As such, a person is able to begin at the rank of Knight (i.e. an Officer) if they posses the right criteria. Most officers earn their commission without having risen up from private, and usually enter at the rank of Knight. This is usually based on a mixture of external employment (within considerable organisations such as the Church, the Silver Hand or another formal body), peerage (nobility) and personal financial circumstance. This would also mean assuming a person enlisted as an officer between the ages of 16 and 18, they would realistically reach the rank of Grand Marshal no sooner than at the age of 56.