Royal Navy officer
Royal Navy officers manage ship and submarine operations and are responsible for all personnel under their command.
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
As a Royal Navy officer, your duties will depend on your role.
You could:
- gather intelligence to support operations planning
- navigate a ship or submarine
- pilot aircraft and helicopters
- manage the maintenance of a vessel's engines, weapons systems and communications
- co-ordinate the delivery of supplies and equipment
- provide medical care to staff and their families on ships, submarines and ashore
Working environment
You could work at a military base, on a ship or in a warzone.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding and outdoors in all weathers.
You may need to wear a uniform and protective clothing.
Career path and progression
With experience you could be promoted to sub-lieutenant, lieutenant, commander and the higher ranks.
Throughout your navy career, you'll have the opportunity to gain qualifications in your area of expertise.
You could apply to join the UK Special Forces as a Regular or a Reservist. Get information on how to join UK Special Forces Reserves.
On leaving active service, you could use your skills, qualifications and experience to go into a new career. You can find details about support and opportunities from:
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- leadership skills to manage and motivate personnel
- 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
Restrictions and Requirements
You'll need to:
- be a UK, Republic of Ireland or Commonwealth citizen
- have a good level of fitness
- pass a medical check
- pass security checks
- pass enhanced background checks
- be at least 145cm tall
How to become
You can get into this job through:
- a university course
- applying directly
If you have a degree, you can apply through the Direct Graduate Entry route.
For some officer roles you'll need specific qualifications and experience, for example:
- a degree in science, technology, engineering or maths (STEM) to be an air engineering officer
- an approved degree in medicine to join as a medical officer
You can start applying before you finish your studies, as the process can take up to 6 months. If you're accepted, you'll attend Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, Devon, to begin officer training.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- 2 to 3 A levels, or equivalent, for a degree
More Information
You can join the Royal Navy Reserve to get some experience of what life is like in the service, and to learn new skills at the same time.
You'll need to:
- be between 18 and 42
- commit to basic training which includes a 2-week course at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth
If you're between 12 and 18 years old, you can join the Sea Cadets.
You can apply directly for officer training.
You'll 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 qualifications
Age limits vary depending on which officer role you're interested in.
If your application is accepted, you'll be invited to talk to someone at your local armed forces careers office about what you want to do. You'll also have a medical and fitness check.
There will be further assessments and interviews to complete and if you're successful, you'll be offered a place on a full officer training programme.
Career tips
You will need to pass physical fitness assessments, including swimming, to be accepted into the Royal Navy. Get fit to Join has information on how to check your current fitness and how to improve to the level required.
Further information
You'll find more details about how to become an officer from Royal Navy Careers.
Related videos
Suggested videos
Coffee With is in early release mode with a limited number of videos. New videos are being added every week, so please check back for updates.
External links
This page contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.