British Council put safety of teachers abroad ‘at risk’
Participants walk out of ‘chaotic’ programme over alleged unliveable salaries and lack of support
IT WAS traditionally a beacon of global influence, central to Britain’s post-colonial soft power strategy.
But in recent years, the British Council has been beset by crises, from postCovid financial struggles to a decision in 2021 to strip it of its role in running the post-Brexit replacement for the Erasmus student exchange scheme.
Now, language teachers on the council’s programme in Mexico say their placements have been beset by chaos and their safety put at risk.
Participants reported having to quit after just three months because of “unliveable” salaries.
Of the 11 participants who started in September, at least five have resigned.
Dr Olivia Arigho-Stiles, an academic in Latin American studies who quit after three months, said she felt “hugely betrayed”. “I feel profoundly misled, and it seems appalling to me that they would send us halfway around the world, in a country with a high crime rate, and expect us to live on such low wages,” she told The Sunday Telegraph.
She said the monthly salary of 8,000 pesos (about £366) put the teachers’ safety “at risk”. She was followed while walking home late at night to save money on a taxi. Another teacher considered renting an apartment in an “extremely dangerous” neighbourhood of Mexico City, and a third was locked inside a local taxi and asked for a higher fare after trying to save money by avoiding more expensive transport.
“There are high levels of violent crime in parts of the city, and in failing to pay us properly, the British Council put us at risk,” said Dr Arigho-Stiles.
Participants in an equivalent US programme were paid 14,000 pesos (£640), and the salary of a Mexican teacher is 17,000 pesos (£777) at the lowest range.
The teachers also reported receiving their first grant instalment 11 weeks late because of delays after Mexico pulled its funding at the last minute.
Their visas were sponsored by the Mexican education authority, which stopped them taking on additional work to supplement their income. This left them resorting to finding international work online or raiding their savings. Elle Simpson, another teacher on the programme, said the low salary and delays made it “impossible to survive, never mind live comfortably”. Her salary equated to £6.91 per hour, a third below UK minimum wage.
“British Council’s incompetence placed some participants in vulnerable positions of having to borrow money or withhold rent from landlords,” she said.
Dr Arigho-Stiles said the programme was “totally chaotic from start to end”. The teachers reported receiving no induction in Mexico, no support with housing and little support with visas.
A British Council spokesman said: “We provide comprehensive briefings and guidance prior to departure and access to a dedicated support team throughout the programme.
“Monthly allowances for these placements are not determined by the British Council, but by the host country. We encourage participants to ensure that they can cover costs associated with their placement (such as travel, accommodation and insurance) and advise that access to additional funds may be required in some areas.
“We will continue to keep the programmes under review.”