How to apply to be an English Language Assistant

Woman sitting at desk in a shared space using a laptop — The English Language Assistant programme has a simple online application process. ©
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Applications to be an English Language Assistant in 2025-26 are open now.

The application deadline is Thursday 30 January 2025, 13.00 GMT, and the reference deadline is Thursday 13 February 2025, 13.00 GMT.

Keep reading to follow our guidance on how to complete the application form.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Statement

The British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do.

We want to encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability to take part in the Language Assistants programme. We encourage people of all backgrounds and communities to apply for our programme and will always try to accommodate any placement preferences or requirements stated in your application that relate to protected characteristics.

We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our programme.

Important notes about the application process:

Before starting the application process, please read and ensure you understand the Assistantship Code of Conduct.
Your application must be completed through our online platform. After clicking on the apply button you will initially be asked to register and create a profile on the system using an email address and creating a password. Please use a permanent email address as this cannot be changed once you have registered. Please do not use a university email address if you are due to graduate before starting your placement.
Thoroughly research the destination you are applying to before submitting your application in order to make an informed decision when selecting your placement preferences. Explain any strong preferences you have in the Preferences section of the application form, particularly if they concern protected characteristics. Preferences are not guaranteed but are taken into consideration where possible.
Follow the step-by-step table below on how to complete the application form.

Eligibility criteria

Eligibility

Please take extra care when completing this page, as you will not be able to change your answers once you have moved on to the next section. If you accidentally select the wrong response, you'll have to withdraw your application and begin a new one.

Personal details

Enter your personal details as they appear on the passport you intend to travel with. If you are successful, this information is used to create documentation that may be required for your visa application so it is important to ensure this is correct.

Please ensure your current passport number is valid for at least 6 months after the end of your assistantship. If your passport has expired or will expire during your assistantship, please provide your old/current passport number. Once your new number arrives, please contact us by email to update your details.

Please note you must input dates in the following format: mm/dd/yyyy.

Personal details and background information

Language level

You must ensure you meet the language requirements for the destinations to which you are applying to. Please detail all your language skills in this section. If you are unsuccessful in gaining a placement in one of your preferred destinations, we may be able to offer you a placement in another destination where you do meet the eligibility criteria. We do not require evidence of formal language qualifications, these skills can be acquired through regular travel, private study, a course at a language centre or as part of your undergraduate degree.

Education

Please enter the start and end dates of your education history. If you are not certain of the exact dates, put the first day of the months you started and ended.

Employment

Detail your current and/or most recent employment history which may be relevant to the role of Language Assistant, including any previous placement(s) as an English Language Assistant. Include examples which demonstrate direct teaching experience or transferable skills.

Please ensure to include your secondary education qualifications if you left secondary education less than 10 years ago. If you left secondary education more than 10 years ago, please detail any qualifications relating to the role ensuring that you provide enough detail to meet our eligibility criteria.

Background Information

The information provided in this section may help us when allocating you to a placement. Please provide as much detail as possible.

Consecutive year and former assistants

If you are a consecutive year or a former English Language Assistant, please see our dedicated guidance page on how to complete and submit your application.

Reference

You will be asked to provide the email address of someone who can act as a referee.

A nominated referee should be someone who has a good knowledge of the applicant and their suitability for the role, for example an academic tutor or recent employer. It should not be a family member or close friend.

The referee should know the candidate well enough in an academic or professional capacity to complete questions regarding the candidate's ability and skills. Your referee should be able to comment on your level of English and it would be favourable if they can also comment on the language level of your first-choice destination.

There are 3 types of reference that you can provide us with:

Academic

If you are a current or recent student, this should be one of your tutors or a year-abroad coordinator. If you graduated before 01 January 2024 your referee should be a recent employer.

Employer

You should ensure that your referee is able to complete the online reference request form that we provide: many large organisations only provide references that confirm your employment with them. We are unable to accept these. 

If you require to change your referee, you should contact us via email LanguageAssistants.UK@britishcouncil.org .

'Other' Character Reference

This is designed for those unable to provide an academic or employer reference. All referees should meet the criteria above. If your referee doesn't meet this criteria, your application may be rejected.

Acceptable reasons that you cannot provide an academic or employer reference may be:

Your employer or academic tutor has a policy that they cannot give detailed work references
You are self-employed
You have no recent employer.

Support requirements - Part 1

If you have any specific support requirements, please provide as much information as possible in your application to allow us and our partners to find you a post which is best suited to your needs. This could include requirements relating to; disabilities, mental health conditions, long-term or chronic illnesses, dependent children or other personal circumstances. If there are any circumstances which may affect your ability to live independently abroad and/or to perform your contractual duties as a Language Assistant, please ensure you indicate this in your application.

