Army officer
Command and motivate soldiers to work as a team in dangerous situations. Take responsibility for their welfare, training and discipline.
About the job
What it's like
Looking for a leadership role within the British Army? As an army officer, you'll lead a team of soldiers to complete a mission or task.
In this role, you'll make quick decisions about what to do during dangerous and stressful situations. Army officers are responsible for the training, welfare, fitness and discipline of the men and women under their command. It's your job to make sure soldiers have the equipment, skills and support they need.
As an army officer, you’ll manage the soldiers in your unit. You'll also supervise new recruits and help them integrate into your team alongside their training. Your unit could help with peacekeeping and humanitarian missions as well as working in combat zones.
Your exact duties will depend on which Arm you join and what type of job you do. You'll join one of three sections within the British Army.
Combat Arms
As an army officer in a Combat Arms unit, you'll lead troops who are involved in fighting. For example, you may be involved with the Infantry, Armoured Corps or Cavalry.
There are a range of roles you could do within Combat Arms. These include:
infantry platoon officer – lead a team of 30 trained soldiers on operations
helicopter pilot – take responsibility for your crew and support ground troops
tank troop officer – you'll be in charge of 12 soldiers and their vehicles
artillery troop officer – manage a team of 30 soldiers and their weaponry
Combat Support Arms
You'll lead a unit that works in artillery, engineering, information technology (IT) and communications, intelligence, logistics or healthcare.
There's a range of roles you could do within Combat Support Arms. These include:
troop commander – leading groups of soldiers or engineers
intelligence officer – fronting teams that analyse enemy capabilities, movements and threats
specialist engineer officer – you could work in bomb disposal, infrastructure projects or water supply
Combat Service Support
As an army officer within Combat Service Support, you'll keep a group of soldiers supplied, moving, healthy and administratively ready to fight.
You're unlikely to fight on the front line, but these roles are vital. For example, you may work for the Royal Logistic Corps and lead a team that delivers food, fuel and ammunition to soldiers.
Army officers within this area can also become nurses, veterinary officers or dental officers – among many other things!
Explore more information about this job
Here are some useful links to learn more about this career:
The British Army – learn how to become an army officer
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- resourceful
- cooperating
- verbal communication
- developing a plan
- making decisions
- motivating others
- taking responsibility
- delegating
- resilience
- adaptability
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
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PE (Physical education)
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Skills for Work: Uniformed and Emergency Services
There are a few routes you can take to become an army officer.
Direct application
You'll usually start training between 18 and 28 years old. You'll need some Highers to apply.
You must also be a British citizen, Irish citizen or a Commonwealth citizen (sometimes with Indefinite Leave to Remain depending on recruitment status or specific role).
The application process has a few stages. Once you've applied online, you'll be invited to an assessment centre. This will include initial fitness tests, medical screening and some online aptitude tests.
If successful, you'll be invited to the Army Officer Selection Board (AOSB). This is more comprehensive than the initial assessment centre. This'll include leadership tasks, planning exercises, interviews, fitness tests (like the bleep test, press-ups, sit-ups and running), medical exam and aptitude tests.
Work
You can join the British Army as a soldier and apply internally for promotion.
University
Some army officer roles require you to have a degree. For example, you'll need a degree if you want to become a doctor, solicitor or vet.
You can use the My World of Work course search to find degrees.
College
Getting qualifications at college, such as an HNC or HND, could strengthen your army officer application. All qualifications are good, but some particularly useful ones include:
Business
Management and Leadership
Administration and Information Technology
Engineering (all frameworks)
Mechatronics
Computing
Public Service
Social Science
Healthcare Practice
Some officers start in the Army Reserve to gain experience, skills and familiarity with Army life. If you perform well, you can apply to transfer to regular (full-time) Army service.
You can apply to join the Army Reserve at 17 years and 9 months, but you can’t start training until your 18th birthday.
The maximum age for joining the Army Reserve is generally the day before your 50th birthday. Although, some specialist roles may have lower limits.
Learn more about becoming an Army Reserve
If you're aged between 12 and 18, you can join Army Cadets. This'll help you get early exposure to military structure, discipline, drill and teamwork.
You must be aged between 18 and 28 years and 11 months to apply for army officer roles. Although, you can secure a conditional place before you've turned 18 – explore Army bursaries and scholarships.
Aged 29 or older? You may be considered on a case-by-case basis, if you can get sponsorship from a regiment or corps during the application process. Higher age limits for professional or specialist applicants may apply.
If you have a tattoo that's offensive, obscene or racist, it'll prevent you from joining the Army. Small tattoos that are not offensive are usually acceptable, depending on their size, location and visibility. Tattoos on your head or face are not allowed. If you have a tattoo, the best approach is to visit your nearest British Army Careers Centre to check whether it meets Army standards.
Some body piercings may also prevent you from joining the Army.
The Army carries out random, compulsory drugs testing. If the tests find you've been using drugs, you're highly likely to be discharged.
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