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There's more to a career in the Australian Defence Force
Life in the ADF is unique in all the right ways. Where else can you experience adventure, keep fit, and make lifelong friends while you see the world? Looking for an incredible career and work-life balance?
Take a closer look.
Earn a competitive salary while training or learning your trade, with benefits you won’t see anywhere else. 16.4% superannuation. Free medical and dental. Paid training.
Assistance in renting and purchasing a home.
And that’s just the beginning.
Gain highly sought-after skills, nationally recognised qualifications, learn a trade, and get paid to do it all. There are hundreds of roles and endless career paths you can choose from in the ADF.
As an officer in the Australian Defence Force you'll gain highly sought-after management and leadership skills that will benefit your whole career.
We’ve got you
The ADF can’t exist without our people. That’s why we take care of you and anyone else dedicated to making an impact and protecting what matters most. We recognise and value the contribution that every person makes and invest in them to ensure they thrive, personally and professionally.
PAY AND FINANCIAL BENEFITS
The work you do makes a difference every day, so you should enjoy peace of mind in a secure and well-paying career. In the ADF, you could enjoy:
- a competitive starting salary which increases as you gain more experience
- generous superannuation of 16.4% – a huge 5.4% over the Australian standard
- allowances and bonuses which recognise specialist skills and employment types
- free medical and dental, including access to allied health, rehabilitation, and mental health specialists
- the ability to package your salary and pay for a new car or laptop with pre-tax dollars
- tax-free pay for Reservists.
A career in the ADF has unique living and travel requirements. That’s why you could access a range of extra support, such as:
- subsidised housing support options wherever you’re posted
- the Home Purchase Assistance Scheme where you could access $16,949 (before tax) to help to buy your dream home, plus, after a number of years in service, a subsidised home loan (the longer the service, the greater the loan)
- payment of your relocation costs between posted locations domestically or overseas
- access to subsidised healthcare for family members through the ADF Family Health Program
- activity based allowances for meals and travel, and work in challenging conditions
- if you’re single, a return trip, door-to-door, back home once a year
- if you’re posted away from family for longer than two months in Australia, payment for travel to see your loved ones.
CAREER WITH PURPOSE
No matter what your role is, you’ll be part of defending Australia and its national interests to advance Australia’s security and prosperity.
- Help defend and protect Australia’s national security.
- Embody our values: service, courage, respect, integrity and excellence.
- Be guided by a strong sense of purpose and direction.
Whether within Australia or beyond our borders, the work you do will always be meaningful, challenging and rewarding.
- Make a difference on a global scale.
- Help communities through humanitarian efforts.
- Continue to learn, develop and grow at every stage of your career.
WORKPLACE CULTURE
You can expect the respect and support of an inclusive community in the ADF. We champion a culture of:
- reward and recognition
- diversity and inclusion
- innovation
- accountability and integrity.
Experience the unique sense of pride and camaraderie that comes from working in a great team to protect what matters most.
- Be led by authentic leaders.
- Enjoy rewarding peer and supervisor relationships.
- Build tight-knit personal supports and networks.
WAYS OF WORKING
We understand your personal circumstances change over time. We’re committed to giving you flexibility in the way you work, including:
- Flexible work arrangements where practical
- Generous leave and time off including:
- - five weeks of annual leave – that’s one more week than most Australian workers receive
- - parental leave for when you have, adopt, or take on permanent care of a child
- - carer’s leave for when you need to look after a close relative who might be sick, injured or facing an unexpected emergency
- - compassionate leave to manage the death or serious illness of a close relative
- - leave prior to deployment or for exams
- - access to three months of long service leave after ten years’ service
- - options to move between full-time and part-time commitment.
Be paid to gain sought after skills and expertise that set your career up for success.
- Get expert training to work with unique technology and equipment you won’t get to work with anywhere else.
- Work across the ADF’s national footprint in a variety of workplaces as diverse as the people who work in them – across the spectrum of offices, warehouses, airbases, ships and submarines, science and technology labs, and beyond.
CAREER AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Gain the skills you need to thrive with professional and personal development opportunities. The ADF offers:
- paid for university and vocational education to start your employment, with qualifications recognised by professional organisations and industry
- all or part of your degree course paid for, join degree qualified or work for the ADF in your gap year. Whichever route you choose, you will also enjoy a salary from day one.
- pay for continuing formal study throughout your career for university and TAFE qualifications
- access to mentoring and coaching
- leadership training throughout your career
- career planning together with you including specialist career pathways
- access to an enormous online training suite as well as experiential learning.
With over 300 roles in a wide variety of professions, there’s no limit to where your career can take you. Whatever path you’ll choose, you’ll benefit from extensive career progression opportunities.
- Be paid to up-skill and transition into another ADF career.
- Opportunities to enter a career at any stage from junior, mid and senior level.
- Enjoy travel and adventure in your career with posting, deployment and secondment opportunities across Australia and potentially overseas.
WELLBEING AND FAMILY SUPPORT
In the ADF, you’ll have access to high-quality programs, facilities, and resources to keep you fit and healthy in the hours you work. The ADF offers:
- expert-led mental and physical wellbeing programs
- free access to physical and recreation facilities such as on-site gyms and pools, as well as sporting competition
- the opportunity to join ADF sport programs and participate in activities such as sailing, skiing, surfing and everything in between
- social support and community connection
- job security.
Your family are considered every step of the way during your career. They could have access to extensive support during recruitment, operations, and postings, including:
- counselling services available for you and your family members
- free access to leisure and recreation facilities including on-base gyms and pools, depending on location
- resources to help children transition between schools and education systems
- financial support to families to help minimise the disruption to education caused by posting for children experiencing difficulties
- help for your partner to find employment if you relocate for work through the Partner Employment Assistance Program (PEAP)
- other family and community programs for those closest to you.