Coastguard watch officer

Coastguard watch officers are Civil Servants who co-ordinate civil maritime search and rescue operations around the UK. They use high-technology equipment to keep watch. They maintain communications with everyone involved during emergencies. They provide information and advice to prevent accidents at sea and around the coast.

Work activities

HM Coastguard co-ordinates all civil search and rescue operations around the UK coastline and out into the North Atlantic. Coastguard maritime rescue coordination centres around the coast use satellite and other digital technology communications equipment to keep watch 24 hours a day. They also respond to 999 emergency calls, for example, if people swimming, diving, fishing or sailing get into difficulties.

HM Coastguard is a part of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, which is responsible for activities such as:

• Developing, promoting and enforcing high standards of marine safety.
• Minimising the loss of life among seafarers and coastal users.
• Minimising the risk of pollution from ships.

In an emergency, the coastguard service gathers all the relevant facts and then acts immediately to plan and co-ordinate the help that is needed. In addition to over 400 local coastguard rescue teams and helicopters, the coastguard service can call on the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force (using fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and ships), other ships in the area, and the police, fire and ambulance services.

HM Coastguard employs regular watch officers and watch assistants and also calls on volunteer coastguard rescue officers. Coastguards wear a uniform. Coastguard watch officers keep constant watch on international distress signals. They select, alert and brief members of search and rescue units when an incident occurs. They plan, manage and assist with coastal searches, and they help to supervise mud and cliff rescue teams. They use maps, charts, weather forecasts, local coast and sea knowledge and navigational methods, and predict the likely movement of targets drifting at sea, when planning a search. They can connect ships’ crews needing medical advice to local hospitals so that they can speak directly to a doctor. If an injured or sick person needs to be airlifted from a vessel, the coastguard will arrange for this.

They work in busy operational centres, using advanced communication systems. Coastguard watch officers might sometimes have to travel to other districts, including remote coastguard stations. Watch officers also collect, interpret and broadcast regular information about the weather, navigation and local safety. They provide advice and guidance to people at sea and on the coast to prevent accidents. They also take part in promotions to educate the general public about safety on or near the water.

They take part in vessel traffic monitoring and navigation safety initiatives. This is to increase the safety and efficiency of maritime traffic and improve the response of authorities to incidents, accidents or potentially dangerous situations at sea. Watch officers supervise, and help to train, any trainee watch officers and a team of watch assistants. Watch assistants have a support and administrative role in the operational centres. They receive and relay emergency calls, monitor equipment, update logs and provide information to the general public. Members of Volunteer Coastguard Rescue Teams are volunteers with an interest in, and concern for, safety of life at sea. They receive training to respond to coastal incidents. They need to live and work within a set distance from the coastguard rescue co-ordination centre.

Personal qualities and skills

As a coastguard watch officer, you’ll need to be:

• Able to use maps and charts.
• Quick thinking and decisive.
• Able to remain calm in emergencies.
• Able to analyse and relay information quickly and accurately.

You should have:

• Relevant maritime skills, developed by working at sea.
• Knowledge of meteorology.
• Good verbal and written communication skills.
• Interpersonal skills.
• Good organisational skills.
• High levels of concentration.
• Strong teamwork and project management skills.
• Supervisory and people management skills.
• A strong sense of responsibility.
• IT and keyboard skills.
• Numeracy and literacy skills to the required standard.
• Customer service skills.
• A good standard of eyesight and hearing.

You’ll need to be able to meet set health standards in order to pass a medical before being employed.

Pay and opportunities

Coastguard personnel are paid on a rising scale. The pay rates given are approximate. Coastguards earn in the range of £20,000 - £30,000 a year. Earnings increase with a shift allowance on top of basic salary.

Coastguard officers usually work a 41-43-hour week. Early starts, late finishes, shift work and work on weekends and public holidays are normally required.

Coastguard watch staff are civil servants employed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).

Where are vacancies advertised?

When vacancies occur, they are advertised in local newspapers, on the Government’s Find a Job service, and on the MCA website.

Entry routes and training 

For direct entry to a watch officer post, you must have a relevant qualification and/or recent maritime or search and rescue experience.

Relevant practical experience might be for the Royal or Merchant Navy, RAF Search and Rescue, or air traffic control, for example. Some people might take a degree or foundation degree before undertaking one of these roles. Others might have GCSEs or A-levels.

You should be a UK national, or you should meet certain other nationality requirements set by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and the Civil Service. You must also pass an interview and various skills tests, including literacy and numeracy. You will be assessed against a set of competencies that have been identified for the role. People without extensive maritime experience can enter as a coastguard watch assistant and then progress to watch officer after gaining search and rescue experience; entry might also be possible for voluntary members of a coastguard rescue team.

The training to become a fully operational coastguard watch assistant or watch officer takes around 12 months, depending on experience.

Watch officers could progress to watch managers and then station managers after gaining experience. Some might become sector managers, who train and co-ordinate volunteer rescue teams.

Qualifications

For entry to HM Coastguard as a watch officer, you’ll need GCSEs in English and maths. You’ll usually also need one of the accepted maritime certificates. Relevant experience at sea, or of search and rescue, is also required. Entrants also have a wide range of academic qualifications.

Adult opportunities

Age limits: it is illegal for any organisation to set age limits for entry to employment, education or training, unless they can show there is a real need to have these limits.

Skills developed by working at sea are necessary for entry to become a watch officer, for example, in the Merchant Navy, the Royal Navy or the fishing industry. For entry to watch assistant work, you’ll need an interest in maritime affairs plus the ability to use a computer and communication equipment. Applicants should also be able to work under pressure in emergency situations. Relevant voluntary experience includes membership of a local coastguard/lifeboat rescue team.

Related careers

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• Ambulance paramedic
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• Deckhand
• Diver
• Emergency care assistant (ambulance)
• Emergency control room operator
• Firefighter
• Maritime engineer
• Merchant navy deck officer
• RAF officer
• Road safety officer
• Royal Navy officer
• Safety adviser