Chinese student high-flyers set sights on police and military academies

{"text":[[{"start":7.78,"text":"Chinese high school graduates are increasingly shifting their sights towards police and military academies and other institutions that offer a clear path to public-sector jobs, as a prolonged economic slowdown reshapes young people’s career aspirations."}],[{"start":21.52,"text":"Admission scores needed for some of these institutions have jumped — with some undergraduate courses requiring more than 650 points out of a maximum of 750 — reflecting strong demand from high-achieving students. Some of their courses are now as tough to enter as the least competitive subjects at top-tier universities."}],[{"start":40.84,"text":"The growing popularity of institutions such as police and military academies reflects a broader shift among young Chinese, who are increasingly willing to trade academic prestige for career certainty as the economic downturn leaves graduate unemployment persistently high."}],[{"start":55.52,"text":"“The fact that young people in China are willing to lock themselves into careers so early reflects how insecure they feel about their economic futures and is an indicator of how weak the economy remains,” said Neil Thomas, a senior fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute."}],[{"start":70.58,"text":"Millions of Chinese students take the gaokao, the national college entrance examination, every June, and admission scores were made public this month."}],[{"start":78.48,"text":"For decades, a degree from a leading university was seen as the surest route to a well-paid career. That assumption has been upended as China’s private sector, the country’s largest employer, has sharply reduced hiring amid a weakening economy."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":92.16,"text":"A nationwide survey of 32,247 members of the class of 2025 conducted by Peking University at the end of last year found more than a third of respondents from well-regarded but non-elite universities had yet to secure full-time employment after graduation. The figure rose to more than two-fifths among graduates from ordinary universities."}],[{"start":112.86,"text":"China’s official youth unemployment rate was 15 per cent in June and such levels have made the public sector — known for its job security and decent compensation — attractive to university graduates even though few of them can succeed in highly competitive civil service examinations."}],[{"start":127.6,"text":"Against this backdrop, many high-achieving students are choosing universities that offer the highest prospect of securing government jobs."}],[{"start":135.24,"text":"“The first thing you should consider when choosing a university and major is whether it will help you get into the public sector,” said a high school graduate from Shanghai who applied for a place at a police academy this year."}],[{"start":145.76,"text":"Applicants to the most competitive programmes at the People’s Public Security University of China (PPSUC) needed 652 points out of 750 in this year’s gaokao in Jiangsu, one of China’s wealthiest provinces."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":161.42,"text":"That was just three points below the minimum score for early admissions to the least competitive course at Beijing’s Tsinghua University, the country’s most prestigious university."}],[{"start":171.88,"text":"At Shanghai Customs College, which offers majors including customs inspection and quarantine security, entry to the most coveted admission group required a higher gaokao score of 662 in Jiangsu. That was above the minimum needed to get into Shanghai Jiao Tong University, one of China’s top universities."}],[{"start":192.04,"text":"China’s defence ministry said on Thursday that students admitted to military academies this year ranked on average among the top 6 per cent of gaokao candidates in their provinces."}],[{"start":202.74,"text":"“The academic calibre of our incoming students has reached a record high,” spokesperson Jiang Bin told a press conference."}],[{"start":209.84,"text":"“I go to university to get a job,” said a high school graduate in Zhejiang province who opted for a police academy this year despite scoring high enough in the gaokao to qualify for one of China’s top 20 universities."}],[{"start":222.4,"text":"“Don’t talk to me about ideals or the future. If there are no job opportunities, there’s no difference between a first-tier university graduate and a high school graduate.”"}],[{"start":232.36,"text":"The specialised institutions do have an edge in securing employment."}],[{"start":236.48,"text":"Graduates from China’s tuition-free military academies are commissioned as military officers upon graduation. Those from police academies have more than a 90 per cent chance of joining the police force through a nationwide recruitment system, with enrolment aligned to projected staffing needs, according to public records and interviews with people familiar with the system."}],[{"start":257.56,"text":"These public sector jobs are also relatively well paid by local standards. An entry-level police officer in Shanghai earns more than Rmb220,000 ($33,000) a year, compared with an average annual salary of Rmb114,000 for private-sector workers in the city."}],[{"start":277.06,"text":"“With this salary, I can not only support myself but also provide for my future family,” said a Shanghai high school graduate who chose a police academy over a well-regarded research university this year."}],[{"start":288.2,"text":"There are risks. For high school graduates, attending these institutions means committing to a career path at 18 with little flexibility to change course later."}],[{"start":297.4,"text":"“Once you choose a police academy, you’re in effect choosing a career in policing,” said a professor at PPSUC who declined to be named. “If, after four years, you decide you don’t want to become a police officer, switching into another area is very difficult.”"}],[{"start":317.48,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1785485715_1708.mp3"}