An Interview with a Police Officer in China

The person I chose to interview was a civil servant in Chengdu Administration of Entry and Exit. I had an internship in Chengdu Administration of Entry and Exit this summer, so I tried an online contact with a police officer working there the other day.

The police officer works in Foreign-related department. In this case, her main responsibility is to handle foreign cases and to manage foreigners who live in Chengdu. Becoming a civil servant is thousands of Chinese’s dreams, and she is no exception. Furthermore, working in Chengdu Administration of Entry and Exit can have opportunity to get in touch with foreigners, which is very interesting to her. Her position doesn’t require special major and education, but a general bachelor’s degree. In China, before get interviewed by HR department of public sectors, applicants have to take a civil service examination, which is fiercely competitive with a lot of competitors. Winners with higher scores can be able to enter the government and get a position. The advice she gave was that police officer must be patriotic and self-respecting, especially in front of foreigners. These days, the image of government in Chinese citizens’ brain is becoming more and more friendly, instead of cool and rigid. Hence, civil servants behave more polite and amiable.

The reason why I am interested in this position is that I really really want to become a civil servant to do something for my city, and my country. In addition, my major is very suitable for this position. And I think this position is very challenging because the group of people police officer interacts everyday are not Chinese people, but foreigners. Lastly, working in the government is very stable, and that is exactly the type of life I am looking forward to.