The Free Talk Staffroom

7:28

What can English teachers in Japan do to protect our...

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/10/09

I only ask, because I’m not sure what, if anything, we can do to keep our livelihoods as self-employed English teachers in Japan. I’d like to think that community and empathy will do the trick, but that may be wishful thinking. What do you think? Leave a message if you have any thoughts to add.More thoughts on teaching English for yourself in Japan in my book here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this

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8:37

What do you teach your adult students?

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/10/02

I only ask became it’s not as easy as it looks. Once you’ve gone through some greetings, the major tenses and a bit of chit chat, what’s next? And how do you keep going for a year of lessons? Well, my answer is 42 lessons on interesting, but 04timeless topics that I put together in a textbook, Free Talk Conversation, and you can download an ebook version of it for free right now. Just click here for Amazon.co.jp, or here for the Amazon.com site and click on the orange download button (¥0/ $0

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10:00

5 things I don’t do any more after 20 years as a...

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/09/25

More thoughts on teaching English for yourself in Japan in my book here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start 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

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6:32

It’s OK to ditch the lesson plan sometimes

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/09/18

More thoughts on teaching English for yourself in Japan in my book here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start 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

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6:09

How to prepare a trial lesson

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/09/11

I show how I got a trial lesson ready for a new prospective student yesterday. Spoiler alert: after the lesson, her Dad said she would join our school next week. So, all that prep worked out!More thoughts on teaching English for yourself in Japan in my book here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start 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

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8:03

Teaching English doesn’t have to be the centrepiece...

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/09/04

More power to you if you love teaching, but don’t worry if you have other things going on in your life that sustain you. In fact, the beauty of being a self-employed English teacher In Japan can be in the self-employed bit. Why? Because you are free to indulge in your other passions. Here’s one of mine: publishing thrillers. And for the next few days, you can download for free my novel Year of the Talking Dog, a thriller set in pre-COVID Japan. You can download from any Amazon site, but here are the

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7:27

The decision that saved my life, and could save yours

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/08/28

The headline sounds like clickbait, but it’s actually true.More thoughts on teaching English for yourself in Japan in my book here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start 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

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7:02

Don’t take it personally…

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/08/21

Sure, be friendly, but the secret to success is professionalism, not personality. More thoughts on teaching English for yourself in Japan in my book here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start 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

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8:56

Lessons from a walk down Yasukuni Dori

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/08/14

Lessons a plenty from businesses old and new in Tokyo.More thoughts on teaching English for yourself in Japan in my book here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start 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

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9:00

The downside of teaching English in Japan and what to...

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/08/06

Teaching English is what I do and, for the most part, is rewarding. But it’s not easy and not always fulfilling. Here’s how I cope with the downsides, hopefully what works for me might be of assistance to you when you have a bad day. Sorry about the cicadas.More thoughts on teaching English for yourself in Japan in my book here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to

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4:01

Re-thinking our school’s website

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/07/31

For most of my teaching career I’ve viewed the internet as little more than a glorified business card. It’s time I rethought this approach. Is it time for you to reconsider how you use the internet in your business?More thoughts on teaching English for yourself in Japan in my book here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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7:26

Using this summer to re-evaluate what we do

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/07/23

More thoughts on teaching English for yourself in Japan in my book here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start 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

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0:28

30-second lesson: Entertain and inform

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/07/17

Just like the title says: entertain and inform. Do only one and you’ll fail. Do both in roughly equal proportions and you’ll succeed. What am I missing?More thoughts on teaching English for yourself in Japan in my book here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start 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

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5:47

Should you ever refuse to teach a misbehaving kid?

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/07/10

It’s tempting to save yourself a spot of bother by refusing to teach “difficult” kids. But should you?More thoughts on teaching English for yourself in Japan in my book here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-startP.S. Did you spot the cat? 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

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6:47

Don't let teaching limit you

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/07/03

You might think it’s impossible to imagine, but… you are more than just an English teacher. Here’s what I do when teaching just doesn’t cut it. Details here:https://artbypatricksherriff.substack.com/p/skys-the-limit-exhibition-is-open 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

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7:15

Tech in teaching: Just because you can, doesn't mean...

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/06/26

I’m not a complete dinosaur, but there’s a time and place for high-tech in language learning, and I maintain that is mostly out of the classroom. Do you agree? Or am I indeed a fossil of an extinct way of teaching?Want to know how to teach English in Japan for yourself? I wrote a book just for you here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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4:40

A little known advantage of teaching for yourself

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/06/19

I don’t think I’ve mentioned it before, but there’s something that self-employed teachers have over apparently higher-status company or school teachers’ experiences… Want to know how to teach English in Japan for yourself? I wrote a book just for you here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start 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

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8:12

The culture shock of working for yourself in Japan

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/06/11

It’s not all shabu shabu and sakura blossoms when you jack in the corporate job to go self-employed. Here, I talk about the adjustments I had to make to g07et to grips with teaching for myself. Maybe you can relate?Want to know how to teach English in Japan for yourself? I wrote a book just for you here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit

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8:10

Some help with how to teach children to read English

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/06/05

Let me show you the basics of how to teach children to learn to read in English… and FOR THE NEXT TWO weeks only, you can get the workbook I use with two-thirds off its usual price.Here are the links to the reduced-priced Tower Talk Phonics workbook, available around the world from Amazon sites as cheap as I can make it:Available from Amazon.jp here at https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B09918LPTJAvailable from Amazon.com here at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09918LPTJAvailable from Amazon.uk here at

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7:56

Make a 5-year plan

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/05/29

I don’t mean like Stalin, but just make a rough projection of student numbers and therefore income that you might expect over the next couple of years. Why should you bother? Well, I didn’t for 20 years until, er, last week. When I sat down and worked out some basic numbers, I was pleasantly surprised…Want to know more about teaching English in Japan for yourself? I wrote a book just for you here: https://freetalktefl.substack. com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start This is a public episode. If

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