What does British Council Do?

The British Council is the UK's international organisation for education opportunities and cultural relations.

We build relationships and understanding between people in the UK and other countries and increase appreciation of the UK's ideas and achievements overseas.

We are a non political organisation which operates at an arm's length from government.

In New Zealand we work to create projects which connect aspirational young New Zealanders with the best of contemporary UK culture, in the spheres of arts, creative industries, science, technology, and education.

How are you funded?

In New Zealand our work is fully funded by the UK government.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is our sponsoring department, but British Council is a non-political organisation.

Can you help fund my project?

Seeking funding? Please read this first:

The British Council seeks to create trust and engagement for Britain by working with emerging leaders around the world. We are not a “funding” agency as such – and for those seeking funding, we urge you to consider appropriate funding bodies.

We work in partnership with like-minded organisations, usually through large-scale regional or global projects. This entails engaging with partners from concept stage, through to designing projects to meet our mutual objectives, and implementation. We usually work about nine months to a year in advance, helping to choose speakers, create itineraries and workshops and so on.

In Aotearoa/NZ we focus particularly on the benefits of ethnic diversity, and we are most interested in developing projects which showcase cutting edge, modern, multicultural and intercultural Britain.

British Council is not a grant giving organisation. In New Zealand we work with partners to create projects that connect aspirational 18-35 year old New Zealanders with the best of contemporary UK culture.

We work to a two-year planning cycle, and choose projects that have a substantial reach and a clear connection to the UK.

We preference projects that wouldn’t happen without us and that we can add value to.

We very rarely become involved with completed project ideas and tend to proactively develop ideas with partners.

If your project meets the above objectives you should email a brief description to the relevant Sector Manager.

Can you provide me with funding for UK study?

Unfortunately not.
We offer a range of professional development opportunities, but we do not provide funding for New Zealand students wishing to undertake study in the UK.
For general scholarship searches check the New Zealand Vice Chancellors' Committee, the Funding Information Service, or EducationUK site.

What is the difference between British Council and British High Commission?

The British High Commission manages the UK governments relationship with the New Zealand government.

It deals with areas of commercial, defence and economic policy of interest to the UK government, and also provides consular services, including the issue of passports and visas.

You can see more information about the British High Commission here.

I need help with a visa/ passport

Contact the British High Commission.

Can you recommend a UK university/ course for me?

The Education UK website provides a searchable database of over 250,000 courses throughout the UK.

Question not answered?

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