Vocations in NS

On this page

  • What you need to know

  • What you need to do

  • NS vocations in SAF, SCDF, and SPF

  • Deciding on which vocations to choose

  • How to indicate vocation interest

  • Related articles

Last updated 30 April 2024

What you need to know

  • Your roles and responsibilities in National Service (NS) depend on your NS vocation.
  • You can indicate your interest in various NS vocations in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Singapore Police Force (SPF).
  • Your NS deployment will take into consideration your indicated interest, suitability to perform the vocation’s tasks, and the manpower and operational requirements of the SAF, SCDF, and SPF.

What you need to do

  • Familiarise yourself with the 33 NS vocations across the SAF, SCDF, and SPF that you can indicate your interest in.
  • Consider the different vocations carefully and speak to family and friends, or peers who are NSFs.
  • Indicate your vocation interest on the OneNS web portal before your medical screening appointment.

NS vocations in SAF, SCDF, and SPF

There are a total of 33 vocations across the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), and Singapore Police Force (SPF) that you can indicate interest in. Each vocation represents an important functional group for each uniformed service. The 33 vocations available in the SAF, SCDF, and SPF fall into 7 categories:

SAF

Category 1

  • Armour

  • Artillery

  • Combat Engineers

  • Infantry

  • Signals

SAF

Category 2

  • Air Defence

  • Guards

  • Intelligence

  • Military Police

  • Naval Operations

SAF

Category 3

  • Island Defence

  • Logistics

  • Maintenance

  • Medical

  • Transport

SCDF

Category 1

  • Fire and Rescue

  • Infocomm

  • Provost

  • Special Rescue

SCDF

Category 2

  • Logistics

  • Maintenance

  • Medical

  • Transport

SPF

Category 1

  • Airport Patrol

  • Police Coast Guard

  • Protective Security

  • Training

  • Public Transportation Security

SPF

Category 2

  • C3 Operations

  • Dog Handling

  • Community Engagement

  • Neighbourhood Policing

  • Police Tactical Troop

Visit the Central Manpower Base (CMPB) website to watch videos of each vocation or read the vocation handbook for more information about each specific vocation.

Deciding on which vocations to choose

Do consider the different vocations carefully before indicating your interest. Think about:

  • your personality type
  • the skills you wish to learn
  • what makes you feel fulfilled

You are only given 1 chance to do so, and will not be able to change your choice after submitting. You can discuss with your family, friends and peers who are serving NS.

How to indicate vocation interest

  • Once you have registered for National Service (NS), you will be invited to indicate your vocation interest on the OneNS web portal.
  • Deadline: Until the day of your medical screening appointment.
  • You can indicate your interest by selecting at least 2 vocations from each category. In total, you will be selecting at least 14 vocations.
  • You can also indicate that you have no specific interest.

Your NS deployment will be based on your interest, medical fitness, and the manpower and operational requirements of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and Singapore Police Force (SPF). Assignment to the SAF vocations of Commandos and Naval Divers are based on stringent selection criteria. If you are shortlisted for these vocations, you will receive a notice to attend a Vocational Assessment which determines your fitness and suitability to be enlisted into these vocations.

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