New Chapter for China Joint Colleges: Meet the New Director: Michael Garvey

I've worked in UCD since 2010, initially with UCD Global as Pre-Masters Coordinator, which focussed almost exclusively on partnerships with Chinese universities, including all of the ones involved with the China Joint Colleges. In 2013 I was seconded to BDIC and have been associated with that joint college since then. When the China Joint Colleges was set up in 2020, I continued my BDIC role in the new structure and before Agnieszka joined us I did a fair amount of work getting GDIC set up. And obviously, since two weeks ago I have been Director of the China Joint Colleges office.

Prior to UCD, there is a fair amount. I did a history degree in Trinity, graduating with a BA in 1998. After working in a couple of random jobs for a while, I decided I needed to do something different. I had done a bit of travel while a student and I felt that I wanted to immerse myself in somewhere completely different to Ireland. China seemed a good choice and the low cost of living was handy since I was essentially completely broke. So, I first went to China in 2000, working at a university called Liaoning Institute of Technology, in Jinzhou, Liaoning province. I initially had a contract for a single semester, but I ended up staying in China for most of the next 8 years. I worked at a few different language schools in Dalian and Jinan (in Shandong province) before taking up a position as Director of Studies at EF Changchun in 2003. Changchun is a cold, foreboding kind of place but that somehow appealed to me. In addition, I'd heard it was the perfect place to learn Chinese, which proved to be correct. EF is a Swedish company that operated franchise language schools throughout China and I went to another of their locations in Hangzhou in 2005, where I managed schools in three separate locations in the city. I also met my wife while living there.

Eventually, in 2008 I decided I wanted to go back to Ireland mainly to see if I could establish some sort of a career there after living abroad for 8 years. Not great timing, but I eventually decided it was a good time to add to my educational credentials., I did an MA in Contemporary Chinese Business & Culture in UCC and graduated in September 2009. I did a few more random teaching jobs and a bit of volunteer work before eventually landing in UCD in July 2010. And I'm still here.

Apart from all the CV stuff, most people who know me know that I like cycling. A lot. I raced competitively before I started university and took up the sport again in 2011 after realising that I couldn't face driving down the M50 every day on my way to work. So I prefer to cycle to work instead. And I still like to take part in the occasional competitive event now and then, in Ireland and sometimes in China.