Job Discussion Forums

[mozzar]

It's coming up to that time of year where I'm thinking about my next job and the British Council would be pretty high on the list from their reputation.

I do have a few questions about them though. I've searched their website and asked around a bit but it seems like a shadowy place that little info gets out of. The good points I've heard are:

- The teachers are all very professional;
- There's good training and development (they say they contribute to their teachers doing the DELTA in the first year of working for them);
- The wage is good (for the region);
- The possibility of moving over the world but staying with the one company.

A friend told me that when she went for an interview though that they expected you to work on Saturdays for the first year you worked there while having a different day off later in the week (not necessarily Monday either).

I'll be finishing my MA in TESOL this September and have the two years and TEFL cert, so I thought I'd try applying. I'm based in Spain if that makes any difference, but I would have thought it'd be the same system all over the world. But does anyone have any solid information about them? Previous or current employees able to say whether it's a good job or not?

[naturegirl321]

I was goign to apply for a position with them in Asia. Basically what I found is that the salary was average, but they had good perks, such as housing, flights, settlement allowance. They would have also paid for my husband to come over and probably helped with his visa.

The reason I decided NOT to apply was that the hours were about double what I have now and the vacation was only a couple weeks.

The plus side of working for the BC is that you're mobile. If you work for them in one country, you could work for them in another.

[Hod]

[Mike_2007]

The BC in Bucharest is currently advertising two positions. If you check the Romanian forum you'll find more details.

The teachers I've known at the BC here have mostly been quite new to teaching. To be perfectly honest, I've never really heard a good word about them from friends/students who have studied there, with claims of irrelevant materials, large group sizes and expensive courses being the most common complaints.

The couple of people I've known who have worked for BC Ro where mostly happy with the salary, although that was a few years ago and the got free accommodation back then and the cost of living was about half what it is now. They often complained about the weekend work, late nights doing corporate contracts, split shifts and excessive admin. Indeed, if you work out the salary on a per-hour basis after tax, including all the non-contact hour stuff you have to do, it starts to look a bit mean; around 40 ron/hour. On the positive side, however, you do get paid holidays (around 40 odd days) and your flight paid for.

[kaw]

I know this is a few weeks old now but haven't been around for a while.
I've just finished my second BC job and am about to move on to my third so it can't be that bad.
Like anywhere some centers are better than others but I've been lucky at haven't had any problems. The people I know in other BCs (Singapore, Libya, random European places, Oman, Bahrain, Vietnam) also seem to be ok. The biggest problems encountered are the hours - late evenings can be a nightmare and for Europe - the money.
Holidays are standard - depending on where you are it'll either be 35 or 40 days holiday plus local holidays and Christmas in most places. Housing is usually either provided or comes in the form of a housing allowance - usually enough to get something ok.
Professional Development tends to be good - contribution to the DELTA, possible funding for other courses either through the individual center or through there central professional development fund. There are also opportunities to attend / present at conferences and also to get in different areas of the Council's work - Climate Change, Teacher training etc
PM me if you need anything else

[Perilla]

I know a lot of Councillors in HK. Most of them seem to want to escape once they hit mid-late 30s (and most do), and those that are still there later than that seem to get a bit bitter and twisted. It's too nannyish for my liking and I hate lesson observations, but some of the positives outlined above are valid.

[mozzar]

This has been some really useful info. I�m young (23) and am generally wondering how secure the BC would be for an actual career - are there opportunities to move up and into other positions?

I�m coming to the end of my MA in TESOL and will (touch wood) be doing the DELTA next year as well so I�ll be fairly well qualified. Would this translate into better wage/possiblities? Or would I be better off going freelance and bouncing from one academy to the next?

[kaw]

There's def the possibility of career progression. Get a few years of BC experience and the DELTA then all sorts of opportunities can open up to you. Several people I have worked with have gone on to be Senior Teachers specialising in particular areas, CELTA trainers, teacher trainers for Ministry of Ed. Of course after Senior Teacher comes management jobs - Deputy Teaching Centre Manager etc.

You'll probably also get the chance to become an examiner for IELTS and other Cambridge exams.

I'm not saying it's all perfect and with an MA you'd be able to get more money teaching at Unis but it's a pretty secure job and you know that you won't be ripped off as can happen in my foreign owned companies.

Just be careful when applying/being interviewed as the procedure is very specific and a complete pain.

[sharter]

The BC used to be a good gig all over the place but now it's hit and miss. The salary they pay in Libya is dreadful. The salary they pay in Warsaw (not a nice place) is good.

Split shifts...aaaaaah.

They tend to be a bit up themselves.....I worked for them many moons ago.

Here in Libya, I earn double what they pay and I don't do split shifts.

[crewmeal1]

Having worked for the BC in the Middle East I have nothing but praise for them plus the local staff as well. As already stated some locations can be hit and miss depending on your choice, but they looked after me.

They provided:

BUPA medical cover
Airfares to and from your point of departure
They give a good allowance for accommodation of your choice
They encourage you to progress up the ladder
Observations are thorough and fair, they want you to succeed
Safety is a priority in their book
Expat staff socialise a lot
The list goes on...

The BC will be advertising for summer jobs soon, my advice would be to apply for a summer school and take it from there

[naturegirl321]

[Perilla]

[kaw]

Don't forget the pension matching scheme - always useful.

[naturegirl321]

Ok, I'm starting to get sold on the BC. But what about the BC for AMERICANS? Would Americans get the same benefits as Brits as far as insurance, pension, etc?

[crewmeal1]

"But what about the BC for AMERICANS?"

That depends on the Country. In the same way age depends on local restrictions. For example in Libya and Egypt its UK passport holders + locals only. SE Asia could take on Americans. You should read the specs in each job application.

My guess is that you would get a summer school job without restrictions as the positions are for short periods.