Armed forces careers

Defend the country while travelling with the world with a career in the UK armed forces. The British Army, Royal Air Force (RAF) and Royal Navy offer a huge range of jobs. Learn more about roles and how to join

The nation's land, air and sea-based armed forces take part in combat, peacekeeping and humanitarian missions around the world to ensure the safety and security of the UK.

The number of UK service personnel currently stands at 180,780. From soldiers, sailors and pilots, to engineers, medics, musicians, instructors, logistics officers and intelligence analysts, there are countless career opportunities available with the UK armed forces, depending on your skills, interests and qualifications.

Careers in the British Army

Army jobs

The British Army recruits for more than 100 roles, both full and part time, in seven categories. Here are some examples of what's available:

Combat - aviation communication specialist, infantry officer, paratrooper, tank crewman, operational officer.
Engineering - armourer, technical officer, cyber engineer, electronics technician, vehicle mechanic.
HR, finance and support - educational and training services officer, HR officer, Royal Military Police (RMP) soldier, Army legal services.
Intelligence, communications and IT - intelligence officer, operator military intelligence, supply chain operative.
Logistics and support - driver, chef, logistics/support officer, port operator.
Medical - biomedical scientist, doctor, mental health nurse, radiographer, veterinary technician.
Music - household cavalry officer, household cavalry soldier, musician.

Routes into the Army

A degree isn't essential, you can join the Army from 16 years of age as a Junior Soldier, before progressing to a Regular Soldier once you turn 18.

However, if you're a graduate you'll most likely enter the Army as an Officer or Specialist (depending on your qualification). Specialist roles usually demand higher salaries and include roles such as:

biomedical scientist
chaplain
dentist
doctor
legal officer
nurse
pharmacist.

Officer or Specialist level positions are equivalent to leadership or managerial positions in civilian life, although you can still sign up as a Regular Soldier if you prefer.

Army salaries look like:

£25,200 for Soldiers from their first day of training
£33,183 for Officers while training at Sandhurst and £39,671 after training.

If you'd like to gain an insight into the life of an Army Officer you can complete a paid, 12-month Army Officer Internship, before, during or after your degree.

Alternatively, if you're interested in joining the Army part time - with a minimum commitment of 19 days per year - consider the Army Reserve (AR), previously known as the Territorial Army (TA).

Learn more about ways to join and the training required for each role.

Army apprenticeships

For entry-level Soldier roles the Army offer more than 40 apprenticeship schemes spanning three levels, including:

intermediate (Level 2)
advanced (Level 3)
higher (Level 4).

You can complete an Army apprenticeship in:

animal care
business administration
construction
engineering
logistics
public services and health
telecommunications and IT.

Find out more about Army apprenticeships.

Army entry requirements

In terms of your age you must be:

16 years old to join as a Soldier
aged between 18 and 29 to join as an Officer
17 years and nine months when you apply to join as a Reservist.

You don't usually need any qualifications to join the Army as a Soldier. If you'd like to apply as an Officer you'll need GCSE and A-level passes as a minimum. To be a Specialist you'll generally require a degree or professional qualifications.

To join the Army you'll also need to be a British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen.

You need to be in a good state of physical fitness as all applicants are required to pass a medical assessment and fitness test including:

multistage fitness test (beep test)
seated ball throw
mid-thigh pull.

Criminal convictions don't necessarily exclude you from entry but you need to be honest in your application and declare any 'spent' or 'unspent' convictions.

Tattoos that are offensive, obscene or racist will stop you from joining the Army, as will tattoos on the head/face. Hand tattoos are acceptable. Piercings that alter the way you look will also bar you from joining.

For more information on Army entry requirements see Army Jobs - Can I apply?

How to apply to the Army

You can apply online and attend an interview with a local recruiter. Get interview tips to help you succeed.

If you're applying as an Officer next you'll travel to Westbury in Wiltshire to have an Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB) assessment. This includes a two-day briefing with physical and practical exercises, followed by a four-day Main Board where you'll put your skills into practice.

Following an offer of employment, you'll go on a pre-commissioning course before starting a 44-week course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) in Surrey.

To learn more see Army Jobs - Application process.

Join the Royal Air Force (RAF)

Jobs in the RAF

The Royal Air Force (RAF) splits jobs into the following professions:

Aircrew - pilot, weapon systems officer/operator.
Air and space operations - air and space operations specialist, air cartographer, air operations (control/systems) officer, air traffic and weapons controller, firefighter, aviation data analyst, flight operations manager.
Cyberspace - communications infrastructure technician, cyberspace communication specialist, engineer officer (communications electronics), joint cyber unit.
Engineering - aircraft technician (avionics/mechanical), electrician, engineer officer (aerosystems), general technician (workshops), vehicle and mechanical equipment technician, survival equipment specialist, weapon technician.
Ground combat and security - RAF regiment gunner, RAF police.
Hospitality - chef, air and ground steward.
Intelligence - intelligence analyst, intelligence analyst (linguist), intelligence officer.
Logistics - driver, logistics officer, mover, supplier.
Medical services - biomedical scientist, dental nurse/officer, environmental health practitioner, medical officer, medical support officer (pharmacist/physiotherapist), nursing officer, operating department practitioner, radiographer, registered nurse (adult/mental health), RAF medic, student nurse (adult).
Music - musician.
People operations - media operations officer/specialist, people operations officer, physical training instructor, photographer.

Routes into the RAF

You'll start your career in the RAF as either an Enlisted Aviator (who make up the majority of RAF personnel) or an Officer. You can join as an RAF Regular, who are full-time personnel or you can sign up part time as a Reserve.

