The Free Talk Staffroom

I was chatting to a fellow self-employed English teacher in Japan who said school ALTs often don’t realise how few students they would need to make a good living doing their own thing. So, I thought I’d spell it out in this video. For a more thorough explanation, I recommend The Tower English Way, How to start and run your own little English school in Japan, available here: https://freetalktefl.su...

What are your hopes for 2026? And more to the point, what are you going to do to give those hopes a chance of becoming real? Here are a few of my thoughts. But I’d love to hear what you think. Leave a comment about your hopes, plans or dreams for the New Year. All the best, Patrick PS If you’re looking for a little inspiration to get your s**t together for the New Year, may I humbly recommend this...

That’s a headline I never thought I’d ever write, but here we are. And a Happy New Year to you too. Speaking of the new year, I wrote a book you might dig if you are into self-improvement and resolutions but are not into woo-woo: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/how-to-get-more-meaning-from-your The painting at the beginning of the video is one of mine. Details here: https://artbypatricksherrif...

It’s not all milk and honey teaching in Japan. Here are (probably 10?) tips to make it through as a self-employed English teacher when you’re feeling like you can’t go on. But if you’re earlier in your career, or know someone thinking of teaching English as a career, may I recommend The Tower English Way, a summary of what I know about setting up shop for yourself. It’s on Amazon Prime so would ma...

It’s getting to that time of year to assess how things have gone and what to do to get ready for the New Year. But let’s leave all the teaching stuff in the classroom and instead think about your long-term future, and that means saving and investing for your retirement. If that scares you, good, then you are ready to do something about it. Watch the video above and then you could do no better than...

The short answer is yes, both. But it depends on what stage you’re at in your career. And yes, being a self-employed English teacher in Japan is a career, if you choose to make it so. The painting at the start of the video is one of mine, here , borrowing heavily on the style of Canadian artist Tim Packer. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get ac...

Does it really matter what the status is of English teachers? Yes and no, but here are my thoughts on cutting through the BS and getting on with it. If that resonates with you, you might enjoy my book: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start The painting at the beginning of the video is here . This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other sub...

Not many educators look to the French dictator for EFL classroom advice, but perhaps they should, as I argue in the video. The link to the books I mentioned is here: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/free-talk-basics-1-3 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freetalktefl.substack.com

I’m really pleased to announce the publication of three new textbooks designed for adult learners of English who are beginners/lower intermediate level. They are currently as cheap as I can sell them, but the price will go up in December. Full details and links to buy are below: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/free-talk-basics-1-3 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this wit...

If we welcome AI wholeheartedly to take over our core functions as teachers, things are not going to end well for us self-employed English teachers in Japan. Maybe it’s time to embrace a more human hands-on approach? This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freetalktefl.substack.com

I try to balance adopting new technology with keeping myself in the driving seat. Here, I discuss how I use AI for lessons with three of my students. Next week, I’ll talk about what I don’t want AI to do. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freetalktefl.substack.com

I time myself getting ready for a busy Friday and surprise myself how fast I can prepare for seven, 40-minute lessons. How long does it take you to prepare your classes? The main reason I can race through the prep time is I’ve already done it in the form of age and ability-specific textbooks, so on the day I just have to remind myself of the lessons. You can see what textbooks I use here: https://...

For more details of the get-together, go to the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/events/782098757904130 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freetalktefl.substack.com

If you know what your syllabus is and what grammar and vocab your materials are, doing a level check is a doddle. If you don’t have a syllabus, might I suggest you get one? Where do you get one from? This post about textbooks and writing your own might help: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/how-to-write-your-own-textbooks-working Need help with grammar and what a syllabus actually is? I wrote a...

When you’re self-employed you can pretty much choose your own work schedule, within reason. And one reason to consider teaching on Sundays is that’s when your students might be free. Just remember to pace yourself though, you still need time off … The textbook I made for use with first year university students is here: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/i/119447247/textbooks-for-adults This is a pu...

Before you answer that question, consider what you would be doing if it wasn’t for the need to earn a living? You may think you are sick of preparing lessons, dealing with kids, dealing with parents, dealing with businesspeople, but consider what else you might be doing. I’d rather be a little teapot than a corporate drone, but hey, you do you. I wrote a book about this too, called JEFWARS: How to...

This vid is just a few thoughts from an eikaiwa English teacher (me) on why and how to do a speech day. My thoughts from last year’s speech day are here: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/59-have-you-thought-about-running And the Instagram from speech day 2024 is here: This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freeta...

For more about how we went from teaching from our living room to owning our school, see the series of posts that culminates with us buying our own place: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/how-we-came-to-own-our-english-school This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freetalktefl.substack.com

I’m new to this game of hiring and training staff, but here are some half-baked thoughts about it. What do you think? Here’s an earlier post about team teaching in the classroom (with my wife), you might find useful if you find yourself in a similar spot: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/thoughts-on-team-teaching-children This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other su...

Oh, and from today and through the weekend, you can download Free Talk Business 1: Get your dream job for free as a Kindle ebook. Hurry though, the link reverts to paid only from Monday. Get it here for free from Amazon.co.jp: https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Patrick-Sherriff-ebook/dp/B0FNQS99KT Get it here for free from Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/-/en/Patrick-Sherriff-ebook/dp/B0FNQS99KT Get...

Not so weird, maybe, but certainly not covered in the textbooks. Here’s a related post about my three biggest mistakes — it’s not just students who mess up, you know — https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/my-three-biggest-mistakes-as-a-self This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freetalktefl.substack.com

Yeah, origin stories are all very well, I hear you say, but how can I get more students to sign up with me ? I found out accidentally what marketing chaps already knew: exude “with or without you” energy. Details are here: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/the-secret-to-getting-more-students This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus...

Two opposite tips actually, but they kind of work together. More advice here: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/your-secret-weapon-as-a-self-employed This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freetalktefl.substack.com

And that simple idea is… lesson planning. But more than that, do it right and you’ll never have to plan a lesson again. If this video resonated with you, you might find these links interesting too: How to write your own textbook: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/how-to-write-your-own-textbooks-working How to set up your own English school: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/the-tower-english-w...

From the POW camps of Borneo, to the backseats of a minivan tearing through the suburbs, there’s a bit of variety in the life of a self-employed English teacher in Japan. More basic tips on teaching English to Japanese kids here: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/a-few-little-things-you-might-need This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to...