Invitation to submit Expressions of Interest
The British Council is excited to announce the recommencement of our innovative, confidence-building, expert-teacher-led English language courses for Adults in Baku from early 2026.
To facilitate the re-launch, we are now seeking expressions of interest from prospective delivery partners that would be interested in hosting our teaching.
Background:
For over 80 years, the British Council has been setting the global standard in English language education, trusted by more than 100 million learners each year. Our expertise empowers individuals to achieve their goals, connect confidently, and unlock opportunities worldwide.
In Azerbaijan specifically, the focus of British Council teaching activity in more recent times has been on B2B Business / Corporate English and English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses with a very select number of high-profile clients across Azerbaijan. This is very much a significant part of our teaching work here and we are proud to have had a prestigious client list that includes the British Embassy, bp and SOCAR.
In the autumn of 2024, in conjunction with our long-standing partner European Azerbaijan School, we successfully re-introduced our extra-curricular English Language courses for children; courses that seek to build each child’s confidence to use English in real life, foster creativity and develop skills for current and future success.
We are now looking to extend our English teaching services to adult learners once more and so are seeking a partner who would be willing to provide us with premises for delivery. With respect to the partnership, our default position is that the British Council will provide and be responsible for the marketing, promotion, administration and delivery of all courses; we anticipate that our delivery partner will provide services that are most essentially associated with the provision of premises; such as cleaning, security, utilities, as well as access to the classroom technology. For more precise details please read on.
Project Overview: Communicate with Confidence
We invite adults to Master English with us. In our British Council English courses, we help learners gain practical, real-world skills and communicate with confidence. We provide a supportive and welcoming environment as students build speaking, listening, reading and writing skills through interactive discussions and exercises.
Our IELTS preparation courses help test-takers with getting to know the exam structure and question types and developing new language skills and exam-taking strategies. Skills are strengthened with the help of past papers, official IELTS preparation materials, and personalised guidance from our expert teachers.
Our British Council English courses typically run for eight weeks, with four consecutive terms running from September to June each year. Students typically study twice a week for 120 minutes each time they attend class. IELTS Prep courses come in different formats and can be shorter or longer.
Expressions of interest
The British Council intends to use expression of interest submissions (via this form) to select a delivery partner. We will use the criteria in the table below to help select a partner, along with answers to the two mandatory questions which can be found below the table.
The British Council is a global brand in the areas of Cultural Relations and English Teaching and Assessment with a reputation for excellence; taking this into account, the sound / good reputation of any prospective partner is of paramount importance and a due diligence check will be carried out as part of the selection process. Please note that a full premises risk assessment will be carried out in line with our Safeguarding and Safety and Security policies before we can move to formalising the partnership agreement.
Expressions of interest will initially have prospective partners confirm that they meet / undertake to meet all essential criteria. Stronger expressions of interest will take the opportunity of the non-mandatory field to set out and provide detail on how the prospective partner meets those criteria (evidence).
Criteria
Essential |
Desirable |
|
| Reputation / Brand |
Sound / good reputation Shared / similar core values |
Trusted and recognised brand within Baku |
| Location of premises |
City Centre / Downtown location |
|
| Availability of space | All spaces described below to be ready for use by 16 FEB 2026 | Classroom space to be available earlier than 16 February to allow the British Council to conduct trial demonstration lessons for prospective students |
| Classrooms |
Ability to provide between 2 and 4 classrooms for temporary British Council use for the teaching of English courses to 12-15 Adults on weekday evenings (Mon-Fri) between 17.30 and 21.30. Approx size might be 35 square metres. Provision to include the use of the chairs/tables, storage cupboards, ActivPanels OR IWBs OR projectors. The provision of the classrooms is to be inclusive of water/electricity/other utilities. |
Availability of classrooms throughout the day (Mon-Fri) e.g. mornings and lunchtimes would be an advantage. |
| Teacher Preparation Area | Provision of a private or shared space for up to 4 teachers to prepare lessons on weekdays (within the time frame 16.30 to 21.00). |
A storage facility for course / teaching materials and other stationery items located outside of, but near to, the classrooms Teacher preparation area contains / includes the printing and copying facilities.
|
| Internet & Printing/Copying Facilities | Internet access for British Council staff/students; access to printing/copying facilities for Staff only | |
| Customer Service Workspace/place | A working place/space for up to a British Council customer service representative for the duration of classes (for time frames see above) | |
| Branding and Way Finding Signs | Permission for the British Council to brand classrooms, erect/place wayfinding signs to the classrooms within the premises (if necessary). | Permission to brand / place exterior signage on the exterior of the premises |
Mandatory Questions
- The British Council intends to commit to a long-lasting, mutually beneficial partnership. Please indicate the length of contract / agreement your institution / organisation is willing to commit to at this initial stage (with respect to the use of premises) and whether there would be the possibility / probability of extension. Where applicable, please indicate any provisions / conditions you wish to make that may affect the length of the initial agreement or possibility of an extension.
- The British Council works with partner premises on the basis of either revenue share (preferred) or classroom rental (where the British Council will only pay for the hours actually used for the delivery of teaching). Please provide an indication of the percentage of revenue your organisation would be looking for / a cost per 60 minute (clock) hour for classroom use.
Submission Guidelines and Evaluation:
- The deadline for submissions is 23:59 on Friday, 9 January 2026.
- Submissions are to be made by completing this Form.
- Evaluation of Expressions of Interest will take place within 21 calendar days of the deadline and all organisations / institutions that have expressed an interest in partnering will be notified of the outcome within 28 calendar days of the deadline stated above.
- Evaluation will be carried out by a British Council panel led by Christopher Holmes, the Black Sea and Wider Europe Cluster Director of English
Contact Information:
For enquiries and clarifications relating to the process for submissions or criteria, please contact:
javid.mammadzada@britishcouncil.az
Confidentiality and Privacy:
The British Council will treat as confidential all information provided to it and contained within the expressions of interest. The British Council reserves the right only to share the name of the selected organisation / institution into which it enters into partnership.