Police in Fujian province have been forced to apologize following outrage over a job advertisement for a food washer that required applicants to have a bachelor's degree and be "good looking".

The public security bureau in Xiang'an district of Xiamen issued the controversial recruitment ad on its website last Wednesday.

In it, the bureau said it wanted a "good looking" female, taller than 1.58 m, with a degree in Chinese or journalism and at least two years' experience as a secretary. The notice added the successful candidate would "work as a washer and press officer for the station for no less than three years".

The ad sparked a backlash from residents and netizens, who branded the conditions "absurd".

"Employers nowadays think every recruit should be a college student. They think there are so many of them, so someone will want these jobs," said Chen Lu, a Beijing college student. "But it's still surprising the bureau asked so much from people applying to be a food washer."

Xiang'an officials apologized over the weekend and admitted the requirements were inappropriate. The bureau's new online ad states candidates should simply be "female, under 30, live in Xiamen, be hard workers and hold a degree from a technical school or junior college".

A public security officer surnamed Zhuang told China Daily yesterday the requirements had originally been set high because the bureau needs to fill two jobs but can only hire one person.

Another official, who is surnamed Yang and in charge of recruitment, said no one has so far applied for the job because it demands too much and pays too little. He said the monthly salary is only 800 yuan ($120).

Hou Ping, a graduate from Shandong University, said if the wages were higher, the job would not be so bad.

"A Chinese or journalism major could use what they've learned doing this job, and as so many college students are job hunting I think it's so absurd to make them do some kitchen work at the same time," she said.