Job Discussion Forums

james_tesol · Joined: 21 May 2005 Posts: 65

I was just wondering what it is like to work for the British Council. I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has worked for them no matter what country or city. I would particularly like to know about the amount of work, split shifts, students, professional development etc etc. Obviously no two schools are the same but would just liek a general picture from teachers who worked or are currently working for BC.

Cheers

Serious_Fun · Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 1171 Location: terra incognita

kaw · Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2007 4:00 pm Post subject:

Oh dear - hope I don't come across all 'corporate' and 'B.C. is wonderful' here - if I do, apologies Rolling Eyes

After working in various language schools and universities all over the place I got a job with the BC in the country I'm in now. My contract was for 2 years and extended it another 6 months.
Cool

Good things..........
Luckily we have no split shifts - classes start at 3ish and finish around 9ish.
Mixture of kids (7-11 and 11-16), Young Adults 16-18 and adults.
professional development opportunities - much better than they were when I first came - funding and time off to do DELTA and excellent support from senior teachers and colleagues, having the 'fun' of doing the YL extension to the CELTA (not through choice...) and other bits and pieces. I've trained up as an examiner for most of the Cambridge exams and am off to present at a couple of conferences next month.
Other good things - boring I know - but health care and pension contributions as part of the 'package'.
Um......of course - the chance to move around centres.
Always get paid on time - very important....
If for any reason we ned to be evacuated out - we are - and get paid for it.......
The chance to use new technology - interactive whitebaords etc
And I do have to say this - IMHO it does look good on a cv as it's an organisation employers recognise as being of dare I say it - a reasonable standard.

Sad

On the downside - it can be pretty corporate and paperwork etc can be a nightmare........,filling in the application forms can be very time consuming and I'd go so far as to say a pain in somewhere you wouldn't want a pain.......the interviews can also be a nightmare. Um.......... am sure there must be some more bad points........pay isn't as good as some places, not as many holidays as the universities.
Oh, and working evenings can be a real pain when all fun things happen at night. Although it does mean we get to sit by the pool in the sunshine in the morning. Cool

...but the thought of going into work is always there... Sad

zorro (3) · Joined: 19 Dec 2006 Posts: 202

When working for the British Council, do you have to force feed the students British culture?

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

Are they insisting on team teaching, or do they only inflict it on the schools they accredit?

kaw · Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2007 1:08 pm Post subject:

I wouldn't say that we force feed UK culture but surely when learning any foreign language you should also be learning about the culture.....
As for team teaching - we don't do any of that.....other centres might do though.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

Is it more difficult to get a job with them if you aren't British? About how long is the application procedure?

william wallace · Joined: 14 May 2003 Posts: 2869 Location: in between

Worked for them for 3.5 years in two countries. Not my cup of tea - Red Rose is!
I found it to be less than virtuous (it's a charity!!), and those that were there longer seemed not to be relaxed;actually, most there seemed to be either looking over their shoulder, or brown nosing,BUT it was not my kind of place.
Pay and perks are good,especially in the less traveled/well known countries.
Good luck :

Teejay · Joined: 25 Jul 2007 Posts: 59

Hi,
Is this the British Council who runs the IELTS?

william wallace · Joined: 14 May 2003 Posts: 2869 Location: in between

Yep the one and lonely, in cooperation/partnership with IDP Australia and the wide owls of Cambridge, of course they use the term "syndicate", and if you are an Examiner (in Philippines and China,anyhow)you're not hired,but rather "invited". I love the BC's word playing. Wink

soapdodger · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 203

Ah, yes, the BC. Do you have to be English/British? Not in Warsaw, Poland, anyway. Under current/ recent practice there qualifications like a degree aren't that important either and they are/were charging students top rate to be taught by unqualified Americans. Might be nothing wrong with that. Generally wouldn't knock them as fair employers and about the best you could hope to get abroad. However, keywords in some locations would certainly be "anally retentive"," chinless", "slackjawed" and "snooty". And words..."exam syndicate" has always seemed to me to carry a sufficient suggestion of secretive, dodgy dealing to be perfectly appropriate.
In Britain, the BC would seem to be getting desperate, or too greedy, as well...just today a UK school I work for who used to have BC recognition but packed it in for the expensive and effectively valueless exercise it is several years ago, recieved a letter more or less demanding that they resume or face their potential non-EU students being refused visas. Aside from the obviously threatening undertones which are not likely to make many friends, someone ought to warn the BC that using their governmental connections in that way, to basically tout for business and favour those who pay for its "protection", might be an infringement of EU business law. Like so many UK governmental institutions these days they probably think they are above the law....

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

The problem with British Council accreditation for UK language schools is that you often find when they arrrive to see the lessons your staff has done a bunk because they require more paperwork than the CELTA.

And they insist the same class has at least two teachers daily (what I meant by team teaching) with the consequent nightmare in co-ordination.

If they would ease up on micro-managing the inspections they would do better. In the end the consumer does need to have some kind of quality control.

soapdodger · Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 203

I wholeheartedly agree that the customer needs protection, especially in EFL. What is wrong is that the protection offered by the BC is pretty paltry. Plenty of time for cowboy outfits to stick a lick of paint on things, send their unqualified staff for a few days' holiday and train everyone to sit up and beg before the inspection, the date of which is known months in advance etc. etc. What is wrong is that inspection is money to the BC, and is a matter of choice for schools. The BC isn't going to root out shady dealers and substandard schools or they'd be out of easy money in a flash. Protection? At around 3,500 quid a year starting prices to schools seeking "recognition", "protection" does seem the right word....a la the Kray Twins!