Leaving the Armed Forces: How to Find a Civilian Job
Thousands of people leave the Armed Forces every year. Here’s how to turn your service into a civilian career, and where a specialist recruiter fits in.
On Remembrance Day we think about those who served, and about the people leaving the Forces today and starting a new career. 13,050 people left the UK Regular Forces in the 12 months to 30 June 2026, according to Ministry of Defence figures. Of the 2024-25 service leavers who used the Career Transition Partnership and reported an outcome, 86% were in work within six months. With the right support, most service leavers find work quickly. Here is how to give yourself the best start.
What Employers Value in Service Leavers
Employers don’t just hire for a job title. They hire for reliability, teamwork, leadership and staying calm under pressure, and those are exactly what service gives you. You’re used to training, following safety procedures, working shifts and taking responsibility early.
Many military trades also map directly onto civilian roles. Engineers, technicians, drivers, medics, signallers and logisticians all have clear routes into industries that are short of skilled people.
Support Available When You Leave
You don’t have to do this alone. These are the main official and charity routes:
- Career Transition Partnership (CTP). The MOD’s official resettlement service. Service leavers with more than six years’ service can start the Core Resettlement Programme up to two years before discharge, and support carries on for two years after. Those with four to six years’ service get the Employment Support Programme, and early service leavers get Future Horizons.
- Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC). Funding towards higher-level qualifications. If you left on or after 1 April 2016, you have five years after leaving to use them.
- Forces Employment Charity. Free, lifelong employment support for veterans, reservists and their families.
- Armed Forces Covenant employers. Thousands of organisations have signed the Covenant and pledged to support the forces community at work. Many say so on their job adverts.
Sectors That Want Your Skills
- Engineering: maintenance, electrical, mechanical and aerospace roles for technicians and engineers.
- Construction: site management, trades and health and safety, where leadership and safety discipline are highly valued.
- Healthcare: NHS clinical and non-clinical roles, supported by the NHS Step into Health programme.
- Manufacturing: maintenance, quality, production leadership and continuous improvement.
- Energy: nuclear, renewables and power networks, where safety-critical experience counts.
- IT and cyber security: signals, communications and intelligence experience transfer well.
- Logistics: HGV driving, warehouse management, transport planning and supply chain.
We’ve written a guide for each one. You’ll find them in each sector’s Careers & Guides section of our blog over the next few weeks.
How a Recruitment Agency Can Help
A specialist recruitment agency sits between you and employers who are hiring right now. For a service leaver, that can make the move much easier:
- Translating your experience. We help you turn your trade, rank and responsibilities into the civilian job titles and skills employers search for.
- Getting your CV right. Military CVs are often too long or full of acronyms. We help you cut it down to what a hiring manager needs to see. You can also run it through our free CV checker first.
- Finding forces-friendly employers. We know which of our clients value forces experience and which hiring managers have served themselves.
- Pay and location. We give you honest pay ranges for the roles you’re looking at, and our commute calculator shows whether a longer journey is worth it.
- Timing. You can start talking to us during your resettlement period, so you can line up interviews before your exit date.
Tips for Your First Civilian Job Search
- Start early. Use your resettlement time to research industries and speak to recruiters before your exit date.
- Drop the acronyms. Write your CV for someone who has never served.
- Show results. Give numbers where you can: team size, budgets, equipment value, safety record.
- Get the right tickets. A civilian qualification (for example CSCS, Driver CPC, or an IT certification) can open doors quickly, and ELC funding may help pay for it.
- Check pay. Look at what similar adverts offer so you know your worth before you negotiate.
Leaving the Armed Forces: Frequently Asked Questions
When should I start looking for a civilian job?
As early as your resettlement allows. Service leavers with more than six years' service can start resettlement up to two years before discharge, which is a good time to research roles and talk to recruiters.
What jobs are good for ex-military?
Engineering, construction, logistics, healthcare, manufacturing, energy and IT all value forces experience, especially leadership, safety discipline and technical trades.
Can a recruitment agency help service leavers?
Yes. A specialist recruiter can help translate your experience into civilian terms, improve your CV, give honest pay advice and introduce you to employers who are hiring.
Does it cost me anything to use a recruitment agency?
No. In the UK, recruitment agencies are paid by the employer, not the job seeker.
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