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ESF Debentures = $500K each

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  1. #11

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    well, the debenture simply gives you "priority" in the entry process, provided your kid can meet all admission requirements. does that mean 500k won't secure anything concrete? Lol


  2. #12

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    The ESF is not academically selective. So unless the kid throws up on the interviewer's lap or exhibits some serious problem, they're in. I suspect the language is to ensure that they meet some legal requirements (?) and keep other parents happy.

    At this point given the ESF's financials, I seriously doubt they'd be saying no to the $500K kids.


  3. #13

    I would expect that demand for these $500k debentures would be quite high, and my understanding is that out of class of 30 only 2 spots will be held for these debenture holders. So wouldn't it then be logical that the 2 kids admitted under this debenture scheme would arguably be amongst the most strongest of the candidates in the debenture pool, and would then also likely have been among the strongest in the overall pool of all the applicants for that grade?

    So if these two kids would have likely been offered a spot anyways, isn't this debenture scheme really just a mechanism to extract more money from those parents of strong candidates who can most afford it?

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  4. #14

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    Do the $500k kids get their own teacher and parking space too?

    By the way, the salaries are nothing special, quite reasonable.

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  5. #15

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    The salaries in the ESF (at least, for teachers) are not unreasonable - there are other international schools in Hong Kong which pay higher.

    However, the ESF maintains 15 different schools in Hong Kong in a variety of locations - all of which are constantly being tweaked and upgraded. Whether or not this justifies the HK Gommint subsidies is up to you, but consider Island School, for example, which is in dire need of a rebuild as the concrete is old and crumbling. That rebuild is going to cost about $800,000,000HKD or more.

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  6. #16

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    the buildings that need it should be renovated.

    but hk needs (wants is more like it) more international school spots, not more competition for school spots.

    seems like esf has been learning from hk property developers.


  7. #17

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    Quote Originally Posted by Unsolicited:
    the buildings that need it should be renovated.

    but hk needs (wants is more like it) more international school spots, not more competition for school spots.

    seems like esf has been learning from hk property developers.
    So you're saying that the ESF should build more schools? (Which requires a lot of money.)

    But you're also saying the ESF shouldn't be making money.

    Ok.

  8. #18

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    So typical to see people criticize while knowing very little about the whole situation. Similar to the idiots that made a big deal about the money to Harrow school. Just about ALL the international schools receive money from the government in one form or another though the yearly subsidy is unique to ESF.

    ESF fees are significantly lower than comparable international schools in HK, they provide the most places AND services to ALL types of students and not only to academically gifted ones, they have built new schools and are renovating many of the ones that are aging. Island School is indeed the next one in line to be rebuilt in the next few years which will be very costly.

    Some of the geniuses here might let us know how you can keep a decent staff if you cut salaries more(they have already implemented cuts and are trying to diminish the average experience of teachers in school to a factor of nine and to also reduce the amount of responsibility allowances. How do you increase revenues while not increasing tuition fees to the level of similar international schools?

    There are always those people in society that seem to think they are more clever than everyone and that they somehow could provide more/better services at cheaper cost. In reality, something's gotta give somewhere.

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  9. #19

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    International schools are also obscenely expensive. Not disputing this.

    :-D


    Sent from my GT-I9210 using GeoClicks Mobile


  10. #20

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    Yes schools are expensive... If you have low class sizes, large buildings to maintain and a full load of expat teachers to pay, it's pretty hard to make it any other way. Most international schools are not for profit organizations and are not money making machines.

    Bankers are often paid obscenely for services not rendered... Do you have any intelligent point to make?

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