Life as an SPS Officer

You will complete the Commissioning Course at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, where you’ll learn to lead soldiers with authority. After commissioning you will attend the Detachment Commanders’ course at the home of the Adjutant General’s Corps in Winchester for an 11-week course in administration, finance and IT training. Once complete you will post to your first unit where you will remain for two years and continue to learn on the job as a Detachment Commander.

You will learn to command a team of soldiers and take responsibility for the administrative support they provide. This is no desk job – you travel all over the world with your unit, thinking on your feet and making quick decisions as you go. Your soldiers look to you for advice, but you get all the training you need to prepare you for your role.

Officer training is accredited by the Defence Awarding Organization, Institute of Leadership and Management and Chartered Management Institute, ranging from Levels 4 to 7.

• Professional Recognition Awards from City and Guilds.
• Personal development opportunities to undertake degrees in HR Management or Business that include membership of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development.
• Opportunity to gain Chartered Institute of Management Accountants qualification.

From the moment you begin your training you'll get all the support and encouragement you need to make a success of your career. Work hard and you'll soon get promoted, which means more responsibility and extra pay. And you'll have plenty of opportunities to get qualifications that are recognized by civilian employers.

Second Lieutenant

On commissioning, you become a Second Lieutenant. You are second-in-command of a team of about 20 soldiers. You are responsible for their teamwork, training, welfare and career development.

Lieutenant

You’re promoted automatically to Lieutenant after a year. The job doesn’t change, but your pay increases. At this stage, your main objective is to use your experience and leadership skills to the benefit of the team. You will begin training for promotion to Captain and move onto another unit after completing your first tour of two years.

Captain

You’ll attend courses to learn more about military tactics and develop your leadership skills. After 4 years you will attend the Regimental Administrative Officers (RAO) course and move onto a new unit as an RAO aka the head of the Detachment with a focus on providing financial services to the unit.

Qualifications you need to have:

• Minimum 180 UCAS points from at least 2 A-level passes prior to 2017 or 72 UCAS points from a maximum of 3 A-levels from 2017.
• 35 ALIS points at GCSE (34 for SCEs) from 7 GCSE/SCE subjects (including Grade C in English, Maths and a science or a foreign language).
• Age 18 years to 29 years and 11 months.
• Applicants over the age of 29 and 11 months must be a Confirmed Cadet with the AGC (SPS) prior to going to RMAS; more info will be provided after application.

You should be interested in:

• Helping people
• Decision making & responsibility
• Leading & managing people
• Technology
• Adventurous training and sports

Experience you have or would like to get:

• Leadership
• Finance & accounting
• Human resources
• Computing/IT
• Media communications

Once you have applied and passed Army Officer Selection Board Briefing you are welcome to join us for a three day Officer Familiarization Visit. This can be booked through your Candidate Support Manager. We look forward to meeting you soon!