The Free Talk Staffroom

And the secret is… well, you have to listen or watch the video to find out, but it’s something that we can all do at no cost beyond the time involved to practice this essential skill. 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

Patrick Sherriff, a self-employed English teacher in Japan for 16 years, weighs up the pros and cons of getting a TEFL certificate. 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

Patrick Sherriff talks about a bloke he met in a bar, when to retire and the dangers of working too long or not long enough as a self-employed English teacher in Japan. It’s complicated. Kinda. 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

Here are a few thoughts in reaction to my own video where I suggested you have to say ‘no’ sometimes. Well, it’s complicated… 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

AI-generated transcript: Do you ever feel trapped? I ask that because I'm not sure that I ever felt that. Well, maybe. I certainly felt trapped in a job, and that's one reason why I became a self-employed English teacher in Japan, but you may find yourself thinking you're a little bit stuck, or you get into a bit of a rut. Maybe that's middle age, I don't know. But especially if you are a foreigne...

AI-generated transcript: I saw a message on Facebook from a guy who was complaining about age discrimination in teaching. He said he was struggling to make enough money for food or rent or something and he said he had a job but he wanted a Saturday work and he was looking for Saturday work and he couldn't find places and every time he had an interview he was Rejected and he thinks it's something t...

AI generated transcript: Probably a crazy idea to record this in the middle of a bike ride. Just taking a break just before it gets dark. Maybe just enough light to see me. I wanted to make a quick video about something that happened to me this week. I had to say no to a new student. Two new students actually. Sometimes you have to. In the earlier part of my career I would have said yes. TEFL Talk...

AI-generated transcript: What are the pros of teaching English for yourself, being a self-employed English teacher in Japan? I can think of quite a few good reasons, but they all come down to the basic point, which is DIY, do it yourself. I think it's a philosophical position that you have I mean I feel very comfortable doing things for myself and I've got used to it after doing this for over 16 y...

AI-generated transcript: I was just on Facebook now looking on a forum talking about native versus non-native speakers of English teaching and who makes a better teacher and all that kettle of fish and I'm sort of reluctant to wade into it because very quickly it you know like all discussions on Facebook it kind of descends into the lowest common denominator and somebody starts accusing somebody e...

AI-generated transcript: Hello, I'm recording this on my way home, and I wanted to do sort of like a day in the life, but I don't have time for it, and it may be a bit absurd to be recording this. It's now 11 o'clock at night, I'm just after, and really I've done a 12-hour day. So, filming on the way home in the dark, lit up a bit by streetlights, maybe not very... I'm maybe not selling the life o...

AI-generated transcript: Do you ever get students coming to you and asking for something specific to learn English? For example, oh I'm going to be sent to Singapore for six months The Free Talk Staffroom featuring Patrick Sherriff So I don't need to tell you how to do that. The problem comes when you get somebody, and this happens quite often, there isn't an obvious need for their English. And yo...

AI-generated transcipt: hello welcome back to this weekly chat i'm in front of the lake as usual and just in the middle of a bike ride and i just thought i would make a recording where i don't disturb anybody at home or in the office or at the school whatever so today's topic who are your best students thinking about this really will turn your business into a success if you manage to get attract y...

AI-generated transcript: I wanted to talk about something that maybe is an obstacle for people who want to become self -employed or are thinking about becoming self -employed and think, I don't want to. And that is the idea of a career progression, that if you're self -employed, you don't really have a career. And this is true, but the whole subject kind of bores me because I'm going to talk about...

AI-generated transcript: Hello, I'm going to give you a couple of reasons why you shouldn't be a self-employed English teacher in Japan. There are a few, and you probably have considered these, but let me just mention them, put them out there in the open. Number one, you can't quit. Once you become self-employed, it's not an issue of, oh, I don't like this, I'm going to quit, I'm going to get a ne...

AI-generated transcript: Okay, hello. Are you ready for some exciting times at freetalktefl.substack.com? Today, tonight, it's kind of late. I've just finished teaching all day. I'm going to upload a file for a book. This is actually an older book. I've got the book here. 100 English Phrases. But I wanted to update it. There are a few little things on the inside that I wanted to update. Now, as yo...

AI-generated transcript: Happy Friday. I just wanted to make this video. Well, actually I was approached in the comments section by a chap called Alan, who's in Okinawa. Hello, Okinawa. Who said, hey, tell us more about your publishing and self-publishing. And I guess he's interested in how you go about publishing your own textbooks and so on. And so that's quite a big topic. but I'm happy to talk...

AI generated transcript: I don't want to spend every video that I make talking about myself or my business and how wonderful I am, but you could hear a but coming, couldn't you? I will make one last video like that for the moment, maybe in the future I'll talk about this again, but from next week I'm going to talk about the basics, the very basics that you need to succeed as a self-employed Englis...

AI-generated transcript: Hello. Happy Friday. I just wanted to make this video because I'm thinking about concluding the story of how we got where we are. my school developed and if you've been following on the blog I wrote a few pieces and next Wednesday I'm going to complete the series with talking about how we bought our own English school but I thought I would show you rather than just tell yo...

AI-generated transcript: Hello, I'm going to give you some tips, 10 tips, in fact, for how to teach an online lesson. And so I thought I would do it like an online lesson. So I've got 10 points. The first point, first tip, just teach it like this. Just start your program and you start talking. I'm using Zoom. Uh, but you could use, uh, what is it? Microsoft, uh, is it meetings, um, or Apple FaceTi...

AI-generated transcript: I like this time of year. I'm not a big Christmassy person, although we have it, we have the tree and the advent calendars and everything, but that's for the kids. But I do like this time of year because it's, well I like the Japanese approach. Yeah, they have Christmas, but it's not over the top. You give you one present, all done and dusted. December 26th, Boxing Day in...

An AI-generated transcript: Hello, this may be one of my stupider ideas but I'm getting ready, getting the Christmas dinner ready for a party and I thought I'm not going to get a chance to record something so I'm going to do that now. So killing two birds with one stone which is kind of the topic maybe, if I can stick to it, for today. So I don't know if you can hear this. This is probably a terri...

Where to download the books mentioned in the video: An AI-generated transcript of the video: Hello I'm going to give you the secret to how to get kids to read, well in fact how to get teenagers interested in reading. That sounds impossible right? Maybe it is, but this week I had a pretty good week. I introduced my new Hana Walker mysteries to the kids. A mixed result, but there was some, a few vic...

AI-generated transcript: So last week I had the pleasure of speaking at Gaijin Pot Expo 2023 and it was quite a learning experience for me. I've never been to a business conference, certainly not as a featured speaker. That makes it sound more grand than it really was. I wasn't actually a featured speaker, I was just sort of like one of four on a panel but the whole program only lasted 20 minutes...

AI-generated transcript: Hello, well this is exciting, I wasn't expecting to do a video, I was expecting to just do a podcast, but apparently this is a new thing that Substack's doing, so why not try it out? Especially because tomorrow I'm going to be speaking at the Gaijin Pot Expo 2023 Jobs Fair. Amazingly, they've asked me, one of the organizers has asked me to speak, so I'm going to use this a...

AI-generated transcript: Hello, just listen to me and today I will teach you how to 10x your English teaching business. Imagine making 10 times more money than you do right now. It's easy if you follow me. Yeah, right, something like that. Actually, of course it's not as easy as that, but in a way maybe it is. What am I talking about? I don't know. I'm talking like this because I just got an audio...