Accountancy and Book-keeping
Whether you want to work as an accountant or book-keeper yourself, or if you’re thinking of starting your own business and need to get more of an idea of what looking after your own finances involves, read on …
Airport Roles and Ground Crew
It takes more than pilots, engineers and cabin crew to keep flights operational. Transferring your air transport-related skills to an airport-based role could see you get off to a flying start in a civil aviation career … while your feet stay firmly on the ground!
Auditing
Transitioning from military service to a civilian career presents unique opportunities and challenges. One promising career path for veterans is in the field of auditing, a profession that offers the chance to leverage the skills and discipline acquired during service. This guide provides an overview of what auditing entails, the skills needed, how to qualify, and further steps to take in pursuing this career.
Aviation Security
Aviation security staff are critical to maintaining safety in the air travel industry, adeptly managing challenges ranging from disruptive behaviour on flights to sophisticated threats like international terrorism. They address issues such as drunkenness and smuggling, but also use advanced technologies and methods to pre-emptively identify and mitigate risks. This role requires not only resilience and vigilance but also a strong aptitude for operating security technologies and systems. Ready to contribute to one of the most complex and critical aspects of modern infrastructure? Join the ranks committed to protecting passengers, crew, and the entire aviation network.
Breakdown Services
Attention to those transitioning from the armed forces! If you've served and are gearing up for a new chapter, this Breakdown Service Career Guide is tailored just for you. Skills such as logistics management, mechanical aptitude, and crisis response from your military service are highly valued in the world of breakdown services. Let's navigate this path together and uncover how your expertise can drive a fulfilling and impactful career beyond the forces.
Building Trades
Want to turn your talents to a practical career on leaving? Together, the building trades make up one of Britain’s widest-ranging industry sectors, offering many different roles to choose from – and perhaps the firm foundation you’ve been seeking for your next career …
Business Start-up
Starting a business can be an enticing prospect, especially in times where flexibility and autonomy are valued. However, venturing into self-employment comes with its own set of challenges and rewards. While it offers independence and the chance to explore your entrepreneurial spirit, it equally demands unwavering commitment and resilience.
Care Work
The healthcare sector, of which care work forms a significant part, is an amazingly diverse area of employment that offers a range of opportunities to Armed Forces leavers. Could you work in care?
Catering Management
As an enormous, wide-ranging sector, the catering and hospitality industry offers an array of opportunities and a strong framework for progression. Could catering management be the career you’ve been waiting for?
Charities Sector
If you want to continue to make a difference after leaving the Armed Forces, a career in the charities sector offers a way to earn while also supporting a good cause …
Close Protection
The various sectors of the security industry offer a huge range of job roles that are particularly suitable for ex-Forces personnel – and a close protection career in particular could well be your perfect next step. Read on to find out how to become a close protection officer …
Computing and IT
The strong growth of tech-related employment in the UK sends a clear message to anyone considering career opportunities in this sector: there’s a multitude of exciting openings. Are you ready to unlock them?
Construction
Lay a firm foundation for yourself with a future that’s safe as houses in one of the variety of practical and supervisory career options offered by a career in the construction industry
Consulting
If you've been involved in roles that require analytical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication, you may find a career in consulting both rewarding and well-suited to your skill set. Consulting, often regarded as a critical driver of business strategy and performance, offers a dynamic and challenging environment.
Cyber Security
Embarking on a career in cybersecurity is a journey into the heart of the digital frontier, where the guardians of cyberspace thrive. In this guide, we navigate the landscape of cyber skills careers, delving into the technical expertise that defines this dynamic field. Whether you're drawn to the intricacies of ethical hacking, the strategic dance of incident response, or the cryptic world of network security, this guide is your compass. Join us as we explore the essential skills, certifications, and pathways that pave the way for a fulfilling and impactful career in cybersecurity. Your journey into the realm of cyber skills starts here.
Cyber Skills
A push to engage veterans with cyber skills is currently taking place, as more businesses look to utilise the unique skills of this group.
Digital Infrastructure Industry
Digital infrastructure serves as the essential foundation of our modern world, encompassing everything from data centres and cloud computing to broadband networks and cybersecurity systems. Let’s delve into the intricacies of the industry, shedding light on why embarking on a career in this dynamic and cutting-edge sector holds tremendous promise for Service leavers. Beyond financial rewards, it opens doors to engaging and fulfilling professional pathways.
Driving Instruction
Do you have a driving ambition? Driving instruction is a profession that offers varied opportunities and flexible employment to those of the right temperament. If that sounds like you then buckle up and read on …
Drone Operator Training
With the growing demand for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, across multiple industries, transitioning into a career as a commercial drone operator offers an exciting and rewarding opportunity for those leaving the British Armed Forces. Whether it's aerial photography, surveying, or even parcel delivery, your military experience provides the perfect foundation for this rapidly expanding field. In this guide, we’ll walk you through what’s involved in becoming a commercial drone operator, including the qualifications needed, relevant transferable skills, and how to leverage your Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC).
