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Job Role
Royal Marines Reserve
Job Role

Royal Marines Reserve

Complete the same Commando Course as our regulars – in your spare time – and deploy with them all over the world.

AdventureCiviliansCombat and securityApprenticeships
  • No qualifications
  • Royal Marines
  • Royal Marines Reserve
  • Rating level

At a glance

Joining the Royal Marines Reserve means being a part-time soldier but a fully trained Commando. You’ll be part of the world’s most elite amphibious force, ready to deploy anytime, anywhere – and who stop at nothing.
Marine pointing a gun
I’ve been able to work that really matters on a national and international level. I get to wear my green beret with pride wherever I go, because I’ve earned it as much as anyone else.

Henry

Royal Marines Reserve

Role details

What you’ll do

Joining the Royal Marines Reserve means being a part-time soldier, but a fully trained Commando. You’ll do the same Commando course as everyone who wears the green beret, but you’ll spend evenings and weekends completing the same standards and times.

It’s your opportunity to add a challenge to your everyday life, using your newly developed skills in operational environments, all over the world.

As soon as you’re trained, you're deployable, which means going wherever you’re needed, from conflict zones, to areas hit by humanitarian crisis.

Your role

  • Learn management and leadership techniques in an environment that’s far removed from any office, and excel in a career that runs alongside your day job. You could find yourself deployed to operate anywhere from the most treacherous swamps to the barren Arctic.
  • Develop a wide range of new skills through your military training, and gain the unique personal qualities like a level of determination, discipline and organisation that can only come from earning your green beret.
  • Play an active role in global operations, doing the same job as your regular counterparts, as part of the most elite amphibious fighting force in the world.
  • Choose a specialisation and gain a range of new skills that can be applied directly to operational situations. You could become a Heavy Weapons Specialist, landing Craft Coxswain, PTI, Assault Engineer or Swimmer Canoeist.

Pay & benefits

  • Extra pay and allowances if you’re mobilised
  • Annual tax-free bounty subject to meeting the minimum training commitment
  • Paid leave in proportion to the number of training days attended
  • Uninterrupted membership of the non-contributory Armed Forces Pension Scheme
  • Expenses and allowances when training
  • Continued access to the Royal Marines superb sports and fitness facilities

Skills for life

Qualifications you'll gain

  • A Level 5 Diploma in Management and Leadership from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI)
  • Vocational qualification based on your chosen specialisation

Skills you'll develop

  • Determination, discipline, and confidence that will transfer into your civilian life
  • A level of physical and mental excellence that will see you shape your life

Eligibility

  • You must be aged 16 to 32 when you start training
  • The upper age limit may be waived for applicants with previous Royal Marines experience as a trained rank depending on specialisation, currency and rank
  • Qualification requirements vary depending on the role
  • A National of the United Kingdom, A Commonwealth Citizen or Dual National
  • Minimum height of 145cm
  • A maximum BMI of 28 (there may be some exceptions to this maximum if your waist measures less than 94cm) 
  • A minimum weight of 65kg or a minimum BMI of 23
  • Must pass Royal Marines Reserve Selection Weekend
  • Pass the Naval Swimming Test

Skills & Interests

  • A desire to be part of a team
  • A need for adventure
  • Maintained 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.

Career Progression

From responsibilities to pay, find out where this role can take you.

Got a question?

Our virtual recruiter is available to answer your questions 24 hours a day

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