Meteorology Officer

Service:Surface Fleet
Branch:Warfare
Level:Officer
Technology
Warfare
Sciences
Management
Officer at the Met Office
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High demand role

This is a highly competitive role with a potential long lead time to join.

You may wish to consider joining the Royal Navy as a Hydrography and Meteorology Specialist.

Hydrography and Meteorology Specialist

At a glance

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£31,000

Your minimum salary from day one

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£38,500

Earning potential after two years

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6 weeks

Of paid holiday every year

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Free

Medical and dental care

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Management

Opportunities early on

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Travel

All around the world

What you’ll do

From the Caribbean to the Antarctic, you’ll lead the way in collecting, processing and analysing meteorological and oceanographic information. Using your excellent leaderships skills, you’ll play an important part in preparing key missions, coordinating the teams that analyse environmental factors around the globe. Once you’ve trained as a Meteorology Officer, you can then specialise in either hydrography, or meteorology and oceanography.

If you have questions, talk to us

call us 0345 607 55 55

Your role

  • Process and communicate essential environmental data to use to our operational advantage>
  • Maintain some of our most vital international partnerships, either through training domestic teams, or by using your expertise to help allies
  • If you specialise in hydrography, you'll most likely spend your time on board a survey vessel
  • As a Meteorologist you'll focus on the tactical implications of weather and atmospheric conditions for our aircraft, ships and submarines

What you’ll get

Skills for life

Qualifications you'll gain

  • There’s potential for a degree and even a Masters 
  • Internationally recognised professional qualifications, with a significant financial contribution from us

Skills you'll develop

  • Unique Naval leadership and management skills that are highly valued by civilian employers
  • Focussed expertise in hydrography, meteorology or oceanography

Career progression

Phase one training

Initial Naval Training at Britannia Royal Naval College

Phase two training

Professional training, Basic HM Course at HMS Drake

First year

Enhance your skills, study scientific theory, go to sea

First promotion – Lieutenant

Responsible for the day-to-day running of the department

Second promotion - Lieutenant Commander

Advanced training, choose Hydrography or Meteorology

What you'll need

Eligibility

  • You must be aged 18 to 39
  • You’ll need a minimum of 72 UCAS points. These can be accrued from either GCE A/AS levels (or equivalent) or National Diplomas (e.g., BTEC)
  • BSc degrees or FdSc are required as a minimum
  • Qualifications in Meteorology are preferred
  • You’ll need at least 5 GCSEs at grades A*-C (9-4) (or Scottish equivalent), which must include English and Mathematics
  • 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)
  • Pass the Naval Swimming Test
     

Skills and interests

  • Strong analytical thinking and decision-making abilities
  • An ability to thrive in high-pressure situations and extreme conditions 
  • A confident leader who can also work well in a team
  • A sense of adventure

 

Check Eligibility

Starting your career

Joining process

Once you’ve confirmed your eligibility, the joining process is as follows:

  • Submit an application

    Once you’ve registered your interest and have satisfied the basic eligibility criteria, you will be sent an online application form

  • 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

    A formal interview to talk through your suitability for the role

  • Medical and eye tests

    These are quite comprehensive and must be completed by one of our Ministry of Defence-approved doctors

  • Pre-Joining Fitness Test (PJFT)

    This involves completing a 2.4km run on a treadmill within a certain time, at a fitness centre near you

  • Interview

    You’ll have a short interview to assess your suitability for a career in the Royal Navy, and to ensure you’re ready for the Admiralty Interview Board (AIB)

  • Admiralty Interview Board (AIB)

    This stage is unique to officers and takes place in two parts. A Pre Recorded Interview (PRI) is an online assessment which assesses your motivation to join the Royal Navy as an officer and your awareness of the Royal Navy. The Group Planning Exercise (GPE) is the second stage of the AIB and is an online competency based assessment which will take place on a separate day to the PRI. It will be conducted in a virtual group environment and you will be assessed on your contribution to the team based on your individual performance

more about the joining process

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Initial training

You’ll spend 30 weeks training at Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC) in Dartmouth, focusing on: Military Skills, Maritime Skills and Initial Fleet Time. The military skills phase includes learning leadership and teamwork skills, and the principles of command and management. You will put this into practice during several exercises on Dartmoor.

Aim to get yourself as fit as you can before you arrive. You’ll be doing a lot of physical exercise, and you’ll find it much easier if you’re already in good shape.

There's also a swimming test, so if you can't swim, make sure you learn by the time you join us.

more about initial training

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Professional training

Once you’ve successfully completed your initial training, your professional training at the Flag Officer Sea Training Hydrology and Meteorology School begins. It includes:

 

  • A 14-week basic surveying course, which covers charting and geodesy
  • A 19-week Meteorology course, covering global weather, oceanography and hurricanes
  • Gaining a BSc in Maritime Science and a postgraduate certificate in Environmental Studies

more about professional training

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