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?

64% 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 176 reviews)); "Work life Balance is good" ((in 118 reviews)); "Great people to work with and for." ((in 113 reviews)); "Great working environment and friendly" ((in 76 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 201 reviews)); "Low pay and insanely bureaucratic" ((in 121 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 37 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.

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British Council

British Council reviews

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3.7

64% would recommend to a friend

(2,306 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 2,306 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

2.0

May 20, 2012

Bad. Especially Non metro offices are neglected and mismanaged.

Senior project manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

>Good non-monetary benefits. >Lots of training programs >Opportunity to work on areas outside the job role >Work shadow opportunity

Cons

>Non competent departmental heads who are holding positions because these are reserved for whites >All contract based jobs. So no opportunity for automatic vertical growth. All movements happen through job application and interviews only

5.0

May 1, 2012

working at british council is an experience that i would cherish all my life.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The reason why i would like to work at british council is the working environment & the flexibility in nature of the job.

Cons

well I do not really see any downsides of working at British council apart from the fact it provides employment opportunities only during boards exam time.

4.0

Apr 28, 2012

A mixed bag

English teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Professional colleagues and good prospects for career development Huge network and opportunity to work in a variety of settings Free reign given to teachers in how they tackle course targets. Maximum 24 hours teaching per week Very good middle management

Cons

Big class sizes Emphasis on profit maximisation...contrary to mission statement. Lack of flexibility, inspiration and leadership from senior management. Too hierarchical

Viewing 2290 - 2292 of 2,306 Reviews

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Jobs at British Council

SH - Executive - Operations

Executive - Operations

SH- Associate Operations

SH- Executive - Business Process Services, English & Exams