I agree with Buzzoff that this training for circling is defeating the main purpose of what the excercise should be all about, i.e. maintaining visual contact with the runway at all times.
In real life, you won't have the instructor calling out when you're abeam the runway etc. My opinion is that these approaches are so few and far between, that they should be banned altogether, and there will not be any significant commercial repurcussions.
In five years, I've only flown two circling approaches, only one with weather really at or close to the minimums.