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Power up your future with a career in electrical or electronic engineering, whose applications span a host of diverse industries
Emergency Planning and Business Continuity Management
Emergency planning and business continuity management represent two distinct yet intimately connected disciplines within the realm of organizational resilience and crisis management. Here we explore the nuances and intersections of these vital fields, offering insights into their unique roles, challenges, and contributions to safeguarding both people and operations against unforeseen disruptions. By examining emergency planning and business continuity management side by side, we'll uncover the synergies that enable organizations to not only survive but thrive in the face of adversity.
Emergency Services
If you are looking to continue in public service post-Forces, a career in the UK’s emergency services could well be for you. Police, Ambulance, Fire and Rescue, Coastguard …? You are highly likely to have exactly the skills and aptitudes that make you well equipped to say ‘yes’ to 999!
Engineering careers
Engineering is a vast and diverse employment sector that demands a blend of hands-on skills and advanced technical knowledge. Many ex-Forces personnel find themselves well-positioned in this field, bringing highly valued personal attributes and a strong foundation in both practical and digital skills. As we delve into the engineering career guide, we’ll explore the dynamic landscape of this sector, offering insights and opportunities for those transitioning from military service.
Financial Services
If you’ve been in a finance-related role while in uniform, you’re likely equipped with valuable skills that could open doors in the dynamic world of finance – a sector of constant growth and opportunity in the UK…
Franchising
Leaving the military is a monumental step. For many veterans, the transition to civilian life brings new opportunities—but also uncertainty. Among the many options available, franchising stands out as a powerful route to business ownership that aligns with the structure, discipline, and leadership skills gained in service. In this updated 2025 guide, we’ll walk through the ins and outs of franchising, what makes veterans excellent franchisees, and how you can navigate this opportunity with clarity and confidence.
Gas Installation and Maintenance
A shortfall of qualified engineers means there’s never been a better time to pursue a career in this expanding sector …
Health and Safety
Today's health and safety professionals are on a mission to protect the workforce by adopting a proactive and preventive stance against issues like injuries, accidents, and equipment failures. Do you possess the qualities to be part of this crucial endeavour?
Health and Safety in the Construction Industry
Do you have what it takes to join today’s health and safety professionals playing a vitally important role on-site?
Healthcare
Transitioning from the British Armed Forces to a civilian career can be both exciting and challenging. For many veterans, the healthcare sector offers an ideal opportunity to continue serving the public while leveraging the skills and experiences gained during military service. With a growing demand for healthcare professionals across the UK, there are numerous pathways to explore, including roles within the NHS, private healthcare, and emergency services. This guide aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the career opportunities available in the healthcare sector, helping former service members navigate the transition and find fulfilling roles that align with their strengths and ambitions.
Highway Maintenance
Transitioning from the British Armed Forces to a civilian career can be a challenging yet rewarding journey. One field that offers stability, opportunities for growth, and the chance to continue serving the public is highway maintenance. This guide will provide you with all the information you need to understand what's involved in this career, the daily responsibilities, how to leverage your military experience, and the steps to secure a job in highway maintenance.
Horology
What makes horology (the study of clocks and watches) an ideal hobby – or even a promising new career direction – for practically minded Service leavers?
Human Resources
This time it’s personnel! When you make the leap to the civilian workplace, maybe human resources could be the career for you?
Land-Based Careers
Transitioning from the British Armed Forces into civilian life can be a daunting experience, but many ex-service personnel find land-based careers to be a natural fit. These roles, which encompass agriculture, forestry, conservation, and environmental management, offer a hands-on, outdoor work environment that appeals to those accustomed to physical activity, structure, and discipline. This guide will provide you with a comprehensive overview of land-based careers, how to leverage your military experience, and the steps to secure a fulfilling role in this rewarding sector.
Law
If you haven’t yet considered law as a profession, Ahmed Al-Nahhas, partner and solicitor-advocate at London-based law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp, explains the variety of opportunities it offers that might make it a very advantageous career move – it may even offer you the chance to help other ex-Service people and maintain your connection with the Forces …
Locksmith
A career as a locksmith requires many different skill-sets. These, complemented by the appropriate training, can make it a rewarding, well-respected occupation – and perhaps the key to your success in the civilian workplace
Logistics and Distribution
Transitioning from military to civilian life presents a wide range of career opportunities, and logistics and distribution continues to be one of the most accessible and rewarding sectors for ex-Service personnel. In 2025, this industry is not only thriving—it is transforming. From automation and artificial intelligence to sustainability initiatives and global trade shifts, the logistics landscape is more dynamic than ever.
