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 (92) , 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)); "Good work life balance and exposure to the market." ((in 122 reviews)); "Great people to work with and for." ((in 110 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 67 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 201 reviews)); "Low pay and insanely bureaucratic" ((in 116 reviews)); "But yes Management is Poor and Biased !" ((in 103 reviews)); "Those in senior leadership positions tend to serve themselves and their careers ahead of the corporate mission." ((in 36 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.

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British Council

British Council reviews

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3.7

64% would recommend to a friend

(2,304 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 2,304 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

4.0

Dec 1, 2011

A workplace that understands that work is just part of life.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Interesting Multinational exposure Work Life Balance Laidback culture Central Location Everyone's opinions count Low Turnover innovative organisation with constant new ideas to do things

Cons

not fast paced indecisive senior management too many contractors hierarchial organisation pay is not commercial low promotional aspects good if you want an international career

3.0

Nov 23, 2011

An old fashioned company

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

1. Job security (unless you...)

Cons

1. Boring environment try to raise pay

4.0

Sep 26, 2011

Hard work, long hours, but ultimately worth all the pain.

English teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

BC Seoul is VERY well paid in the industry. There is huge amounts of overtime going and the base salary is very nice: up to 750 pounds sterling per month, 2.3 million won local per month, 830,000 rent allowance per month, medical insurance, flights, bonus and tax-free for the first two years. If you're not saving a thousand pounds a month there is something wrong. When you work it out it is like earning 50k in the UK. Professionally, you will teach on a huge range of courses, thus giving you a beefy CV and coupled with the professional development (CELTYL / TYLEC, DELTA, PGCEi, MA) you'll come out on top. You'll also get very good support from your colleagues The centre has very good management these days who are responsive and understanding in most cases. As of now (September 2011) there is a positive atmosphere in all three centres in and around Seoul and people seem to work well together. Good holiday allowance and from 2012 these can be taken flexibly.

Cons

That said, management seem to promote those already in their 'circle', though this may be a perception amongst the bitter rather than the truth. Very, very long hours including early morning starts - 7am classes meaning you'll wake up at 5ish.

Viewing 2296 - 2298 of 2,304 Reviews

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Jobs at British Council

Executive - Operations

SH - Executive - Operations

SH- Associate Operations

SH- Executive - Business Process Services, English & Exams