Examiners face ‘Pound Zero’ in virus row with British Council
The British Council has been attacked for what is describes as its ‘appalling lack of support’ as earnings for English language examiners’ crash to almost zero.
Hundred of the council’s markers have been brought to their financial knees after student numbers collapsed due to COVID-19.
The tests are used for visas to enter the UK, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, to study, to work or emigrate.
Now the GMB union has told the British Council to implement the Chancellor’s job retention scheme to get money to examiners.
This followed a warning from bosses at the council telling examiners there was hardly any work at all ….
Charles Harrity, GMB senior organiser, said: “The council has shown an appalling lack of support for their examiners. The situation has now reached crisis point for many examiners as over the last month they saw their earnings fall off.
“There are now hundreds of British Council workers facing an uncertain future with no income and no way to pay the bills. The council needs to begin utilising the Chancellor’s Job Retention Scheme immediately to ensure that the wages lost by their workers are recovered.
“With the current crisis set to continue, they need to begin consultations with GMB on how to begin furloughing staff to mitigate any further hardship.”
One examiner told the preservation society: “For me, during the first week of April, my take home pay was in the tens of pounds. On a normal week, that could be around £1000 for some people. The work had just dried up.
“We are paid per script. £1.84 for each one, and it should have increased to £1.88 at the beginning of the tax year, but it hasn’t.
“We heard the amount of marking would be small. Many of us were ready to start marking in the morning – but nothing.
“We’re on contracts – but through an agency. The contracts last for two years, but they always state they do not have to offer us work.”
The British Council specialises in international cultural and education. It works in more 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language; encouraging cultural, scientific, technological and educational co-operation with the United Kingdom.
One examiner told us: “It is incredibly hard and very unnecessarily stressful work. We are constantly monitored.”
And the test can be tough on applicants too … it costs them about £170-£200 to take the test in the UK terms. But some candidates take the test more than 15 times
The British Council is governed by a Royal Charter. It is also a public corporation and an executive nondepartmental public body (NDPB), sponsored by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Its headquarters are near Trafalgar Square
It’s chief executive, Sir Ciarán Devane, said: “We are all affected in some way by this pandemic.
“And this pandemic is challenging the British Council’s sustainability. Our operations are underpinned by the surplus from our revenue-generating activities. Pausing this work through so many countries places an extraordinary financial strain on us. We are working to reduce that stress and expect to make clear decisions in the weeks ahead.
“We recognise these tough decisions will affect teachers, pupils, university lecturers, international students, business people, artists, creatives and entrepreneurs. The impact is significant for all of us.”
A few years ago the British Council was fined £500,000 for breaking government pay rules over salaries for its new chief executive and chief finance officer.
The council said that because of an administrative oversight, it failed to seek approval from the Treasury to pay Sir Ciarán Devane more than the prime minister’s £142,500. Sir Ciarán was on a salary of £185,000 and received pension benefits worth £17,000 in 2014-15.
Asked why the chief executive is paid 30 per cent more than the prime minister, the council said the salary was comparable with other chief executive jobs in international organisations.
The council is believed to have an annual budget of £792m, including income of £490m from fees for English language teaching and assessment. It received £162m from the government.