Royal Marines officer
Royal Marines officers lead commando teams on security, combat and relief operations.
Also known as: Commando officer
- Starter salary£36,000 a year
- Experienced£65,000 a year
What you'll do
As a Royal Marines officer, you could:
- plan frontline assault operations and tactics
- lead commando troops on exercises in extreme environments
- manage weapon systems
- make judgements on intelligence reports
- fly aircraft and helicopters
- make sure troops are ready to move at short notice
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.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- leadership skills to manage and motivate commandos
- 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
How to become a royal Marines officer
You can get into this job through:
- applying directly to the Royal Navy
Volunteering
You can join the Royal Marines Reserve as an entry officer to get experience of life in the service and to learn new skills at the same time.
You'll need to be aged between 18 and 42, or 18 and 56 if you're an ex-regular.
If you're between 13 and 18 years old, you can join the Royal Marines Cadets .
Direct application
You can apply directly for marines officer training .
You'll need to be:
- aged between 18 and 25
- at least 145cm tall
- physically fit
You'll also usually 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
If your initial 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 will then do the Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA) followed by medical and physical fitness checks, and interviews.
If you get through the first stages, you will be asked to attend a two-and-a-half-day course at the Royal Marines training centre at Lympstone in Devon. If successful, you'll go onto full officer training.
You will complete a Chartered Management Institute qualification in Management and Leadership during training. You may take other qualifications depending on which specialism you choose to follow.
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
- meet the Royal Marines officer nationality and residency rules
- have a good level of fitness
- pass a medical check
- pass enhanced background checks
- pass security checks
Career path and progression
After 26 months you will be promoted to captain and then on to the higher ranks.
Throughout your Royal Marines career, you'll have the opportunity to gain qualifications in your chosen field.
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:
- Quest
- Career Transition Partnership
- Forces Employment Charity
- Get Into Teaching
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.
Guides for this industry
Related roles
- Job roleRAF officer
- Job roleArmy officer
- Job roleSoldier
- Job roleRoyal Marines commando
- Job roleRoyal Navy officer
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0