There’s more than just civil service exams to get into the government system: serving two years in grassroots programs qualifies you for a special recruitment quota of 10% each year
Getting into the government system isn’t limited to taking civil service exams. After completing two years of satisfactory service in programs such as “Three Supports and One Assistance,” you become eligible for a special recruitment pool that accounts for roughly 10% of each year’s civil service openings. Those who take the postgraduate entrance exam within three years also get an extra 10 points added to their total score. The catch is that you’ll be paid only a government stipend during those two years.
There’s no upfront cost. The trade‑off is spending two yea…
The notice for the fourth round of the “Three Supports and One Assistance” program sets a two-year service ter…
There’s no upfront cost. The trade‑off is spending two years working at a grassroots level in a township. During those two years you receive a government stipend rather than a market‑rate salary, and you must be prepared to endure that period.
The notice for the fourth round of the “Three Supports and One Assistance” program sets a two-year service term. Each province, autonomous region, or municipality should allocate about 10% of its annual civil-service recruitment plan to targeted recruitment from participants in this and similar grassroots service programs. County- and township-level public institutions should, according to local circumstances, reserve a number or proportion of publicly advertised jobs for special recruitment of participants who complete the program and pass assessment; after appointment, a probationary period may be waived. These targeted and special recruitment slots are competed for only among people who have served in the programs; others cannot apply. The same notice provides that participants who complete service and pass assessment receive 10 extra points on their total initial-examination score if they take the national master's entrance examination within three years, with priority admission under equal conditions. Graduates of higher vocational or specialized colleges who complete service and pass assessment may enter adult higher-education bachelor's programs for associate-degree holders without an entrance examination. People with no work experience before joining the program who complete service and pass assessment may, for two years, receive the same policies as fresh graduates for recruitment by government bodies, public institutions and enterprises, starting a business, household registration, and further education. Their grassroots service counts as work seniority, beginning on the day they report to the post. Central fiscal support is RMB 30,000 per person per year in western regions, RMB 24,000 in central regions, and RMB 12,000 in eastern regions. The opinions from the General Offices of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council similarly give participants with no previous work experience, after completing a grassroots program and passing assessment, two years of fresh-graduate treatment for recruitment by government bodies and public institutions, hiring by enterprises, entrepreneurship, household registration, and further education. Those opinions also require government bodies at provincial level or above, except for special posts, to recruit civil servants from people with at least two years of grassroots work experience, in accordance with the relevant rules. Another route is the Western China Program, jointly organized by the Communist Youth League Central Committee, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. It recruits current-year university graduates or enrolled postgraduate students for 1–3 years of volunteer service in grassroots areas of western China (nationwide).
中共中央组织部、人力资源社会保障部等十部门 (2021). 关于实施第四轮高校毕业生「三支一扶」计划的通知（人社部发〔2021〕32 号，第七、八、九、十一、十二、十三条）. https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2021-06/04/content_5615404.htm；中共中央办公厅、国务院办公厅 (2017). 关于进一步引导和鼓励高校毕业生到基层工作的意见（第五、十六、十八条）. http://www.gov.cn/gongbao/content/2017/content_5171278.htm；全国大学生志愿服务西部计划项目管理办公室 (2026). 2026—2027 年度大学生志愿服务西部计划招募协议书. http://xibu.youth.cn/tzgg/202604/t20260423_16623558.htm
Open source linkRound 4 of the «三支一扶» plan covers 2021 to 2025. A round 5 document and a 2026 recruitment notice were not found this time. Check that year's recruitment announcement before you apply. In 2025, central finance supported recruitment of 34430 people. The original implementation plan of the western program cannot be found online, and the policy column on the official site does not open the content. Benefits after that program ends follow the document from the General Offices of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council that covers all grassroots service projects. These 2 years pay a fiscal subsidy, not a market wage. That price has to be counted together with the directed recruitment after the 2 years. How a graduate's fresh-graduate status is recognized, and what to check before signing a job, is in item 17 of this section ("fresh graduates").