Recently, a Chinese international student who had just received a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge was rejected in an interview at a Beijing education company offering online English courses for elementary schools.
On December 28, the topic labeled “Cambridge master interviewed for elementary school English education and was rejected” and “College students unable to find jobs because the market has changed” surged to the top of Weibo’s trending list.
According to a report by China News Weekly on December 28, Zhou Junjun, who had recently obtained a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge and completed her undergraduate studies at a prestigious domestic 985 university, felt a chill in a building outside the Fifth Ring Road in Beijing at the end of December. This chill was not only from the weather but also from the news of her unsuccessful interview.
Zhou Junjun interviewed for a position as an online English teacher for elementary school students at an education company in Beijing. To seize this job opportunity, she flew from her hometown to Beijing at her own expense and underwent three days of intensive training from 9 in the morning to 9 at night. The fourth day entailed the final interview, which consisted of a teaching demonstration. She was one of eight candidates, with the highest education level being a Ph.D. student from Peking University.
In the end, out of the eight candidates, only two received job offers, and the prestige of Cambridge University did not “bless” her. Previously, internet giants had rejected her for “lacking internship experience,” and before the autumn recruitment season, she had considered the education industry as a fallback option.
In a post, the 2025 Weibo Annual New Knowledge Blogger and Weibo influencer “sven_shi” mentioned that the current difficulty college students face in finding jobs is not due to their qualifications but rather the changing job market trends. The trending topic of “Cambridge master interviewed for elementary school English education and was rejected” talks about a graduate from a prestigious domestic university and the University of Cambridge not being able to secure even a teaching position in the education sector. Consequently, public discussion revolves around her qualifications not being strong enough or outstanding.
Reflecting on the thriving education industry of 2018, would a candidate with such qualifications struggle to find a teaching job back then? Traditionally, humanities majors were considered to have difficulty finding employment, which is true. However, prestigious universities had the education sector as a safety net for their graduates.
But why is this safety net disappearing now? The once available job opportunities for graduates from prestigious universities are dwindling. The education sector is shrinking, the real estate market is declining, and the cultural and tourism industry is retracting significantly, making the job search challenging for these graduates. “In just a few years, the situation has changed. Past experiences no longer guide today’s job market. They are not inadequate; the market simply does not have a place for them.”
Career influencer and Weibo influencer “Ma Xiaoshang” mentioned, “Let’s not beat around the bush here. Regulation has increased, taxes have risen, investments have decreased, and job positions have reduced. The logic is simple! Cut taxes, reduce regulations, and watch how everyone competes for university graduates.”
Video blogger and Weibo influencer “Xiaonv Mengtejiao” stated, “Honestly, the current difficulty college students face in finding jobs is not as simple as ‘you are not trying hard enough.’ The market has changed: fewer positions, higher demands, lower wages, even manual labor is undervalued, and bosses now undermine the bargaining power of young people by saying ‘if you don’t do it, others will.’ Instead of solely blaming college students for being too ambitious, let’s first examine this distorted market.”
One netizen summarized, “This indicates that the so-called industrial upgrading is actually a failure. Don’t talk about things getting better; it’s all fabricated from low-end industries and manipulated statistical data passed through layers of exaggeration and embellishment.”