Entry salaries for Enlisted Aviators stand at £25,200 and Officers £33,100.

RAF apprenticeships

Another entry route is through an RAF apprenticeship. There are currently 22 roles to choose from, such as:

aircraft technician
chef
cyberspace communication specialist
electrician
intelligence analyst
photographer
RAF medic
RAF police
RAF Regiment gunner
survival equipment specialist
weapon technician.

The qualifications you can earn span a range of levels, from intermediate apprenticeships (Level 2), equivalent to GCSEs all the way through to degree apprenticeships (Level 7), equivalent to a Masters degree.

Learn more about RAF apprenticeships, or apprenticeships in general.

RAF eligibility criteria

You need to be aged between 16 and 54 to join the RAF, although applications can be started when you're 15.

You don't need any qualifications to join as an Enlisted Aviator, but to become an Officer you need to hold A-levels, equivalent qualifications or a university degree depending on the role.

Nationality requirements also differ depending on the role but British citizens, born in the UK usually meet all requirements.

You'll need to pass a medical exam and fitness standards, you might also need to take a swimming test or prove your ability to drive.

RAF application processes

Once you've decided which role is for you, checked the entry requirements and are ready to apply, visit the RAF recruitment website.

There are six or seven steps in the application process depending on the role you're applying for. For Enlisted Aviators it looks like:

an aptitude test
selection interview
health assessment
fitness test
acceptance
basic training.

For Officers:

filter interview
health assessment
fitness test
one-day Officer and Aircrew Selection Centre (OASC)
two-day familiarisation visit
acceptance
training.

Royal Navy roles

Jobs in the Royal Navy

The Royal Navy employs around 37,000 people and is organised into five services:

Fleet Air Arm - fighter jets and helicopters.
Royal Fleet Auxiliary - provides fuel for ships and supplies for personnel.
Royal Marines - an elite amphibious fighting force.
Submarine Service - also known as the 'Silent Service', it carries the Trident missile system.
Surface Fleet - destroyers, frigates, minesweepers, aircraft carriers.

Across these five Naval services there are five broad professions:

cyber
engineering
healthcare and medical
logistics and catering
warfare.

Within these categories there are more than 100 roles available - from aircrew officer, pilot and medical officer to mine warfare specialist and weapon engineer officer.

Routes into the Royal Navy

You can join the Royal Navy as a Rating or an Officer. Joining as a Rating is usually the entry point for school leavers or those without qualifications. Officers are the managers and leaders of the service and typically hold A-levels or a university degree.

Joining in either capacity means you’ll work for the Royal Navy full time.

Earnings differ depending on your role but as a baseline:

Ratings earn £25,200 upon joining
Officers £33,000.

You can also sign up to the Royal Navy as a Reserve - a part-time role you’ll fulfil alongside your regular employment.

Another option is to join the Royal Marines as a commando, officer or reserve. Learn more about joining the Royal Marines.

Royal Navy apprenticeships

You can join the Royal Navy as an apprentice, in fact the service offers more than 20 apprenticeships across different roles.

Usually taking 12 to 18 months to complete, broadly speaking people join two main schemes:

Rating (intermediate apprenticeships)
Accelerated apprenticeships (engineering).

Discover more about Royal Navy apprenticeships.

Royal Navy entry requirements

To join the Nay you need to:

be between 16-39 to join the Navy, although you can apply from 15 years and nine months
be a British, Irish or Commonwealth citizen
have a good level of physical fitness and pass the required medical exams
complete a security check and declare any previous spent or unspent convictions
be able to remove any piercings and to not have any offensive, obscene or racist tattoos or any tattoos on your face/head/throat or ears.

How to apply to the Royal Navy

Application methods can differ slightly depending on the service you'd like to join but if you'd like to sign up as an Officer you'll typically:

submit an online application form
complete a Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA)
attend a formal selection interview
undergo medical and fitness assessments
attend the Admiralty Interview Board (AIB)
begin your training.

To join as a Rating you'll:

submit an online application form
complete a Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA)
attend a formal selection interview
complete a four-day Candidate Preparation Course (CPC)
start your training.

For more information visit Royal Navy Joining Process.

Inclusion and wellbeing in the armed forces

Women have been allowed to serve in all British military roles - including frontline infantry and Special Forces since 2018 and according to the government's UK armed forces biannual diversity statistics: 1 April 2024 release there are now around 16,220 women serving in the British Army, either in the UK or abroad - making up just over 11.7% of the total workforce, an increase of 0.2% on the previous year.

Learn more about Women in the Army and Women in the Royal Marines.

Figures from the same GOV.UK report showed that personnel from ethnic minority groups made up 11.2% of the UK forces (15,310 personnel) in April 2024.

Find out more about what's being done to increase inclusion:

Mental health is tracked, as the latest Ministry of Defence (MOD) UK Armed Forces Mental Health annual summary showed that in 2023/24 one in eight (13%) of the UK armed forces were seen in military healthcare for a mental health related reason. Similar to the general population women sought help more than males.

Veteran mental health charity Combat Stress is available to support regulars, reserves, veterans and their families through bereavement, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and other forms of stress.

Other charities such as the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) have campaigned for greater equality in the armed forces, with the Army recently setting up an LGBT Forum to offer advice and support to all LGBT+ serving personnel.

Read about diversity in the workplace.

Find out more

Search graduate jobs with the British Army.
Explore our law enforcement and security job profiles.
Consider joining the police.