It's not only British business that is damaged by the British Council

British businesses working in international education have a particular grievance with the British Council in that the taxes they pay are used by government to undermine them, and that will remain a burning issue until the practice stops and the British Council is reined in. But we should not forget that the subsidies paid by the British taxpayer undermine local business overseas, and not just in developed countries. Below is a letter we published eight years ago, and I commend it to your attention as it demonstrates the reality behind the rhetoric of the Council "building trust". The fact is that the British Council generates the same kind of resentment and damage overseas as it does here. Article follows:

Message from Maputo

What a relief it was to find your articles on the unscrupulous practices of the British Council.

 

We are a private language school operating in Maputo since 1991. About 4 years ago we received a visit from someone who was doing a survey on EFL teaching in Mozambique. The alarm bells should have started ringing there and then since the person involved was the wife of the then Director of the British Council in Maputo. So in our innocence (or downright stupidity) we supplied her with all the information on how we operated and subsequently were more than a little put out to find that the British Council had decided to move one up from the few scattered courses they were giving and go full on into offering courses at similar prices, timetables and even the way we split the levels.

 

Well to cut a long story short over the last 4 years we have written to David Green, Neil Kinnock, been to the Deputy High Commissioner and received all the wonderful reasons in the world as to why they have every right to operate as a business under the guise of a charity, not pay taxes, go in direct (unfair) competition with a local school who pay taxes, have overheads, treat their teachers fairly etc etc ad nauseam - this must be familiar to you.

 

Although we seem to have come up against a brick wall, at least where the Council are concerned, the fight does go on albeit with rest periods.

 

Look out Council and do not underestimate the two middle-aged women running this school - we will fight the good fight and WIN.

 

Yours sincerely

Denise Lord

 

[letter ends]

 

 

Footnote 25/07/14: I am happy to report that Lynden Language School is doing well despite having to compete with their unwelcome British neighbour.