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Catering Services (Chef) (Submariner)
Job Role

Catering Services (Chef) (Submariner)

With a £5,000 bonus for earning your 'Dolphin's' as part of the Silent Service, you’ll join a unique team and learn how to run a successful commercial kitchen on highly classified missions.

Fast trackFood and drinkHospitalityCateringLogisticsApprenticeshipsChef
  • £18,000 - £68,000
  • No qualifications
  • Submarine Service
  • Logistics
  • Rating level

At a glance

Complete with a £5,000 bonus for earning your 'Dolphins', this is a catering career that’s miles from what you could do at home. You’ll be part of the Silent Service, the highly specialised team at the forefront of our nation’s defence, and develop your catering skills in a unique environment.

Chef preparing food
It gets hot and hectic, but I love the buzz of being in the kitchen. Everyone looks forward to meal times – it’s really social – which makes it so satisfying, and being part of the Submarine Service makes it even more important.

Jon

Caterer (Submariner), Logistics branch

Role details

What you’ll do

Being a Caterer (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 moments notice to take on highly classified missions, anywhere in the world.

Your role

  • Our world-class training means you’ll learn 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, as well as learning how to offer the highest level of premium front of house experience and the behind the scenes organisation that enables it
  • Be part of the team whose role is about a lot more than just food. Your crewmates, at all levels, look forward to mealtimes, so you’ll be responsible for maintaining their high morale and wellbeing
  • Learn additional, crucial skills: you’ll become a highly trained, efficient submariner capable of firefighting, delivering first aid and, if it calls for it, driving the boat itself

Pay & benefits

  • A £5,000 bonus for earning your 'Dolphins', the mark of the Submarine Service
  • A salary of at least £23,000 as soon as you finish training
  • Additional Submariner pay each day at sea when fully qualified
  • Earn in excess of £68,000 as your career progresses
  • An excellent pension scheme
  • Six weeks of paid holiday every year
  • Free medical and dental care

Skills for life

Qualifications you'll gain

  • 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

  • You’ll learn every aspect of cooking, running a commercial kitchen and how to deliver a hospitality event of the highest standard, regardless of the operational pressures of what is going on around you
  • As a Submariner you’ll learn how to take teamwork to a whole new level, while also developing management and leadership skills

Eligibility

  • You'll need to be aged between 16 to 44
  • No qualifications are required for this role
  • 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
  • You need to be a minimum height of 157cm
  • A Body Mass Index (BMI) between 18 and 28 (between 17 and 27 if under 18)
  • Pass the Naval Swimming Test
     

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

From picking your role to starting on your first day, these are the steps you'll take to join as a rating.

Career Progression

From responsibilities to pay, find out where this role can take you.

Got a question?

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