Chinese university demands PhD for canteen manager role. Netizens ask: 'Since when does a cafeteria need a doctorate?'

Time of India

01-06-2025

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Golden Rice Bowl or Just Stirring the Pot?
A prestigious university in eastern China has come under fire after advertising a canteen manager job requiring a PhD, fluency in English, and even Communist Party membership. According to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP), Southeast University in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, published the controversial recruitment notice on its official website on May 22.Southeast University, one of China's elite institutions is known for academic excellence. However, its latest job post appears to have blurred the lines between scholarly achievement and routine administration, sparking widespread debate across Chinese social media.The position, officially titled office manager for the university's canteen operations, includes responsibilities such as overseeing food preparation, managing canteen contractors, supervising hygiene and safety, and handling routine paperwork. While those duties are fairly standard, what shocked many was the academic threshold: a doctoral degree.The SCMP reported that candidates are also expected to be proficient in English and office software. Additional weightage would be given to applicants with majors in food, nutrition, or culinary arts, relevant work experience, and those with cooking certificates. Membership in the Chinese Communist Party was listed as a preference.The annual salary attached to the position stands at 180,000 yuan (approximately ₹20.8 lakh or USD 25,000). While this is significantly higher than the national average income—urban employees in non-private sectors earned 124,110 yuan on average in 2023—it has done little to justify the high academic bar.The SCMP noted that many online users were baffled by the listing. 'Since when does a canteen need a PhD to operate?' one user asked, while another cited 'neijuan', a term describing the intense and often irrational competition for limited resources and opportunities in Chinese society.In response to the backlash, a staff member from Southeast University clarified to local outlet Shangyou News, as reported by the SCMP, that candidates would not be expected to cook themselves. The high qualification bar was intended to attract those with formal training or research backgrounds in food sciences or related fields.However, this clarification has not stemmed public criticism. Some online commentators speculated that the post might be 'custom-built' for a specific candidate, noting the improbability of someone holding both a PhD and a culinary certificate.The canteen job posting has reignited debates around educational discrimination in hiring. While Chinese laws protect against employment bias based on ethnicity, religion, and gender, academic qualifications are not covered. Given China's rising youth unemployment—15.8% for those aged 16 to 24, excluding students—the job market is increasingly under scrutiny. Netizens argue that job postings like this one reflect systemic issues that push young people toward overqualification without meaningful opportunities.The managerial role at Southeast University is seen by many as a 'golden rice bowl'—a term used to describe secure, high-status jobs in the public sector. With such positions becoming more desirable amid economic uncertainty, competition has intensified, and so have the standards, often at the cost of fairness and practicality.Whether the university revises its listing or not, the debate it has triggered around educational inflation and employment policy is likely to simmer for some time. As one social media user aptly commented:'When a canteen needs a PhD, perhaps it's the hiring system—not the kitchen—that needs a rethink.'