The aim of this research was to understand what motivates teachers and keeps them engaged with obligatory professional development courses (PDC), as part of formal in-service training (IST). Thirteen teachers from a secondary education school in Cyprus participated in a qualitative research. Data were collected with semi-structured interviews and analysed with thematic analysis. The participants expressed their feelings about the obligatory attendance of IST, and they discussed the extent to which their expectations from obligatory in-service PDC were met and the impact of the latter on teaching practice. The results revealed an ambivalent picture, with some participants being satisfied with IST and feeling that it is worthy, while others felt that they were ‘sent’ to participate in PDC, which was a waste of time. Thus, this study may inform the design of an alluring obligatory PDC that will be based on the actual teachers’ needs and the teachers’ voice.