What Makes Civil Servant so Coveted

A lot of photo shows on the website that many applicants lining up to take the national civil service exam in November. The civil service exam is an annual rite for young Chinese. As many as 2.6 million job applicants across China will report to testing centers in early January to face exceedingly long odds and compete for only 37100 entry-level government positions. This phenomenon can be explained by the reality of monotonous work that blurs the line with personal lives. The competition for public service positions becomes so fierce that can quote a Chinese saying refers to them: "thousands of troops crossing the single-plank bridge."

They spend thousands of dollars for prep classes and so many hours cramming for it, and this comes at a fraught time. Exam is very rigorous and examinees must answer about 130 multiple-choice questions covering many topics, plus, they are asked to write essays of 200 to 1000 words each on social issues and government policies. If they got a high score on the first exam and then they can be hired and go into the next exam, which means they are supposed to endure a battery of interviews, background checks and other reviews.

Might main reason of this phenomenon is nearly one in five people in China between 16 and 24 are unemployed, which means it's a hard time for young person to start a career in China. Of course they know China nowadays is in a status of rapid growth, while they don't figure that these opportunities generated by the rapid growth belong to their generation.

Most parents in China value a stable job think it's good to be a civil servant and they revel in the status of a child working for the government.

Then there's the reality of civil service work, someone said their regular days are ruled by rigid hierarchies and monotonous chores. And others, while saying they enjoy their jobs, complain that their responsibilities often sprawl beyond normal work hours. For example, being required to volunteer at virus testing sites and instructed to stand guard or keep crowds in line during the crest of civil cases.

Despite people dissatisfaction with their work, some of the young civil servants said that felt trapped because there was no guarantee that they would find something better in the private sector. (they would not find anything better guarantee in a private sector.)

reference

【NYTimes】China’s Young Elite Clamber for Government Jobs (qq.com)

[新英文外刊]