- physical fitness and endurance
- persistence and determination
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- concentration skills and quick reactions
- active listening skills and the ability to work in a team
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- thinking and reasoning skills for making quick decisions
- physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
You'll have a specialism like:
- landing craft officer, planning and leading beach assaults
- signals officer, overseeing radio communications
- heavy weapons officer, in charge of weapons deployment and tactics
- weapons training officer, advising on the use of small arms and training snipers
- Special Boat Service (SBS) officer, carrying out special missions
- mountain leader, leading and instructing commando troops in mountain exercises
- intelligence officer, collecting, coordinating and interpreting intelligence reports
- pilot officer, flying aircraft and helicopters
- physical training and sports officer, developing and supervising training
- staff duty officer, dealing with administration, training, planning and logistics
You may need to wear a uniform and protective clothing.
You could work in a warzone, at a military base or on a ship.
Your working environment may be physically and emotionally demanding and outdoors in all weathers.
With training and experience you could move up through the ranks and get a commission to become an officer.
You could go into a wide range of careers after leaving the marines. The Career Transition Partnership, Quest and Troops to Teachers have more information on careers outside the armed forces.
You'll find more details about how to become a commando from the Royal Navy.
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