If you indicate the above, a free text box will appear for you to state what your specific requirements are in order to carry out the duties of an English Language Assistant abroad. Please be specific about your requirements so that we can work with our partners overseas to try and meet them.

Support requirements - Part 2

We may contact you during the application process to request further information on any support requirements to help our allocation process. Please note that it is not always possible for our overseas partners to accommodate all requests and you should undertake independent research to understand what support is available in your destination of application. 

We recommend that you look at the preferences for your destination of application and research the areas available thoroughly before applying.

If you are invited to a video interview (applicable for Argentina, Canada, Colombia and Outre-mer (France) only) you can also outline any specific adjustments you require for your participation in your application.

Preferences

For most destinations, you will be able to give regional preferences, environmental preferences and a preference for the age group you’d like to teach. However, the number of posts in each area is limited and your preferences cannot be guaranteed.  

All reasonable wishes for regional or environmental preferences, medical or otherwise, should be researched and explained as fully as possible on the application form to ensure the best chance of a desired match.   

If your preferences concern protected characteristic(s), please state this clearly in the ‘Reason for preferences’ section of the form. We greatly encourage those from under-represented groups to take part in our programme and will always try to accommodate preferences to enable participation.

If you have contacts and possible accommodation in a particular area, you must state the name of your host and address of the accommodation in the 'Reasons for preferences' section of the form. We can also take other strong reasons for regional preferences into consideration, provided you highlight them in your application.  

We try to meet candidates' preferences as much as possible, but we cannot guarantee a placement in line with your regional, age or environmental preferences.

Supporting statement and cultural exchange example

Remember that this is a job application for a competitive process. Your application may be read not only by the British Council but also by our overseas partner agency, local authorities and host institutions abroad. 

Please make sure that your answers are appropriate for a job of this nature. Use examples and evidence to convince us of your suitability for the programme.

Your response to the supporting statements section of the application has a recommended minimum and maximum character count. We encourage applicants to use the full character count available to them. 

If your application does not meet the required standard or the answers provided are too brief, it will not be accepted.

Supporting Statement

You will be asked to write a supporting statement covering the following points:

Your motivation to be an English Language Assistant, including any relevance to any future career plans
Demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of your first-choice destination and its culture.
Provide examples or evidence of when you have had to adapt to a challenging/new situation, either at home or abroad.
Describe relevant previous experience such as teaching or working with children/young people. This could include both formal and informal examples such as work experience, babysitting, mentoring, sports clubs, brownies/scouts, etc.
Highlight any other skills, knowledge or experience that you think is relevant to the role.

Cultural Exchange

You will then be asked to provide an example of a classroom activity (quiz, presentation, game, etc.) where you can introduce an aspect of UK culture. Some examples of cultural aspects you may wish to focus on include your hometown, a historical event, or a popular hobby.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

As part of the application form, you must declare that you have not copied your information from another source, including artificial intelligence. All examples provided in your application must be taken directly from your own experiences and described in your own words.

Providing false or misleading information would be contrary to the core values of the British Council. We reserve the right to reject any application which is found to be in breach of these core values.

Please see our use of AI document for more information.

Submitting your application

Once you have completed your supporting statement and accepted our Terms and Conditions, it’s time to submit your application! Applications will close on Thursday 30 January 2025.

After your application is submitted, your referee will be required to complete your reference by Thursday 13 February 2025 for your application to be considered complete. Please ensure that you leave enough time for your referee to submit their reference.

You can find out more about when you will hear back from us and what will happen once you have applied on the English Language Assistants Lifecycle webpage.

Assessment

Applications are assessed initially using the following criteria:

motivation
adaptability
target country cultural awareness
knowledge and experience of UK contemporary culture
teaching experience
expression and presentation.

Video interviews (for selected destinations)

Candidates for Argentina, Canada, Colombia and Outre-Mer (France) only who pass the first stage of selection will be invited to a video interview. You will receive a link via email to complete your video interview. This will last approximately 20 minutes and will consist of a series of questions surrounding your motivations to be an assistant, your adaptability and relevant experience to the role.

Applicants not selected for a further assessment stage might be offered a transfer to another destination if their application is of a high enough standard and meets the relevant destination eligibility requirements.

You will be asked if you require any adjustments to be made in order to facilitate your participation in a video interview, if invited. If you require any adjustments, please clearly outline what the requirements are when asked in the support requirements section of the application form.