For Armed Forces leavers, this evolution represents a golden opportunity. The skills you developed in uniform—strategic thinking, coordination, leadership, and the ability to operate under pressure—are perfectly aligned with the demands of civilian logistics roles. Whether you've overseen supply operations on deployment, managed fleets of vehicles, or coordinated multi-modal transport networks, your experience is directly transferable.
Management and Leadership
For veterans transitioning from the British Armed Forces, a career in management and leadership provides an excellent opportunity to apply the skills honed during military service in civilian roles. Leadership positions across a variety of sectors require strong decision-making, team management, and strategic thinking—all skills veterans have developed through their service. This guide explores the steps to transitioning into management, including leveraging military experience, gaining qualifications, and accessing training options. Whether you aim to manage teams or lead large projects, this guide will help you navigate the transition and find success in a leadership role.
Media
For veterans transitioning from military service, the media industry presents exciting opportunities to apply their unique skills and experiences. The world of media, encompassing television, film, digital platforms, and public relations, is dynamic and values the discipline, leadership, and communication skills honed in the military.
Oil and Gas
A career in the UK’s oil and gas industry in 2025 offers Armed Forces service leavers a dynamic and evolving opportunity. While the sector has historically been associated with offshore drilling and remote installations, it has expanded to encompass a wide array of cutting-edge fields. From digital transformation and carbon capture to renewable integration and clean energy innovation, today’s oil and gas industry is as much about the future as it is about fuelling the present.
Personal Trainer
In the realm of fitness, the mainstream has embraced a significant transformation. Approximately one in every seven individuals in the UK holds a gym membership, signalling a surge in fitness involvement across the nation. This surge, propelled by various media channels like social media, TV, blogs, apps, and games, has led to an amplified demand for skilled and certified fitness professionals. The need for these professionals has never been more pronounced, given the substantial volume of individuals engaging in fitness pursuits.
Project Management
Organised, methodical, good at keeping work on track, confident about meeting deadlines and happy to take on responsibility? If you recognise your own skill set here, project management (aka PM) could be the perfect match for you …
Rail Industry
As the UK intensifies its efforts to decarbonize transportation and modernize its infrastructure, the rail industry has emerged as a national priority. With growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions and deliver sustainable transport networks, the UK rail sector is experiencing significant investment, innovation, and demand for skilled professionals. For Armed Forces leavers, this presents an outstanding opportunity to transfer military experience into a high-growth, high-impact industry.
Renewables
If you’re seeking a career that keeps you at the forefront of innovation, where technology and communication are constantly evolving, a future in the telecoms industry might be the perfect fit. As one of the fastest-growing sectors, telecoms offers endless opportunities to engage with cutting-edge technologies like 5G, fiber optics, and cloud communications. Whether you're looking to work in engineering, network management, or project coordination, the telecoms sector provides a fast-paced, challenging, and rewarding environment. Consider making the connection with a career that’s always moving forward.
Risk Management
Ready for risk? The skills required to ‘know your enemy’, and the development of tactics to counter that enemy, are basic risk management aptitudes. This means that, without even knowing it, you may have spent a significant proportion of your Services career preparing for a role in this industry – and could well be more ready than you know for a rewarding new career in risk management …
Road Transport Driving: Licences and Qualifications
Leaving the British Armed Forces can be a significant life transition, but the road transport industry offers a wide range of opportunities for those with the right skills and qualifications. With increasing demand for drivers in logistics, freight, public transport, and more, transitioning into this sector could provide you with a stable and rewarding career.
Security
The security industry presents an exciting and rewarding career path for those leaving the British Armed Forces. With its diverse roles, growing demand, and alignment with military skills, this sector offers a natural transition into civilian employment. By planning ahead and gaining relevant qualifications, you can secure a fulfilling career in a field that values discipline, vigilance, and problem-solving.
Smart Meter Installation
Spurred by the cost of living crisis, there’s a backlog of consumers waiting for their energy provider to supply and fit a smart meter, boosting demand for installers nationwide …
Sport and Fitness
From boot camp leader to basketball coach, personal trainer to Pilates instructor, the sport and fitness sector could be just the thing for your future career … and there are plenty of online courses you can do to prepare yourself for action.
Sustainability
Growing public awareness of environmental issues, and the responsibility we have to control our future and slow down the progression of climate change, means more people are looking for a career in a sustainable role …
Teaching
If you’ve been involved in training or mentorship roles during your time in uniform, it's highly probable that you have amassed a range of skills ideal for entering the realm of education and guiding the next generation…
