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 3.3 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?

"Work life Balance is good" ((in 121 reviews)); "Great people to work with and for." ((in 108 reviews)); "Great working environment and friendly" ((in 71 reviews)); "It's just a shame that the good culture was destroyed by bad organisational management." ((in 66 reviews)); "Entry level internship position gave me something worthwhile to add to my cv and was a good opportunity for some networking." ((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 202 reviews)); "Low pay and insanely bureaucratic" ((in 117 reviews)); "But yes Management is Poor and Biased !" ((in 104 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 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

64% would recommend to a friend

(2,312 total reviews)

Ciarán Devane

61% approve of CEO

45% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.8

Culture & values

3.7

Work/Life balance

3.3

Career opportunities

3.2

Senior management

3.1

Compensation and benefits

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 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

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

4.0

Jul 31, 2014

Positive Work Environment

Financial planning and analysis manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Friendly work atmosphere. Supporting Colleagues. Diversity and Equal Opportunity . Life-Work Balance. Valuing People. Chile Protection Policy. Strong Speak-up Policy. Annual Staff Surveys.

Cons

Weak Salaries and packages for locally appointed staff.

3.0

Jul 30, 2014

Variety

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good ethos - changing people's lives for the better by extending educational and cultural exchange opportunities. Overseas, work-life balance is difficult. But rewarding work if you can get the right job within the organisation, and challenging and varied.

Cons

Lip service paid to training. Pay comparatively low - org survives & thrives on the commitment and discretionary work of its staff. Hard to speak out in a culture of positivism and perception that job opportunities are divvied out to the compliant rather than the deserving. Can be a bit precious English middle class in some parts.

Viewing 2242 - 2244 of 2,312 Reviews

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Jobs at British Council

E+ Eurodesk Digital Engagement Manager

Belfast, Irlanda del Norte

£31K - £31K /yr

(Employer provided)

View job

Language Learning Project Officer

Product Manager Schools