Joining the Royal Navy

Qualifications

Young recruits with no qualifications whatsoever are able to fill several important roles, such as an engineering technician on submarines, member of the administrative staff – known as “writers” – or diver.

The addition of GCSEs, or equivalent, opens up many more possibilities – including naval nurse and communications technician – and to apply to become an officer you will need 160 UCAS points plus five GCSE passes, including maths and English.

A guide to the points tariff system can be found at on the UCAS website.

The navy also offers a sponsorship scheme under which recruits can receive bursaries towards their college and university studies.

Joining the navy

If you want to join the Royal Navy – either as an officer or an ordinary seaman, known as a “rating” – you should first visit your local Armed Forces Careers Office, which can be found in the phone book or on the Royal Navy website.

You will be given a series of tests designed to judge your numeracy, comprehension of English and mechanical aptitude. Later, you will undergo an interview with a careers officer, followed by a medical examination.

Before you can be accepted, you will have to be given security clearance by the Ministry of Defence.

Finally, if you are selected you will be invited to attend a four-day Royal Navy Acquaint Centre Course in Scotland, where you will be given a taste of naval life, without commitment before you begin naval training.

Officer recruits will be expected to face the Admiralty Interview Board, a three-day assessment that includes a number of psychometric tests, a 45-minute essay, a fitness try-out and leadership tasks. Finally, there is an interview with the board. You will be told if you have passed by the afternoon of the final day.

Eligibility

To be eligible for a career in the Royal Navy, you must be no younger than 16 years old at the time of entry (17 for officer recruits) and no older than 36, though some officer positions have different maximum ages. To apply to join you must be at least 15 years and nine months old, and if you are under 18 you will need your parents’ permission.

As in the army and RAF, there are height restrictions for some roles. For instance, an aircraft handler must be at least 166cm (about 5ft 5in), while other branches expect their recruits to be no shorter than 151.5cm (around 5ft).

Health is important in all divisions of the British armed forces, and the Navy demands that its recruits are in “robust condition and free from disease or pre-existing injury”. As a recruit you will have to pass a full medical examination, and your application will be rejected if:

• You suffer from diabetes
• You suffer from epilepsy
• You have suffered from asthma in the past four years
• You suffer from colitis, Crohn’s disease (or other bowel complaint) or have had your spleen removed
• You suffer from rheumatoid arthritis (or any other bone or joint disorder)
• You have ever suffered a detached retina or had a corneal transplant

The navy does not discriminate on grounds of race, religion, ethnic origin, social background or gender. Your application will be rejected if you are or have been a member or supporter of any organisation or group that promotes racial hatred.

Further reading

Visit the Royal Navy website, or see the UK Net Guide articles Joining the Army and Careers in the RAF.

If you have found this article helpful then please have a look at UK Net Guide’s site job centre, we hope there are lots of jobs that you can find in lots of areas. After you have performed a search click on any jobs advertiser’s logos, this should tell you more about the employment offer.

11 comments

sera
16/05/2012

hi, i was wondering what happens after we have already filled and sent the application requirements and there was no reply ? should we re-apply ?

 

ANASA KOROITAMANA
07/05/2012

hi..my name is anasa and iam in vocational iam taking carpentry and joinery and iam in 18yrs old. i had finished model1 in TPAF in narere and wating for receiving my certificate.

 

UK Net Guide
16/04/2012

Hi Anasa, There are links to the Navy's site in the article above, and a link to the application from in the comments below. Regards, UK Net Guide

 

ANASA KOROITAMANA
15/04/2012

iam 18 yrs old and iam truly want to join the royal navy can you please give me one website to apply for the royal navy.

 

ANASA KOROITAMANA
15/04/2012

I want to apply on royal navy

 

Mac Steward Vetau
12/04/2012

Hi! My name is Mac Vetau, I,m a Fijian and I want to join the British Royal Navy. I'm in form 5 and i takes pure Commerce which is ACCOUNTING, ECONOMICS AND COMPUTER.

 

Mac Steward Vetau
12/04/2012

Hi! My name is Mac Vetau, I,m a Fijian and I want to join the British Royal Navy. I'm in form 5 and i takes pure Commerce which is ACCOUNTING, ECONOMICS AND COMPUTER.

 

UK Net Guide
30/01/2012

Hi Robert, Your first point of contact if you are interested in joining the Navy will be this online application form. You can also call their recruitment number; 08456 07 55 55 All the Best, UK Net Guide

 

Robert
28/01/2012

How do I get the application form to join the navy

 

UK Net Guide
17/01/2012

Hi Nikita, You need to be British, Irish or have a Commonwealth citizenship to join the Navy, so it depends on you citizenship status. All the Best, UK Net Guide

 

nikita
13/12/2011

hi,i just want to know if im from another country would i be able to apply for a job in your field since im a maritime graduate. regards, nikita

 

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