Royal Marines Reserve

What is the Royal Marines Reserve?

  • Both Men and Women can become part of the elite amphibious element of our Maritime Reserves, making up just 1% of our nation’s overall tri-service reservists.
  • Training is much more arduous than the Royal Navy Reserve, with a greater commitment required to prepare you for the rigours of the Commando Course – the same assessment undertaken by everyone who wears the green beret.
  • As soon as you’re trained, you’re deployable. That means working alongside your regular counterparts, wherever you’re needed most. From conflict zones to the scene of a natural disaster, you’ll need to seamlessly transition from civilian to elite soldier.
  • You’ll start as a General Duties Rifleman within your RMR Unit. After a few years in that role, you will have the opportunity to choose a specialisation. The main specialisations are Landing Craft Coxswain, Assault Engineer, Heavy Weapons (Mortars) and Swimmer Canoeist.
  • The Royal Marines Reserve is a key part of our overall ‘trained strength’. This elite team is just 600-strong, with the demands of staying at the very top of your game meaning only the most dedicated last the course. In return they get an exciting career that runs parallel to your everyday life.

What's it like?

Tough. Unless you’re joining as an ex-regular Royal Marine, getting through training will be the biggest challenge you’ve ever tackled. And once you’ve done it? That’s when you get your own green beret and are deployable to wherever you’re needed, all over the world.

You’ll need to attend your weekly drill nights and regular training weekends to stay ready for action. And when you are required, you’ll take your place alongside your regular counterparts. And pride isn’t all you’ll get in return. You’ll get paid for training, at the same rate as your regular equivalent. On deployment your salary will be supplemented to the same level as your civilian job.