Artillery Officer - Reserve

Royal Artillery

At a glance

  • Officer
  • combat

Lead soldiers, give orders and take charge of some of the Army’s most valuable and powerful weapons, all while honing your management skills.

BEING AN ARTILLERY OFFICER ALLOWS ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO COMMAND MY TROOPS IN A VAST ARRAY OF ENVIRONMENTS ACROSS THE WORLD.

Royal Artillery officers find, watch, track, fix and strike the enemy as well as protect our own forces. You will find our officers on the front line and across all areas of the battlefield: integrated with the Infantry and Armoured Corps and in all major HQs supporting the Commander through coordinating and controlling weapons systems from all three Services (not only Royal Artillery weapons).

The Royal Artillery is the heart of the action - everywhere across the battlefield - providing the British Army with its eyes, ears and firepower. Using high-tech surveillance devices and uncrewed aircraft, the Royal Artillery finds the enemy. We then monitor them before striking decisively. We do this by co-ordinated use of our guns, rockets and missiles, the Army’s attack helicopters and other weapons, including fast jets and even the guns of Royal Navy ships.

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Key Responsibilities

  • Command the most powerful and valuable weapons on the battlefield

  • Challenge and hone your leadership abilities

  • Experience the most varied job roles in the British Army

  • Travel the world

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Master of your craft - Gunner Crew video still

Reserve (part time)

Entry requirements

  • Age:

    From 18 years & 0 months to 42 years & 6 months

  • Qualifications:

    Qualifications: 72 UCAS points and 35 ALIS points at GCSE, (including minimum grade C/4 in English, Maths and a science or foreign language)

  • Basic physical fitness assessment:

    • Mid Thigh Pull 76kg

    • Medicine Ball Throw 3.1m

    • MSFT (beep test) level 8.07

    More information about the fitness test

Training for the role

Step 1
You’ll need to pass the Army Reserve Commissioning Course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. You can complete this in modules or in one go, depending on your circumstances.

Step 2
A special Royal Artillery Troop Commanders' course helps you adapt your leadership skills to your new unit. Most training takes place during evenings and weekends, so it fits easily around your day job.

Qualifications you could get after training

  • Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM)

  • Chartered Institute of Personnel Development

  • Chartered Management Institute

  • City and Guilds Certificate in Human Resource Management

  • Edexel/BTEC Certificate in Management Studies

Pay & benefits

You'll get paid a day rate according to your rank, starting from £83.31 per day once you have passed Army Officer Selection and rising to £99.60 per day once you've commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. This includes being paid for weekly drill nights. Plus, if you complete all of your annual training, you're entitled to a tax-free lump sum called a bounty.

More about Reserve benefits

How to Apply

When you decide to apply, your local unit will help you through the process - you don't need to wait until you've finished Army Assessment to get involved.

To join, you have to apply online. The application process will take some time, but you can also ring the unit you're interested in joining - the team there will help often invite you to join them for drill nights, and you'll get support for your application.

More about the joining process