Look east to further your education

Irish students who will spend the next year studying in Shanghai have encouraged more third level Irish students to look east to China as a study option.

More Chinese high schools are now seeking to twin with Cork schools.

And talks are under way to launch a Chinese language competition in Cork schools where Chinese is taught, with prizes of cultural exchange trips to Shanghai up for grabs. The details emerged during celebrations to mark the 10th anniversary of Cork’s sister-city link with Shanghai.

Kinga Grunau, from Tralee, and Amy Kiely from Baltimore, Co Cork, who are both third year commerce and Chinese students at UCC, and Kathleen O’Carroll, from Tralee, a third year student of international law in UCC, arrived in Shanghai eight weeks ago to spend their third year studying in China.

Kinga and Amy will spend the year at Shanghai University, with Kathleen studying in the East China University of Political Science and Law.

“It’s just so exciting. It’s just such an opportunity that so many people would love to have,” Kinga said.

Amy said she feels as if most people in Ireland don’t fully appreciate the opportunities in China.

“There are so many Irish companies out here, and so many English language businesses, and so many Irish in Shanghai, and they will all need people to introduce their products to the Chinese market,” she said.

Kathleen said there are so many international students in Shanghai that it’s easy to fit in and make friends.

“I really enjoy Shanghai and I’m already thinking about coming back after my degree to teach English here for a while,” she said.

Emma Connolly, the international strategy officer with UCC’s international office, said their testimonies are a perfect example of the success and richness of the twinning link.

Ms Connolly was living in Shanghai when the link was first mooted over a decade ago. “Ireland, not to mention Cork, just weren’t on the map here at the time,” she said.

“I would arrive proudly at an event and say I’m from Ireland and they would say ‘where’s that?’. It’s not a country, I was told. It’s part of England. These were the conversations at the time.

“But I have seen that change over the last decade,” she added.