Find out about where you're going!
Researching your placement
Applying to the British Council (BC) demands a certain amount of flexibility. For example, on the application form you can state a preference of region and you can state a preference of being either in a city, town or village; however, the reality is that it is possible (even likely) that you will not get what you want with regards to the latter. This is because of the way the British Council distributes its English Language Assistants (ELAs) and how the European schools apply for an ELA.
What this means for you is that you have to be happy to work wherever you are put, even if it isn't really anywhere near the description you provided for your preferences. This is especially true as, the BC being a third party, we cannot in any way change or influence their decisions.
As such, your research will be somewhat different to that of students who are applying either to study or to work abroad. Whilst they can research a specific town before they have even applied, you can only do this in a vaguer sense.
So what can you do to research?
Fortunately, there are at least measures that you can take that will help you decide whether or not the British Council is for you. One of the best ways of finding information is to speak to students who have previously been ELAs with the British Council. Every year there are students who travel to each of the countries whose languages we teach, which means that there is a wealth of anecdotal data on each of the countries.
One way is to contact us and request the names of the British Council Ambassadors for the current year. These are students who went abroad in the previous year and who officially represent the British Council at presentations and events.
Please bear in mind that, when you have been placed by the British Council, you will be given a list of names, including those who were in the same region the previous year (if applicable). This will be a great help for those who need specific support (i.e. finding accommodation or socialising) nearer the time.
Other than that, you can visit the ELA section of the British Council's website for lots of information about where you can go and what you can expect.