The Free Talk Staffroom

AI generated transcript: How badly do you want it? How badly do you want to be a self-employed English teacher? I think if you answer that honestly, if the answer is very badly, or very much, I think that will be a marker of your success. Or put it this way, how much do you detest the situation that you're in right now? Are you in a lot of pain? Do you absolutely detest your work? Do you detest th...

AI-generated transcript: Hello, Patrick Sherriff here with the Staffroom, the podcast for freetalktefl.substack.com, and I just want to very briefly say I'm exhausted. I just got back from England. I came in yesterday, half past ten in the morning, into Haneda, so I don't know what time it is now. I don't know what time my body thinks it is. but I'm flagging, so I'll try and keep this short and sw...

It’s a trick question! You can’t… or at least I haven’t had much luck doing that. Leave a comment if you disagree. (AI generated transcript): Hello, Patrick Sherriff here with the Staffroom podcast on behalf of the, what the heck is it called? freetalktefl.substack.com Anyway, today I wanted to talk about something that I think many people obsess over and get it wrong, and that's how to use social...

Do you make friends with your students? Is it a good idea or best avoided? What do you think? Leave a comment! AI-generated transcript: The last time the Bulletin, the newsletter that I write every Wednesday, I think it's number 24, the Bulletin 24, I talked about How to Team Teach friendly, I think, and less clinical, which I think is a personal bugbear of mine. I think we are far too clinical, e...

Patrick Sherriff tells the story of the valuable lesson he learnt from teaching English to Mr Shiawase. 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 how finding a good place to rent set his teaching English business up for success in Japan. 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

Hello, I'm Patrick Sherriff for freetalktefl.substack.com. And today I'm going to talk about a word that I don't like to use because I think it's a bit silly or it's a bit of a buzzword. Um, but I can't think of a better one. And that is mindset. The mindset, having the right mindset to be a self-employed English teacher or actually to be a self-employed anything. It does require a certain mindset...

Hello, Patrick Sherriff here for freetalktefl.substack.com. I'm going to tell you a little story about how we ended up in Japan and teaching English. Back in the day, 2007, I was living with my family in the UK, in Derby. I was working for a local newspaper. My wife was working for a local Japanese company. and we were just basically making ends meet but we had two daughters and my mother-in-law t...

Auto-generated transcript: Hello, Patrick Sherriff here with the Staffroom podcast and you might be able to hear it's a bit windy where I'm recording this. I'm sitting on a bench drinking ice, not ice, but a cold coffee can, canned coffee from the machine while looking out on the, I guess, beautiful Teganuma. It's a big sort of marshland just on the outskirts of Abiko. Anyway, I'm on my bike ride...

Transcript (auto-generated): Hello, I'm Patrick Sherriff and I just wanted to talk a little bit more about what I wrote last for Free Talk TEFL.substack.com for the bulletin which is number 19, which if you go to the website you can find it all written out. I don't want to rehash that. What I was talking about was why I'm a self-employed English teacher and why I believe it's the best way. Basical...

Transcript (auto-generated): Hello, I'm Patrick Sherriff and I'm going to talk about why I use a textbook for teaching English. You may think that textbooks are old-fashioned and a bit fuddy-duddy. Maybe you have a memory, like I do, of secondary school and very tedious textbooks that you go through line by line. Certainly that's how they do it in Japan.066 some of the more boring teachers just go...

Patrick Sherriff talks about funnels, business models and business mindsets for the self-employed English teacher. 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 taking pride in teaching English, even if you don’t think it’s much to brag about. 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 speaks off the cuff about why your school, or any business for that matter, needs a newsletter. 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

Cry. Scream at the moon. Rip up their nengajo . And do this… 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 the secret is… well, you’ll just have to listen to the podcast, won’t you? It’s only six minutes, and I don’t fluff my lines much. 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 suggests that excellence at English teaching, or any other business activity, only requires you to be a little above average. 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 argues that assigning homework is counterproductive in the English classroom. AKA homework sucks 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 spells out the most used grammar points all English teachers should know. 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 discusses the three biggest mistakes he’s made as a self-employed English teacher in Japan. 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 (with “help” from his cat, Rako) talks about two numbers that will help you figure out what to charge for your English lessons in Japan, or anywhere for that matter. A transcript of the podcast can be found here at www.freetalktefl.substack.com. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freetalktefl.su...

Patrick Sherriff reads the latest Bulletin newsletter for self-employed teachers of English as a foreign language. 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

Yes, English as taught by chain schools in Japan, is typically overpriced, poor quality and very often mind-numbing for teachers and students. But, ironically, that is a reason for hope for the savvy English teacher. 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

Lots of English teachers make coaching students to pass tests a cornerstone of their English teaching business. Here, I give five reasons why I think that’s short-sighted and not the best business model for you. Sign up to the free newsletter and get a lesson plan on Monday, advice on Wednesday and this podcast every Friday delivered straight to your email inbox. This is a public episode. If you w...

Are English teachers in Japan rich? Do you have to have a university degree to teach English in Japan? Patrick Sherriff, a 20-year veteran of the eikaiwa business picks five myths about the business that you can and should ignore. Sign up to the free newsletter and get a lesson plan on Monday, advice on Wednesday and this podcast every Friday delivered straight to your email inbox. This is a publi...