The British Council is the United Kingdom’s international organisation for educational and cultural relations. Our purpose is to build mutually beneficial relationships between people in the UK and other countries, and to increase appreciation of the UK’s creative ideas and achievements. This work is driven by our strong belief in internationalism, a commitment to professionalism and an enthusiasm for creativity.

We contribute to international relations through three outcomes:

• Improved perceptions of the United Kingdom in other countries
• Greater mutual understanding between the United Kingdom and other countries
• Stronger ties between the United Kingdom and other countries

We receive our core funding from the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth office and receive additional income through teaching English, conducting British examinations and managing development and training projects. In the UK we are registered as a charity (not for profit organisation) and operate as an executive non departmental body sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth office.

The British Council has had a presence in South Africa for fifty years - our first office opened in Pretoria in 1958. This year we are celebrating our 50^th Anniversary. We operate out of three offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban and are part of the Sub Saharan Africa region which comprises of 19 countries.

Our Purpose

The future for the UK in this crowded, dangerous, beautiful world depends on people of all cultures living and working together on foundations of education, mutual understanding, respect and trust.

Our Vision

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

We work to three programme areas and believe these broad themes allow us to continue to support long-term government objectives while identifying the unique contribution that the British Council can make to building influence for the UK overseas:

Inter-cultural dialogue

The objective of this programme area is to strengthen understanding between and within different cultures, to promote active and constructive participation in society and to counter deficits of trust.

UK creative and knowledge economy

To promote the UK’s role as a global hub, linking creative and knowledge economies. We will build relationships and networks of direct benefit to the UK economy, provide opportunities for talent and ideas to be shared into and out of the UK and help position the UK as a cultural focal point.

Climate Change

This programme strengthens the understanding among decision-makers, influencers and future leaders that we need to tackle climate change; it also builds networks and relationships among influencers worldwide to do so.

 

In South Africa we operate in the following sectors:

• Arts
• Education
• Science
• Governance
• English
• Exams

To find out more about our work, please explore our website www.britishcouncil.org/africa or contact our Customer Services Centre on 0860 01 22 33 or +27 (0) 11 718 4300