本月号称“全国第一大考”的国家公务员考试报名开启。岗位增加，报考条件降低，而报考人数却比去年少。受到国家反腐败政策和公务员负面形象的影响，公务员热似乎正在慢慢退烧，而毕业生的择业观也渐渐趋于理性。

　　This has been dubbed the best year for recent graduates totake the national civil service examination. There are morevacancies and less eligibility requirements than in the previousyears. However, during the first few days of registration, thenumber of applicants was still lower than during the same period last year.

　　今年被认为是毕业生参加国家公务员考试的最佳年份，因为同往年比，今年招考的职位多且报考要求相对降低。不过考试报名的前几天，报名人数还是比去年同期少。

　　As civil service jobs lose some of their glamour, graduates have become more reluctant to choosethis career path.

　　由于公务员光环减弱，很多毕业生并不以公务员作为自己的职业选择。

　　Since 2014, the number of people registering for the civil service exam has dropped. A 2014 ChinaYouth Daily research poll shows that one of the reasons is the government’s anti-corruptioncampaign.

　　2014年起，报考公务员的人数开始下降。2014年《中国青年报》的调查结果显示造成公务员热降温的一大原因是政府反腐。

　　Public servants face the stereotype that they “work in a leisurely manner” with opportunities toearn “gray income”. But Huang Ruoshan, senior career consultant of Zhaopin.com, painted adifferent picture.

　　人们常常对公务员有这样的刻板印象：他们“工作清闲”，还有机会赚取“灰色收入”。不过智联招聘高级职业发展顾问黄若珊则描绘了不同的景象。

　　“The reality is that civil servants’ workload is heavy, especially at the grassroots level. Worse still,some ‘special benefits’ were cut,” said Huang.

　　“事实上，公务员的工作量是很大的，特别是基层公务员。更糟糕的是，他们的一些‘特殊津贴’被取消了，“她说。

　　Without these special benefits, the salary for a civil service job is not competitive. A surveyconducted by the Beijing Municipal Commission of the China Communist Youth League revealsthat young civil servants in Beijing earn on average 4,530 yuan each month. The average salaryfor other Beijingers during the same period was more than 6,463 yuan, according to BeijingMunicipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.

　　没有了这些特殊福利，公务员的工资毫无竞争力。中国共产主义青年团北京市委员会开展的一项调查显示北京市年轻公务员的平均收入为4,530每月。而据北京市人力资源与社会保障局的数据，同期其他北京人的月平均工资超过6,463。

　　Bai Zhili, the associate dean for Peking University’s School of Government, also attributes thedecline of civil servants to the job’s negative public image.

　　北京大学政府管理学院副院长白智立还把公务员的负面公众形象归为公务员热降温的原因之一。

　　“When a lot of people say being a civil servant is not a sensible choice, since it offers no moneyand no future, graduates can easily lose faith in their career path,” he told thepaper.cn.

　　“人们普遍认为，报考公务员不是一个很理性的选择，做公务员没有权，没有钱。大学生很容易丧失职业信念，”他告诉澎湃新闻记者。

　　It’s true that most civil servants face a tough career path, with few chances for promotion.According to Chinese law, it takes at least eight years for a grassroots-level civil servant to getpromoted.

　　确实，大多数公务员面临着严峻的职业前景，基本上没有升职空间。依据中国法律，基层公务员升职最少要八年的时间。

　　Despite all the disadvantages of being a civil servant, Zheng Fang, a senior student at HainanUniversity, still chose to take this year’s civil service exam.

　　尽管当公务员有诸多弊端，海南大学大四学生郑芳依旧坚持参加今年的公务员考试。

　　“For me, a civil service job should be an ordinary career, just as it is now. It should not bebestowed special benefits,” he said.

　　“对我而言，公务员只是一份普通的工作，正如它现在这样。公务员不应该被给予特殊利益，” 他说。

　　His idea is echoed by other young people too. A China Youth Daily research poll shows that 53.6percent of young people think the main purpose of civil servants is to better serve the public.

　　他的想法也得到了其他年轻人的支持。《中国青年报》的调查表明：53.6%的年轻人认为成为公务员的主要意义是更好地服务社会。

　　But that doesn’t mean civil service jobs do not help employees at all. What Zhang values aboutworking as a civil servant is also the platform it offers. Employees learn to better understandsociety, by working for the central Party and its administrative organs or their affiliatedorganizations.

　　不过这并不意味着公务员工作对员工毫无用处。郑芳看中公务员的另一点就是它提供的平台。通过为党中央及其行政机关或其他附属机构工作，员工能更好地了解这个社会。

　　“You get to know the policies and how the government works. Besides, this job will allow me tonurture my communication, management and coordination skills. These skills are useful in otherjobs too,” he said.

　　“你会更理解政府的政策以及政府是如何运作的。除此之外，公务员工作能训练我的沟通、管理和组织协调能力。这些技能在其他工作岗位上也很有用，“他说。

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（编辑：何莹莹）