I have worked freelance for the British Council since 2002.  It is an organisation that has given me the opportunity to do great things, work with interesting people and give me the freedom to develop as an individual but also work for an international organisation at the same time.  Here is an overview of the British Council and its activities:

Purpose

‘We build engagement and trust for the UK through exchange of knowledge and ideas between people worldwide.’

The following are the different sectors that the British Council contributes to:

Arts         Education           English Governance             Science

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office sponsors the British Council  by providing a grant to fund its activities both in the UK and abroad.  It is seen as the premier international agency for promoting British culture, education and language in over 100 centres worldwide.

In England it is registered as a charity and it is an independent public body incorporated by Royal Charter.  The British Council HQ can be found in Spring Gardens in Whitehall, London with another branch in Manchester.  The foreign branches are all managed by Enterprises in Whitehall.

One of the longest running operations is the British Council in Warsaw.  It has been operating for more than 70 years and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II opened the English Teaching Centre in Warsaw in 1996.  The Polish branch, including a second centre in Krakow, is part of the Russia and North East Europe area.  The following countries are also part of this region: Sweden, Slovenia, Slovakia, Russia, Norway, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Finland, Estonia, Denmark and the Czech Republic.