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Fran Lu

A university in eastern China recruiting a canteen manager has sparked controversy online by requiring job candidates to hold a doctoral degree.
Southeast University in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, posted a recruitment advertisement on its official website on May 22.
As a top institution in China affiliated with the government’s “985” and “211” projects, Southeast University is among only 39 mainland universities, including the prestigious Tsinghua and Peking universities, considered an entry ticket to better job or further study opportunities.
In the advertisement for the position of office manager for the university’s canteens, candidates are required to have a doctoral degree.
Duties for this role include overseeing the development and preparation of dishes, managing canteen contractors, supervising food safety, and handling administrative paperwork.

Additionally, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in English and office software, with preference given to those with relevant work experience and Communist Party membership.
The job posting has ignited intense online discussions, with many arguing that a doctoral degree is excessive for the role.
“Since when does a canteen need a PhD to operate?” questioned one online observer.
“This is the consequence of neijuan,” remarked another.
The Chinese term “neijuan” refers to excessive competition that fails to yield proportional returns.
Caught in the grip of the neijuan trend, many individuals feel pressured to achieve higher academic standards while still struggling to secure desirable employment. As of April, China’s urban unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24, excluding students, stood at 15.8 per cent, a slight decrease from 16.5 per cent in March.
A staff member from the university told Shangyou News that candidates do not need to be cooks themselves but that preference would be given to those with majors related to food, nutrition, and culinary arts, as well as those holding cooking certificates.
The expected annual salary for the position is 180,000 yuan (US$25,000), according to national standards.
Last year, the average annual wages for employees in urban non-private and private sectors were 124,110 yuan and 69,476 yuan, respectively, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Some have speculated that the position appears to be “pulling strings”.
“It seems too coincidental to me that a PhD graduate also have a cooking certificate,” one commenter pointed out. “It looks like the post is tailored for someone with connections.”
The recruitment process is anticipated to be highly competitive, as the manager position at a prestigious university is regarded by many as a “golden rice bowl”, symbolising a stable job with excellent benefits.
While China’s laws prohibit employment discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, or religious belief, educational background is not officially included. Nevertheless, a growing number of applicants have reported rejections due to unreasonable educational requirements that are unnecessary for the positions.
During this year’s Two Sessions, Gan Huatian, a delegate to the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), proposed amending the law to prohibit educational background discrimination in employment policies.


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Recruitment process is expected to be highly competitive as managerial role at a prestigious university is seen as ‘golden rice bowl’


Recruitment process is expected to be highly competitive as managerial role at a prestigious university is seen as ‘golden rice bowl’.


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Chinese university canteen recruits manager who must have PhD, sparks heated debate

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Recruitment process is expected to be highly competitive as managerial role at a prestigious university is seen as ‘golden rice bowl’

Recruitment process is expected to be highly competitive as managerial role at a prestigious university is seen as ‘golden rice bowl’