Capital again raises allowance for PLA recruits

Beijing municipality has increased the allowance for soldiers who join the People's Liberation Army for the third consecutive year, with higher amounts for better-educated recruits.

A university student or graduate who has a Beijing hukou, or household registration permit, will receive at least 186,000 yuan ($28,500) in cash in allowance if they join the PLA this year and serve at least two years, the Beijing Municipal Conscription Office announced on its website on Friday.

The money, 9,000 yuan higher than last year, includes subsidies for the soldier's family, reimbursement for university expenditures, service pay as well as job-finding assistance. They will be given to the soldier and his or her family during the service term and after he or she retires from the military.

The PLA intends to recruit more well-educated young people to fill in its intellectually demanding positions that are rapidly emerging along with the military modernization drive.

An associate degree holder or student at an associate college will receive 178,000 yuan for a two-year service term while a high school graduate will get 154,000 yuan.

A soldier serving in high-altitude plateaus in the Tibet autonomous region will receive an extra subsidy of at least 56,200 yuan, the office noted.

In 2014, the total allowance for a university student or graduate who became a PLA soldier that year was increased by nearly 20,000 yuan to 159,000 yuan. The next year, the money was further raised to 177,000 yuan.

In addition to the financial incentives, Beijing also promises that students from universities in Beijing who interrupt their studies to serve the PLA will be given special favors when they take part in postgraduate exams, apply for a job in the government and State-owned enterprises, and apply for a Beijing hukou after graduation.

Government departments, State-owned companies and publicly funded organizations in Beijing have been asked to set aside a certain proportion of their vacancies for university graduates who served with the PLA, the conscription office said.

Last month, the PLA released a rap-style recruitment music video for the first time to cater to the tastes of young people. The effort was applauded by young people, many of whom said the music succeeded in raising their aspirations to have a military career.