You must be an Australian citizen to serve in the ADF. However, Australian permanent residents may be eligible. For more details, visit the "Citizenship" tab on the Eligibility Requirements page.

You can apply for a role in the ADF from 16.5 years of age and must be at least 17 to join. For Reserve service, the maximum age to apply is 60 years, with a Compulsory Retirement Age (CRA) of 65. Candidates who wish to enlist beyond the age of 61 years will need further assessment to ensure they can complete all pre-requisite training in their chosen field prior to reaching CRA.

You don’t need a driver’s licence for this role but if you have one, it can’t be suspended or cancelled.

All ADF members require a security clearance. As an ADF member, you’ll need to obtain the appropriate level of security clearance for your role. You’ll need a collection of relevant information including background checks and/or interviews so the Australian Government Security Vetting Agency (AGSVA) can make an informed assessment to ensure the protection of Government resources and information. Your Careers Coach will explain what level of clearance is required for the career you are considering.

For more information or to learn about how security clearance will apply to you, view the eligibility requirements page.

The minimum requirement for entry into this role is a bachelor’s degree in a relevant human services field such as:

• Social Sciences
• Social Work
• Psychology
• Counselling
• Nursing with postgraduate qualifications in mental health.

Academic records must reflect completed units in psychology, mental health, counselling and / or pastoral care.

In addition, you’ll need to have at least 2 full years’ postgraduate pastoral care experience and have a strong spiritual connection reflected in your practice. You’ll need to meet one of the following pastoral / professional experience requirements:

• 400 hours of Clinical Pastoral Experience (CPE) through a recognised provider
• eligible for Level 2 Membership of the Australian Counselling Association
• eligible for Clinical Membership of the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia
• eligible for (non-provisional) registration as a psychologist as determined by the Australian Health Practitioner Registration Agency (AHPRA)
• eligible for membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers
• combination of organised pastoral / social engagement that includes 450 hours of face-to-face pastoral engagement and 20 hours of face-to-face supervision.

Your qualifications and experience will need to be endorsed by the Directorate of Navy Workforce Management. Your Career’s Coach will organise this process for you.

To join the Navy, it's important that you meet the necessary medical and physical requirements. Regular exercise prior to joining will set you up for success as it is an important part of training and service life.

Once you join, Navy will support your physical conditioning to ensure you're prepared to serve. You'll also have access to chef-made meals, gyms, sports and fitness sessions run by physical training instructors. Throughout your Navy career, you’ll be expected to conduct an annual fitness test which includes a plank as well as either a beep test or run/walk or swim.

During the application process you’ll be assessed through a questionnaire about your medical history and a physical examination.

During Navy Military Training, whether heading to the New Entry Sailor Course (Recruit School) or the New Entry Officer Course, you'll need to pass a swim test wearing your uniform to graduate. This includes:

• safety jump off a 3m tower
• 10m underwater swim
• 50m swim using survival strokes
• treading water or floating for 15 minutes.

For further details on medical and physical fitness standards, refer to physical fitness standards for entry into the ADF and medical process for entry into the ADF.

There is no minimum number of years required in the ADF Reserve as service is voluntary. You can volunteer until the Defence retirement age of 65, subject to the requirements and your suitability for further service.

Reserve service is flexible and can fit around your family, life and work responsibilities. You choose your level of commitment ranging from a minimum of 20 days and up to 150 days per year, with the potential to extend to 200 days. In your first year, this includes both Initial Employment and Military Training. On training completion, you can serve from as little as a couple of days a week, one weekend a month or in consecutive weeks - in a way that suits your lifestyle.

To support your assessment, you’ll need to submit a letter that addresses the following criteria.

• Examples of how you attend to and nurture your own spirituality.
• How your spirituality informs your life, such as through choices and values.
• Examples of your pastoral care/experience.
• Your world view of spirituality and religion and exposure to diverse world views, beliefs or cultures.

Examples of pastoral care/experience include:

• identifying and responding to someone else’s spiritual needs
• providing emotional support, grief and loss support, and enabling people to access community support
• evidence of clinical pastoral experience through a recognised provider
• membership or eligibility for professional, psychotherapy, counselling or health practitioner bodies.

Course: Reserve Entry Officers' Course (REOC)
Duration: 4 weeks
Location: Royal Australian Naval College, HMAS Creswell, NSW

This course will provide you with an introduction to the Navy and a sound understanding of what it means to serve as a Navy Officer. It can be split into 2 blocks, both 2 weeks in length, to accommodate the shorter-term availability of Navy Reserve officers. Completion of training in one 4 week block is preferred.

The first 2 weeks include:

• leadership and management
• marching and parade training
• swim test
• fitness test
• practical team training
• introduction to Navy and compliance training
• issue of Uniforms and Navy ID.

The remaining 2 weeks of this phase consists of maritime/sea specific training covering the following areas:

• tour of a Navy warship
• survival at sea
• first aid
• 2-day sailing course
• military law
• maritime doctrine and operations.

ADF Weapons Training

This phase is conducted over a 2-week period in which you’ll learn how to safely handle and operate the ADF's in-service rifle – the Enhanced F88 Austeyr. Dates for this course will be provided to you by staff at the Royal Australian Naval College once you have completed your initial REOC training.

Course: ADF Support Chaplaincy Course
Duration: 4 weeks
Location: Defence Force Chaplaincy College (DFCC), Australian Defence Force Academy (ADFA), Canberra, ACT

This course is structured as a distance learning and residential course that consists of 4 parts.

• Part 1 Introduction to Defence Chaplaincy (5-day equivalent ‘on the job’ training over a 6-12 month period) – includes conducting or facilitating religious and secular observances/activities and effective administration and management.
• Part 2 Pastoral Policy and Advocacy (one week at DFCC) – prepares you to provide support networks, pastoral care support and maintain pastoral care records.
• Part 3 Character, Ethics and Morality (one week at DFCC) – prepares you to provide timely and accurate advice on character development, personal morality, ethics, military ethical decision making and to develop and deliver educational programs.
• Part 4 Pastoral Counselling, Mental Health Literacy and Wellbeing (2 weeks at DFCC) – prepares you for mental health research, pastoral counselling, record-keeping, referral practices and the requirements for your own professional supervision, self-care and professional development.

Further courses that relate to intermediate and senior positions will be available as part of your career progression in Navy.