Mine Clearance Diver
You’ll identify mines or other explosives and dispose of them, whether they’re in shallow water or out at sea.
High interest role
This is a highly competitive role with potential long lead time to join.
You may wish to consider joining the Royal Navy in one of these similar roles:
- £18,500 - £56,000
- No qualifications
- Surface Fleet
- Warfare
- Rating level
£25,200
£56,383
Extra pay
6 weeks
Travel
Zero
When the unmanned systems can’t be used to dispose of a device, I’m the person everyone looks to. Knowing that I’m playing a big part in keeping people safe is a great feeling.
Role details
What you’ll do
From the moment you join, you’ll train to become a world-class diver, wherever you are in the world. Being a Royal Navy Mine Clearance Diver means you’re part bomb disposal master, part sub-aqua specialist. Because there’s only a handful of divers on any ship, you’ll form close bonds with your team and be central to their – and your crewmates’ – safety. This is one of the most physically demanding roles in the Royal Navy. And it’s hugely rewarding too.
Your role
- Play a central role in maritime counter-terror operations, whether you’re shore-based or on board a ship.
- Work collaboratively and inspire team morale, from pairing up on dives, to helping prepare your mate’s equipment.
- Embrace constant challenges, develop your skills, and have the opportunity to progress quickly to a Command role.
- Learn how to deal with a range of ordnance, from state-of-the-art mines to World War Two devices.
Pay & benefits
- A salary that rises to at least £25,200 after initial training
- Earn in excess of £56,383 as your career develops
- An excellent pension scheme
- Six weeks of paid holiday every year
- Free medical and dental care
- Additional diving pay of at least £4.62 per day when qualified
Skills for life
Qualifications you'll gain
- We’ll make a contribution towards GCSEs, Masters degrees, and everything in between
- Specialist vocational qualifications as your career progresses
Skills you'll develop
- The ability to work accurately and calmly under extreme pressure in challenging and potentially dangerous situations
- How to use hydraulic tools and hand tools to conduct basic underwater engineering
- Various search methods on air and mixed gas diving life support equipment while working to a maximum depth of 60 metres
Eligibility
- Aged 18 to 37
- You must be a United Kingdom citizen or British Dual National. Dual Nationality restrictions do apply
- You must have lived in the UK for 5 years continuously prior to application
- A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28 (between 17 and 27 if under 18)
- A full UK Driving Licence covering manual vehicles must be held when you apply
Skills & Interests
- An ability to thrive in high-pressure situations
- A love of teamwork
- A passion for life at sea
- A sense of adventure
- A high level of physical and mental fitness
Joining Process
From picking your role to starting on your first day, these are the steps you'll take to join as a rating.
Submit an application
Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA)
You’ll be tested on: Verbal Reasoning, Numerical Reasoning, Work Rate, Spatial Reasoning, Electrical Comprehension and Mechanical Comprehension.
To prepare, you can practise the DAA
Interview
Diving medical test
Specific to the rigours of being a diver
Pre-Joining Fitness Test Plus (PJFT+)
Three circuits of 20 x burpees, 30 x sit ups, 20 x press ups and a one minute plank. On completion of the three circuits you will have to perform a set of five pull ups. You will do this at a fitness centre near you
Candidate Preparation Course (CPC)
This four-day induction to life in the Royal Navy, including a Swimming Test and a fitness assessment, is a pass or fail course
Start training
Career Progression
our Royal Navy career begins with 10 weeks’ initial training at HMS Raleigh, a shore base in Torpoint, Cornwall. The discipline, teamwork, organisational, firefighting and weapon handling skills you learn here will stay with you right through your career.
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