In what may appear as a bit of a strange recruitment drive, the Australian Navy is seeking candidates who will become nuclear submarine officers and technicians and get a payment of upto AUD120,000.
What is strange you ask. Well, the candidates need not have any sort of experience in the field.
According to media reports, the Navy is seeking high school graduates “with no experience at all” who will eventually learn to drive the vessel and chart its position.
ALSO READ: Come 2025, Indian Navy's cutting-edge warships , submarine will dominate Indian Ocean
The ad from the Australian Navy read: “Your training will first equip you with technical expertise in nuclear propulsion, the platform, and its equipment.... You will then move into your submarine qualification and oversee day-to-day operations, and you could one day lead the entire crew as commanding officer."
The Guardian quoted a defence spokesperson as saying that the hiring initiative is a part of the long-term strategy to have enough specialist staff to be deployed on a Virginia-class submarine that the country will receive from the US in 2030s. “This is to ensure we have the right mix of candidates and to ensure there is time to generate a sustainable career pathway,” the spokesperson was quoted as saying.
Once recruited, the officer will undergo a year of nuclear training in the US and three months of basic submarine and warfare courses, before being posted to a seagoing submarine for more training and experience, while the training period for submarine technicians is 18 months, including six months of theory.
According to the ad, the job also offers “travel opportunities, job security, incremental salary increases as you progress through training and ranks, chef-made meals at sea, social and fitness facilities, balance of shore and sea postings (and a) variety of allowances”.