Management structure is not horizontal enough. 2. Managers aren't generally open to criticism and advice.

5.0

Aug 7, 2016

HR Officer

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

British Council is an organization that has firm policy and process to follow, everything is under the plan and control. It has nice working envirnment, nice colleagues without too much working presure. It focus on staffs' work life balance as well.

Cons

The prosition is in the business support department, which is not alway for different departments' service standarn. The policy and working envirnment is hard to embrace the creative thinking.

5.0

Jul 26, 2016

Working for the British Council

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Enabling you to work with people of different backgrounds and cultures.

Cons

May be lack of organization.

Viewing 2173 - 2175 of 2,315 Reviews

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Jobs at British Council

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

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British Council reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

BC Review

HR Officer

Working for the British Council

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Jobs at British Council