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 172 reviews)); "Work life Balance is good" ((in 116 reviews)); "Great people to work with and for." ((in 109 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 69 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 206 reviews)); "Low pay and insanely bureaucratic" ((in 117 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 33 reviews)); "This permeates across different offices and countries too as the managers have very often mixed a lot in past roles." ((in 29 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

Nov 19, 2019

Pay Band 7

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Brand Name, some nice people, Good global programs

Cons

Lots of clannish seat warmers, absurd and slightly retrograde HR policies and practices. Conveniently hide behind the guise of diplomatic entity. Comical and completely cut off from reality leaders( ILT)

1.0

Aug 20, 2019

Your worst nightmare! Just run away from this place!

Administrative assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Paid regularly, no delays. Work schedule follows school calendar so there is a good amount of vacation days.

Cons

The management doesn’t recognize or reward talent or effort. It’s nearly impossible to get a pay raise as there are no opportunities for growth inside the company. HR is very inconsiderate of staff’s situation and avoids/ignores complaints at all costs, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation. It’s all about keeping the status quo, juicing staff to exhaustion just to save a few euros to try and increase revenue. A total disrespect with the people working there.

1.0

Sep 1, 2018

Poor working culture and unprofessional environment.

Teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Variety of work and chance to teach a range of levels.

Cons

Little progression or staff training or development within the organisation. Products are very poorly written and put together - basically surviving on name alone. Product leads take very little responsibility for the low quality and do not respond well to feedback.

Viewing 25 - 27 of 2,306 Reviews

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Jobs at British Council

Executive - Operations

SH - Executive - Operations

SH- Associate Operations

SH- Executive - Business Process Services, English & Exams