Pros
Exciting chance to work abroad while having some form of a safety net. The role has varied responsibilities and experience depends so much on the individual school. British Council organise a three-day, proper introduction to the role. Decent pay considering very few working hours. The application process is long but straightforward. Could be a useful trial-run of teaching if that's a career you want to go into. The Language Assistant scheme means that there is quite a good social side to things and it is easy to get in touch with peers. Ultimately, I had a really good experience.
Cons
Health insurance is limited to acute illness, which means you will have to buy your own if you have any form of health condition. They avoid making this clear to people (presumably to avoid criticism as it's discriminatory), which can lead to a lot of confusion and frustration. Low hours mean that the work doesn't pay enough to live on. Slow, rude, or non-existent responses to queries from British Council full-time UK-based staff. Slightly strange data-sharing policies - contact details (phones and emails) were shared with a wide group of international language assistants without this being explained beforehand.