Rant: Training daze

I am loath to jump on the English Schools Foundation-bashing bandwagon. It is one of Hong Kong's many success stories and has great teachers and alumni. An ESF education is not cheap, but then neither is a good education in most Anglophone countries.

Ever since the last CPD (continuing professional development) day, however, I've been reflecting that the teachers don't do their organisation's image many favours. That particular CPD day cost me movie tickets for my oldest daughter, our helper and a friend, plus Ocean Park entry for my younger daughter and lunch for all. There were also cab fares and the ire of my boss to contend with as I shuttled the girls around. Productivity was at a low and by the end I was about HK$2,000 poorer.

Friends who refer to CPD as "cheat the parents day" may have a point. This one felt like a complete palaver day.

Given that ESF teachers have more than 10 weeks' leave a year, why can't they "develop" when the students are already off? It's hard to cut them any slack, given the widespread rumours of teachers being sighted hiking in the hills, lounging in restaurants or even flying off for long weekends in Phuket when they're supposedly training.

None of this is what you would call a PR coup, especially with ESF teachers' salaries going up 4 per cent per annum while many other people are having theirs cut.

A friend e-mailed a management person at ESF about all of this and such was the extent of the smokescreen she encountered, her laptop almost spontaneously combusted. CPD, it seems, also stands for "completely patronising drivel".