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The Free Talk Staffroom

Patrick Sherriff

Advice for the self-employed English teacher in Japan. Drops every Friday. freetalktefl.substack.com

education language learning

All Episodes

9:19

107. The right frame of mind to teach English in Japan

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/01/30

Do you have what it takes mentally to teach English in Japan? I can’t speak for you, but I can tell you how I approach teaching, which has served me well for 20 years. What about you? Do you have the mindset to thrive as a self-employed teacher?The sketch at the beginning of the video is one of mine, details at https://artbypatricksherriff.substack.com/p/newsprint-nude 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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6:30

106. Do you need qualifications to teach English...

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/01/23

It’s complicated. Or rather, it’s as simple as deciding if qualifications add to your story or not, which isn’t always straight forward. The painting at the start of the video is here: https://artbypatricksherriff.substack.com/p/okada-san. 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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5:20

105. Where you can find more students

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/01/16

Are they to be found at the train station? In your neighbourhood? Lurking on the internet? Maybe. But here I talk about a better way of finding more students.More details are in my book, The Tower English Way, details here: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start The painting is one of mine, from here: https://artbypatricksherriff.substack.com/p/fusa This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,

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8:58

104. Teaching English for yourself to reach your...

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/01/09

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.substack.com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start The painting at the beginning of the video, Can’t Buy Me

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8:23

103. Hopes for the New Year

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2026/01/02

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,PatrickPS If you’re looking for a little inspiration to get your s**t together for the New Year, may I humbly recommend this book, guaranteed no woo-woo: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/how-to-get-more-meaning-from-your

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6:49

102. I'm off the booze

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/12/25

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-yourThe painting at the beginning of the video is one of mine. Details here: https://artbypatricksherriff.substack.com/p/dashiell-hammett This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other

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17:20

101. Count the ways to beat burnout as an English...

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/12/19

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 make it in time for Christmas. Details here:

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13:25

100. Two things you should do while you're living it...

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/12/12

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 heading to RetireJapan to get started. Tell Ben I sent ya.PatrickThe thumbnail painting is here. This

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6:02

99. Should you copy or be original in your teaching?

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/12/05

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 access to bonus episodes, visit freetalktefl.substack.com

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10:58

97. What’s the status of English teachers in Japan?

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/11/28

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-startThe painting at the beginning of the video is here. 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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4:57

The Napoleon Bonaparte approach to teaching English

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/11/21

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

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1:51

Three new TEFL textbooks for adult beginners

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/11/14

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 with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freetalktefl.substack.com

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7:38

95. Why I'm wary of using AI in English teaching in...

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/11/07

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

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6:02

94. How I use AI to teach English

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/10/31

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

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11:15

93. How long does it take to prepare for a day of...

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/10/24

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://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/books This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other

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3:28

92. Remembering Matthew Dons

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/10/17

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

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5:05

91. How to do level checks

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/10/10

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-workingNeed help with grammar and what a syllabus actually is? I wrote a book to help: https://freetalktefl.substack.com/p/the-tower-english-way-how-to-start This is a public

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4:05

90. Why I've started teaching English on Sundays

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/10/03

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 public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes,

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3:50

89. Is this how you want to spend your life?

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/09/26

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 reclaim your life’s meaning — one scribbled box at a time here:

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6:05

88. How we did our annual speech day this year

The Free Talk Staffroom ·

2025/09/19

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-runningAnd 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 freetalktefl.substack.com

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