A university in Nanjing, China, has stirred controversy after posting a canteen manager job that requires a PhD—a qualification many felt was excessive for the role.
The listing, put up by Southeast University, a top institution in China, appeared on its official website and quickly went viral. According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), among the requirements for the position is overseeing canteen activities, guaranteeing food safety, controlling contractors, doing administrative tasks, and monitoring food-making procedures.
But it was not the job description that left people surprised—it was the qualifications.
Apart from a doctoral degree, candidates need to be well-versed in English, familiar with office software, and ideally possess a degree in food, nutrition, or culinary arts. The advertisement also stated that membership in the Communist Party would be an added benefit.
The job pays a salary of 180,000 yuan (approximately ₹20.8 lakh) every year. But the social media in China was filled with outrage and criticism asking why one would require such a sophisticated academic degree for a job that appears to be mostly managerial.
In response to the outcry, a university official explained to local media—cited by SCMP—that the chosen applicant would not be required to cook. Rather, a preference is for an academic with qualifications and certifications in related areas.
Although the work might not include slicing vegetables or stirring pots, the university's high standard for qualifications has stirred a wider controversy over credential inflation and what is actually required for operational jobs in academia.
"Stories like this force us to reflect: Has our overreliance on academic credentials gone too far?" said a Chinese educator on LinkedIn. "In a job market where even stable administrative roles are filled by PhD holders, degrees have become a stand-in for job security—not capability. Education should teach us to think, not just qualify. Otherwise, we risk producing more degrees than real-world solutions."
