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 168 reviews)); "Good work life balance and exposure to the market." ((in 120 reviews)); "Great people to work with and for." ((in 113 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 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 208 reviews)); "Low pay and insanely bureaucratic" ((in 114 reviews)); "But yes Management is Poor and Biased !" ((in 96 reviews)); "there was poor organisation and leadership" ((in 37 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

3.7

62% would recommend to a friend

(2,312 total reviews)

Ciarán Devane

57% approve of CEO

43% positive business outlook

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 2,312 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

3.0

Jan 9, 2015

Great organisation to work for particularly around work life balance.

Project manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great work environment, colleagues are super supportive and I love the casual dress code.

Cons

Decision making takes ages and career progression is slow or non existent for many business units. Opportunities to grow are few and far between.

3.0

Aug 24, 2014

Great ethos & work on an international scale covering the Arts, Education, Society & English language teaching

Anonymous

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Huge breadth of sectors covered, across many industries & operations both in UK & more than 110 countries

Cons

Bureaucracy makes progression slow & complex business model makes it a challenge to get an overview of the whole organisation

3.0

Jun 25, 2013

Great teams overseas, poor leadership in UK

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working with people from very varied cultural backgrounds; educated and friendly local staff in overseas offices

Cons

Very limited career development options for local staff; poor senior leadership; low salary; culture resistant to change

Viewing 292 - 294 of 2,312 Reviews

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Jobs at British Council

Customer Experience Manager

Language Learning Project Officer

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

Edinburgh, Schottland

British Council

British Council reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Great organisation to work for particularly around work life balance.

Great ethos & work on an international scale covering the Arts, Education, Society & English language teaching

Great teams overseas, poor leadership in UK

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Jobs at British Council