Army officer Job Information | National Careers Service

The work

The army is made up of regiments and corps, divided into:

• Combat Arms - troops directly involved in fighting, such as the cavalry, armoured corps, air corps and infantry
• Combat Support Arms - providing support to the Combat Arms, in areas such as artillery, engineering, IT and communications, logistics, and healthcare.

Your exact duties as an army officer would depend on the Arm you work in and what type of job you do. For instance, in the Combat Arms, you could be a platoon commander, leading a team of 30 trained soldiers on operations. You could also be a battlefield helicopter pilot, with responsibility for your crew and supporting ground troops.

In the Support Arms, you might continue to follow your profession and work as a nurse, medical or dental officer, veterinary surgeon, chaplain, logistics specialist or engineer.

Whichever part of the armed forces you work in, you would be responsible for the operational effectiveness, training, discipline, welfare and career development of the soldiers under your command.

Hours

Your hours could be long and irregular during exercises and operations, and you may be separated from your family for long periods.

You could be deployed or posted in the UK or overseas. You could face a range of testing challenges, conditions and situations depending on your role and regiment. You would spend a lot of time on training exercises; you may also be in an office as a manager, in an engineering workshop or field hospital.

Income

Your pay as an army officer depends on your rank and how long you have served.

Non-Graduate Officer Cadets earn around £15,300 a year while training.

Graduate Officer Cadets earn £24,100 during training.

Lieutenants earn between around £29,000 and £32,000 a year.

Salaries of higher ranks (from Captain to Brigadier) range from £37,200 up to £98,900 a year.

Entry requirements

To become an officer you must:

• be aged between 17 years and 9 months and 28 years (upper limit could be higher depending on the role)
• meet the army nationality requirements
• pass a full army medical
• have at least five GCSEs (A-C) including English, maths and a science or foreign language, plus two A levels or equivalent qualifications (180 UCAS points).

Once you show an interest in becoming an Army Officer you would be interviewed by an experienced Careers Adviser. If you show the required potential the next stage is to attend the Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB) Briefing. This is a one-and-a-half day filter selection. Successful applicants would then be invited to attend the AOSB Main Board, which is a rigorous three-day selection process that tests your physical and mental abilities and your suitability to potentially become an officer. If you pass this phase you would then be offered a place on the 44-week Commissioning Course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS).

There is a separate entry process and shortened commissioning course of only four weeks for professionally qualified applicants (i.e. nurse, doctor, medical/dental officer, lawyer, veterinary surgeon or chaplain). Additional financial incentives are offered to encourage professionally qualified individuals to consider the Army as a career.

For those still in education the Army offers financial incentives to progress through A levels (or attend the Defence Sixth Form College at Welbeck), Army Scholarship Scheme, Undergraduate Cadetship or Undergraduate Bursary.

For those at university you can gain Army experience, and get paid, by joining the University Officer Training Corps. This gives a real feel for Army life but without any commitment on joining at the end of your time.

An Army Officer career is open to all applicants, but currently females cannot apply for commissions in the Household Cavalry, Royal Armoured Corps or Infantry.

Training and development

You would begin training as an Officer Cadet on the 44-week Commissioning Course (CC) at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst (RMAS). The course includes training in leadership and management, tactics, weapons and physical fitness.

After passing the CC, you would receive your commission and leave RMAS to join your corps or regiment as a Second Lieutenant. You would then begin specialist junior officer training to prepare you to lead a troop or platoon in your particular Arm or service.

You would also receive regular training throughout your career, to develop your skills and prepare you for promotion through the officer ranks.

Skills and knowledge

To be an army officer, you will need to have:

• the ability to lead and motivate others
• self-discipline and confidence
• teamworking skills
• the ability to give and follow orders
• IT skills
• excellent communication skills
• the ability to take responsibility and make decisions
• good fitness levels
• good organisational skills
• a willingness to go into combat.

More information

Welbeck Defence Sixth Form College
Forest Road
Woodhouse
Loughborough
Leicestershire
LE12 8WD
www.dsfc.ac.uk

British Army
Tel: 08457 300111
www.army.mod.uk

Opportunities

You could progress through the officer ranks, from Second Lieutenant to Major General, Captain, Major, Lieutenant Colonel and beyond. There is a constant need for new recruits, so suitable candidates and good quality candidates are always in demand, but competition for places is fierce.

Contact your local Army Careers Office for more information and advice. See the Army Jobs website to find your nearest centre.

You could move into a wide range of careers once you leave the army. The type of work you might do would depend on the skills, training and qualifications you gained whilst serving.

Your army resettlement officer can discuss your options before you leave, and you can also find details about careers and training options (including civilian jobs) in the Questonline magazine.

You may find the following links useful for vacancies and general reading (links open in new window):

• British Army (Jobs section)
• Questonline

Job profiles are based on the latest information supplied to us by industry bodies, such as Sector Skills Councils. Please be aware that with the introduction of the Qualifications and Credit Framework there has been, and will continue to be, changes to vocational qualifications. For more information, please check with industry bodies directly.

We do not accept responsibility for the content of external sites.