Catering Services Rating (Submariner)

Being a Catering Services Rating (Submariner) in the Royal Navy is a job that’s literally miles from what you could do at home. Not only will you become part of the Silent Service, the highly specialised team at the forefront of our nation’s defence, you’ll also embark on a catering career like no other, where you’ll cook for the boat’s crew as well as deliver high-end front of house service to visiting VIPs and royalty when the submarine is in port. But first and foremost, you’re a Submariner, which means joining the unique team that’s ready at a moment’s notice to take on highly classified missions, anywhere in the world.

Your role involves:

• Learning all the ins and outs of running a highly efficient commercial kitchen, including responsibility for ordering, receiving, and accounting for provisions to sustain the menus you’ll write.
• Offering the highest level of premium front of house experience and the behind-the-scenes organisation that enables it.
• Maintaining high morale and wellbeing of your crewmates during mealtimes.
• Becoming a highly trained, efficient submariner capable of firefighting, delivering first aid, and potentially driving the boat itself.

Pay & benefits include:

• A £5,000 bonus for earning your ‘Dolphins’, the mark of the Submarine Service.
• A starting salary of at least £26,334, increasing up to £64,866 as a WO1 basic pay.
• Additional Submarine Pay awarded on completion of submarine training, starting at £6,106 and raising to £10,690 depending on time served as a Submariner.
• Additional Submariner pay each day at sea when fully qualified.
• An excellent pension scheme.
• Six weeks of paid holiday every year.
• Free medical and dental care.

Qualifications you’ll gain include:

• Study for GCSEs, A-Levels, NVQs or a degree.
• Gain specialist vocational qualifications as your career progresses, including an apprenticeship 12 months after completion of training.

Skills you’ll develop:

• Every aspect of cooking, running a commercial kitchen, and delivering a hospitality event of the highest standard.
• Teamwork, management, and leadership skills.

Eligibility requirements:

• Aged between 16 to 44 (you can start your application from 15 years and 9 months old, but must be at least 16 years old on the day of entry to basic training).
• No qualifications are required for this role.
• Must be a United Kingdom citizen or British Dual National (Dual Nationality restrictions apply).
• Must have lived in the UK for 5 years continuously prior to application.
• Minimum height of 157cm.
• Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28 (between 17 and 27 if under 18).

Skills & Interests:

• A keen interest in high standards of food and hospitality.
• A cool head for the pressures of a busy kitchen.
• A problem-solver with a common sense approach, who can work well as part of a team.
• A real sense of adventure, with a high level of physical and mental fitness.

Joining Process:

• Submit an application.
• Defence Aptitude Assessment (DAA).
• Interview.
• Candidate Preparation Course (CPC).
• Start training.

Career Progression includes:

• Phase one training: 10 weeks at HMS Raleigh, learning basic military skills.
• Phase two training: Develop professional skills and start your Apprenticeship.
• First year: Submariner training, time at sea, and earn ‘Dolphins’.
• First promotion - Leading Hand.
• Leading Rates Command Course, manage galley and junior Caterers.
• Second promotion - Petty Officer.
• Become a Caterer and take on a senior managerial role.