The Free Talk Staffroom

Hosted by Patrick Sherriff

Entrepreneurship Education Language Learning

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Episodes

124

Latest episode

Jun 2026

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About the show

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

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60 recent

June 11, 20268 min

The culture shock of working for yourself in Japan

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 freetalktefl.substack.com

June 5, 20268 min

Some help with how to teach children to read English

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 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09918LPTJ 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

May 29, 20267 min

Make a 5-year plan

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 you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit freetalktefl.substack.com

May 22, 20266 min

You don't have to be an expert

You don’t have to do the teaching-English-in-Japan thing like I do, you don’t have to be an expert, you can find your own way. In fact, I recommend you do…Interested in going it alone in Japan? 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

May 15, 20264 min

It gets easier

When you first start out as a self-employed teacher and look over at your company/school employed comrades, it’s tempting to think you done messed up, boy. Give it a year or two, and you and your bank balance will be happy you stuck at it.Interested in going it alone in Japan? 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

May 8, 202610 min

Are you ready for the next stages of your journey?

Age catches up with all of us, if we’re lucky, and being self-employed actually gives us a few advantages over the company drone. But you have to grab the steering wheel yourself if you want to navigate to an early retirement…If you are interested in driving your own English school in Japan rather than being a passenger at the back of the eikaiwa bus, 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

May 1, 20268 min

That time I almost became a university lecturer but was glad I didn’t…

Well, I was asked to apply and then told to sling my hook, but it all worked out for the best…If you are interested in running your own English school in Japan rather than jumping through the university hoops, 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

April 24, 20263 min

Don’t be an eikaiwa teacher for more than six months?

This was the comment on YouTube I got a couple of weeks ago. At first I thought, what rubbish! Then, I thought, well the commenter is kinda right, when it comes to working for a chain. But….(Those dots mean watch the video for more, not that I can’t be bothered to summarise my thoughts here when it’s all in the video. Although, that is also true.)If you are interested in running your own English school in Japan for more than six months, 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

April 17, 20266 min

Kids or adults — who are better to teach?

Kids were always a scarier proposition for me, but I’ve mellowed as I’ve aged. How about you? Do kids fill you with fear or does the thought of a group of adults give you palpitations?My book, The Tower English Way, has more details, available 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

April 10, 20266 min

Don’t discount your prices, do this instead

Buy one, get one free? Introduce your friends and get a free toaster? Sell your own grandmother (on the value of English) and get a free bag of irregular verbs? Doesn’t really make me want to pay for English lessons. So what does? I offer a few thoughts among the cherry blossoms above. My book, The Tower English Way, has more details, available 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