Jadavpur: A recruitment notice for 70 posts of the rank of peon at Jadavpur University had more than 11,000 people applying, many of them with a PhD or an MSc, MTech, BTech or BSc degree.

The minimum eligibility for the post of peon is "Class VIII pass" and the starting pay is approximately Rs 15,000 a month.

Of the 11,000-odd applicants who took the written test last year, 500 made it to a shortlist and are being called for interviews in batches.

Asked whether the trend of overqualified candidates wanting to work as peons was a reflection of desperation caused by unemployment in Bengal, acting registrar Chiranjib Bhattacharya said many candidates had said during interviews that they were working in private firms and wanted job security.

A teacher at Jadavpur University said students with engineering degrees from smaller institutes were increasingly forced to look for any employment they could get because the local job market had shrunk in Bengal.

During the interviews, some of the applicants, including those with MSc, BTech and professional degrees, were specifically asked what forced them to apply for the post of peon. "Most of them cited the lure of a government job. This is a trend not just in Jadavpur but also in other universities in Bengal and outside the state," acting registrar Bhattacharya said.

Besides being risk averse, qualified students from the state are often left behind in private companies because of poor communication skills.

The primary responsibility of a peon includes running official errands for laboratory assistants in the science and engineering laboratories, carrying files from one desk to another and serving refreshments during meetings, a source in the university said.

A candidate with a BTech degree from a private engineering college in Bengal said he had applied for the post despite already working for a private firm because he wanted continued employment. " I am aware of the risks of working for private firms. This job (that of a peon) would ensure certain post-retirement benefits that are not available elsewhere," the applicant said.

Jadavpur University officials interviewing the candidates said they were facing a tough time selecting people from the shortlist.