Royal Marines Officer

Typical Salary

£25,700 To £49,958

Typical Hours

Variable variable

evenings / weekends / bank holidays away from home

How To Become a Royal Marines Officer

You can get into this job through:

applying directly

College / University

Apprenticeship

Apprenticeship are not listed for this job.

Routes into this Career

Routes into this Career are not listed for this job.

You can apply directly for marines officer training.

You'll need to be:

aged between 18 and 25
at least 151.5cm tall (no limit for women)
physically fit

You'll also usually need a minimum of:

5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths
2 A levels or equivalent

If your initial application is accepted, you'll be invited to talk to someone at your local armed forces careers office about what you want to do. This is followed by assessments, which include medical and fitness checks.

If you get through the first stages, you may be offered a place on a 4-day Potential Officers Course that includes basic training and further assessments. If successful, you'll go onto a full officer training programme.

Other Routes

Other Routes are not listed for this job.

Skills And Knowledge

You'll need:

leadership skills to manage and motivate commandos
excellent verbal communication skills
thinking and reasoning skills for making quick decisions
persistence and determination
patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
concentration skills
the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
the ability to work well with others
to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently

Day To Day Tasks

You could have a specialism like:

landing craft officer - planning and leading beach assaults
signals officer - overseeing radio communications
heavy weapons officer - weapons deployment and tactics
weapons training officer - advising on the use of small arms and training snipers
Special Boat Service (SBS) officer - carrying out special missions
mountain leader - leading and instructing commando troops in mountain exercises
intelligence officer - collecting, coordinating and interpreting intelligence reports
pilot officer - flying aircraft and helicopters physical training and sports officer – developing and supervising training
staff duty officer - dealing with administration, training, planning and logistics

Working Environment

You could work on a ship, in a warzone or at a military base.

Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding and outdoors in all weathers.

You may need to wear protective clothing and a uniform.

Career Path & Progression

After 3 years as a lieutenant, you could progress to captain and then on to higher ranks.

You could move into other careers once you leave the marines, depending on the skills, training and qualifications you've developed during your service.

The Career Transition Partnership, Quest and Troops to Teachers have more information on careers outside the armed forces.

Volunteering Opportunities

You can join the Royal Marines Reserve as an entry officer to get experience of life in the service and to learn new skills at the same time.

You'll need to be aged between 16 and 42, or 16 and 56 if you're an ex-regular.

If you're between 13 and 18 years old, you can join the Royal Marines Cadets.

Tips & Information

Further information

You'll find more details about how to become an officer in the Royal Marines from the Royal Navy.

Restrictions & Requirements

You'll need to:

meet the Royal Marines officer nationality and residency rules
have a good level of fitness
pass a medical check
pass enhanced background checks
pass security checks