Coastguard
Coastguards co-ordinate search and rescue operations, monitor shipping and organise pollution clean ups around the UK coastline.
- Starter salary£25,000 a year
- Experienced£37,000 a year
- Typical hours40 to 43 a week
What you'll do
As a coastguard, your duties will depend on whether you work in an operations centre or in the rescue service.
You could:
- give advice about sea and coastal safety
- monitor radio and satellite communications, as vessels pass through UK waters
- offer navigational support and send out weather and tidal reports
- respond to emergency distress calls
- co-ordinate air and sea resources
- take part in search and rescue operations
- handle reports of wreckage, pollution or debris along the coast or at sea
- train staff and volunteers
Working environment
You could work in an office or at sea.
Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- knowledge of public safety and security
- customer service skills
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- sensitivity and understanding
- leadership skills
- the ability to work well with others
- physical fitness and endurance
- to be able to use a computer and the main software packages competently
How to become a coastguard
You can get into this job through:
- working towards this role
- volunteering
- applying directly
Work
You may be able to work your way into this role by starting as a coastguard watch assistant and applying for promotion when you've got more experience.
To apply, you'll need literacy, numeracy and IT skills.
Volunteering
Voluntering is a good way to get experience of working in the coastguard service. You could volunteer to become a coastguard rescue officer .
You'll need to be:
- over 18
- physically fit
- live close to your chosen coastguard station
As you get more experience, you could apply for a paid position when vacancies are advertised.
Direct application
You can apply for jobs with HM Coastguard if you have relevant skills and knowledge. Jobs include call centre operations and maritime watch services.
You'll need a good standard of literacy and numeracy, and good eyesight and hearing.
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
- meet the Civil Service nationality requirements
- be over 18 years of age
- pass a medical check
- pass a fitness test
- have a full driving licence
- pass background checks
- pass security checks
You'll need to live within 30 minutes of the coastguard rescue location you wish to work at.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could become a senior coastal rescue officer, or control centre operations manager.
You might specialise in a particular area of work, such as:
- vessel traffic management
- anti-pollution and salvage
- maritime security
You could also work in other parts of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency .
Career tips
For some jobs, it may be helpful to have experience working at sea. This might be from:
- the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force or the Merchant Navy
- sailing or working at sea
- teaching watersport activities
- volunteering as a coastguard rescue officer
Guides for this industry
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Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0