Royal Navy Graduates

The Royal Navy’s role is rich and varied which, naturally, means yours will be too. You could find yourself helping prevent global conflict or delivering vital humanitarian aid. You’ll also receive internationally recognised qualifications, with first-class leadership training that will put you head-and-shoulders above other candidates for the rest of your career.

We have opportunities for high-calibre, self-starting graduates to become Royal Navy officers. As an officer you will be an important part of our command structure, charged with managing the men and women that make up our world-leading maritime defence. You’ll also have access to an almost limitless career ladder as well as training and leisure activities that few other organisations can provide.  

You might choose to work towards further qualifications, such as a masters degree, or you could find yourself managing up to thirty colleagues within two years. And, that’s not to mention world travel, private dental care and the potential to earn over £25,000 from day one.

What's it like?

Live

In our officers’ words: “It’s more than a job.”; knowing that you are part of something this important will give you a feeling of enormous pride whenever you put on your uniform.

But make no mistake - it’s not easy. You’ll be pushed mentally, physically and professionally. The hours can be long. There will be periods when you’re away from home and you won’t always have access to home comforts like social media. 

This will be challenging, at first, but spending long periods in close quarters with your colleagues creates an intense camaraderie. You have the ultimate support network to help you embrace the challenges of being an officer. This, along with the knowledge that you are fulfilling a vital role, means our officers enjoy a sense of pride and purpose every day.

The special camaraderie is not just limited to professional situations, though. Whether you’re serving at sea or spending time ashore, you’ll always have access to a dedicated officer wardroom, giving you somewhere to eat, relax and socialise after a hard day’s work – wherever you are in the world. You’ll always have access to sports facilities, too.

Lead

As an officer, you’re an essential part of Royal Navy command. You’ll be applying skills and knowledge gained from your degree, as well as what you learn during training, to lead a team of up to 30 men and women in circumstances that can be difficult and challenging. These situations can change; you could be delivering vital humanitarian aid to victims of a natural disaster or leading an armed boarding party in search of a drugs shipment, but your leadership capabilities will need to be exemplary for the safety of you and those under your command.

What do I get?

Training 

We invest extensively in training that is 100% tailored to the needs and interests of our officers. It will give you a broad range of transferable skills in your chosen field, much more quickly than other employers. So if you want to pursue postgraduate study or work towards being a Chartered Engineer, for example, you can. We’ll pay for it and give you the time to study - how far you go is up to you. If you decide to switch career, you’ll find yourself at the top of the pile.

Personal Development 

Life as a Royal Navy officer is challenging. It’s demanding and it will push you to mental and physical limits you didn’t even know you were capable of. We call it lifelong learning, and exam certificates and qualifications are just the start. Thanks to the breadth of experience officers have, you’ll develop professional and interpersonal skills that are invaluable in every aspect of your life.

Support

You’ll have all the support you need to reach your career goals and personal ambitions. But you’ll also have the support of your crewmates and colleagues who will become your close friends. Not only that, when you’re on operations, you’ll usually get access to home comforts including TV, email access and your favourite treats via the on-board shop. Most of the time you’ll be able to get in touch with family and friends via satellite phone and social media.

Benefits and Pay

• Earn over £27,000, as soon as you start training
• Earn over £32,000 as soon as you finish training
• Earn up to £45,000 within two years of qualifying as an officer
• Twelve year commissions mean that you are guaranteed a job for this period, but you can leave sooner if you would like to*
• Receive a £27,000 joining bonus for Engineer Officers, Environmental Health Officers and Training Management Officers
• Work on advanced technologies, in unique and challenging environments
• Six weeks of paid holiday every year, on top of public holidays
• Free medical and dental care
• Free accommodation while at sea and financial help with your on-shore accommodation
• Subsidised travel
• Excellent non-contributory pension scheme (i.e. you don’t have to pay into it)
• The possibility of adventurous training, twice a year (including skydiving, scuba diving, mountaineering and skiing)
• Travel the world, and protect our nation's interests. Every day
• The opportunity to study for a master's degree completely paid for

What do I need?

To complement a unique career and lifestyle, you get specialist training programmes for transferable skills should you decide to move on. There’s also a pay and Becoming an officer in the Royal Navy takes focus and fitness, dedication and determination. It means being able to think quickly and act smartly in challenging situations, when your team are looking to you to lead them.

We’ll equip you with the tools you need to succeed, so that the vital decisions you need to make on the job become second nature. Whether you’re orchestrating an anti-piracy operation off the Somali coast or distributing food parcels in Haiti, you’ll know exactly what to do.

Focus and Fitness

Fitness, in body and mind, is imperative. And it’s not just the 2.4km run you have to do before you even start training, or the physical fitness levels you’ll need every day as an officer. It means mental sharpness and agility, too. It means being able to focus on the situation in hand, while never losing sight of the bigger picture.

Dedication and Determination

You’ll be getting stuck in from the moment you start training, and we’re there to support you. But that doesn’t mean we’ll be holding your hand - you’ll need to be dedicated and show determination from day one, because your ability to lead in challenging situations is paramount.

Eligibiliy and Qualifications 

We’re looking for people with leadership potential. Who think on their feet and are responsible. People who aren’t afraid of a challenge and know the value of teamwork – because at the end of the day, lives are at stake.

There are minimum academic standards we expect from all our officer candidates. Some specialist roles also require a particular subject or level of qualification. Currently the standards are:

• 5 GCSEs at grades A-C, including English Language and Maths
• 180 UCAS points from the UCAS tariff table, which must include 2 non-overlapping subjects and each subject must be allocated at least 45 UCAS points
• Engineering & Medical roles require relevant degree qualifications
• You must have normally gained qualifying subjects within a maximum spread of 13 months and they need to be of a sufficient academic content. We will also consider equivalent educational qualifications.