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 178 reviews)); "Good work life balance and focus on employee well being" ((in 120 reviews)); "Great people to work with and for." ((in 115 reviews)); "Great working environment and friendly" ((in 69 reviews)); "It's just a shame that the good culture was destroyed by bad organisational management." ((in 66 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 212 reviews)); "Low pay and insanely bureaucratic" ((in 117 reviews)); "But yes Management is Poor and Biased !" ((in 103 reviews)); "Changing leadership and poor strategy" ((in 34 reviews)); "This permeates across different offices and countries too as the managers have very often mixed a lot in past roles." ((in 30 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

5.0

Jul 25, 2015

Deputy Director

Deputy director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Corporate values, relations between colleagues

Cons

Medium salary, high workload, slow changes

4.0

Jul 23, 2015

Working with the BC

Consultant/researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Professional colleagues, decent pay, great opportunities.

Cons

Somewhat unorganized, Not much opportunity for development.

2.0

Jul 20, 2015

Great ambitions, bad culture

Project manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Aims, objectives and aspirations of the organisation are good. A lot of work on the ground is delivered by passionate, committed staff who improve the lives of millions around the world. E.g. teaching, education and society programmes.

Cons

Staff hindered by cumbersome internal processes, micro-management and dreadful IT. Difficult to get things done because of 'working from home' culture and staff sickness. Risk adverse organisation: backward thinking with an unwillingness to improve or change 100s of contractors on double what their colleagues are on. Despite rigorous (and time consuming) performance management, under/over performance never acted upon. Poor pay and limited training budgets.

Viewing 2191 - 2193 of 2,315 Reviews

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Jobs at British Council

Customer Experience Manager

E+ Eurodesk Digital Engagement Manager

Proposition Development Coordinator

Edinburgh, Schottland

British Council

British Council reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Deputy Director

Working with the BC

Great ambitions, bad culture

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at British Council