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.

What are the top reviewed British Council locations?

Ciudad de México , Ciudad Juarez

British Council reviews

3.7

62% would recommend to a friend

(2,313 total reviews)

Ciarán Devane

57% approve of CEO

43% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

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British Council has an employee rating of 3.7 out of 5 stars, based on 2,313 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).

Reviews by job title

2K reviews

3.0

Feb 2, 2016

Really hit or miss

Senior teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Some centres are great to work in. Teachers and other staff are well supported and this is especially true in larger centres. Lots of CPD opportunities.

Cons

There is almost constant friction between teachers and direct line managers or centre managers. Opportunities for promotion could be better.

1.0

Nov 22, 2015

Stay away

Teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Some interesting looking projects worldwide.

Cons

The bloated/pampered management structure which has lead to chronic cronyism, self-important/incompetent and bullying attitude.

3.0

Jul 27, 2015

Interesting projects, but a lack of direction.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I think people genuinely believe in the mission of the Council. That is great if you are interested in working in public projects such as education or the arts. The brand recognition is quite strong, which can lead to some very interesting partnerships. My supervisor was also fantastic, very understanding and easy to talk to.

Cons

The Council lacked direction, which was incredibly frustrating. There seemed to be poor communication between London and the country offices, so I never felt that we had an international team that really knew how to work together and learn from each other. I found this to be the most challenging element of my job, as it sometimes felt we were going nowhere.

Viewing 124 - 126 of 2,313 Reviews

Jobs at British Council

Customer Experience Manager

Belfast, Irlanda del Norte

Language Learning Project Officer

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

British Council

British Council reviews

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Reviews by job title

Really hit or miss

Stay away

Interesting projects, but a lack of direction.

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