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?

65% 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 173 reviews)); "Good work life balance and exposure to the market." ((in 124 reviews)); "Great people to work with and for." ((in 117 reviews)); "Great working environment and friendly" ((in 67 reviews)); "It's just a shame that the good culture was destroyed by bad organisational management." ((in 63 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 120 reviews)); "But yes Management is Poor and Biased !" ((in 101 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

3.7

65% would recommend to a friend

(2,307 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 2,307 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 ONG y Organizaciones sin fines de lucro 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

1.0

Nov 9, 2014

Waste of tax payers money

Recruitment

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Handing in my notice and leaving the office at 5pm

Cons

Far too many to list here. Managers are incompetent, racist undertones, discriminate, particularly HR. Nepotism abound. Favouritism, brown nosing. Spending far too much of the tax payers money on rubbish. Such as the extensive art collection they own, priced over £50 million. The horse sculpture outside the premises cost £500k alone. Of our money! What a joke. The list is endless.

3.0

May 27, 2014

Freelancer

Freelancer(invigilator and usher)

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good Freelancer payscale, Flexible work environment

Cons

High Attrition Ratio Unprofessionalism No Growth Chart

2.0

Aug 5, 2025

Inadequate

Project manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Some great people - mostly held back to prop up inadequate managers. Flexible working patterns. Leave entitlement

Cons

Nepotism/favouritism is rife. Questionable leadership on a global scale. Pay is ridiculously low. Very little promotion & encouragement to progress-unless you’re a favourite. Very bureaucratic. Wrong people in the wrong roles - nothing gets done & there are frequent meetings, about meetings about meetings without getting anything done. People in senior positions cannot lead; bullying is common especially from leaders who are unable to appreciate & bolster team members who haven’t lost their morale yet due to incompetence, arrogance & ego. Money is mismanaged to a horrendous degree-overspending on vanity projects with no real results is common. HR is virtually non-existent-everything is being contracted overseas. Bonus system is antiquated & reflective on how much sucking up is done over your actual performance & ability in a role. Leadership takes no accountability or provides support for staff other than “speak to EAP” Colleagues taking Voluntary Exit have had very little communication, no support & many won’t be paid their severance package for another 3 mths after leaving - which is a disgrace

Viewing 46 - 48 of 2,307 Reviews

Jobs at British Council

Executive Exams Operations

Executive - Business Process Services, English & Exams

Customer Success Coordinator

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