Is it all right to ask a parent instead of the student?

Yes, and for younger children it is the only sensible way. The parent decides who hires you, so the parent's words are what other parents want to read. For a student over eighteen, ask them directly. For a teenager, ask the parent.

What if the grade did not improve?

Then do not ask yet. Some of your best quotes will come from families whose child stopped dreading the subject before the numbers moved. Ask when the parent tells you something has changed, whether it is on a transcript or at the kitchen table.

Can I use a child's name or age on the page?

Leave the child's name off. Say "parent of a tenth grader" and let the parent's own first name carry the credibility. Nothing that identifies a minor needs to appear, and parents who read the page will not miss it.

How soon after a good exam result should I ask?

Within a couple of days, while the parent is still telling other people about it. Wait a month and the story turns into "she is doing better."

tutors

Testimonials for tutors

Be the turnaround other parents talk about.

The parent is hiring on hope, often after a bad report. Another parent describing the turnaround is what they are looking for.

Right below is the text I would send a client, ready to copy.

Start freeNo card needed. Cancel whenever.

A text you can send

The text I would send after a good job

The day a graded test or report card comes home and the parent tells you about it.

Hi Beatriz, it's Grace from Bright Ladder Tutoring. So glad to hear about the chemistry grade! Could you write a bit about where Mateo was when we began and what you have seen change since? Other parents ask me for references, and this way they can read it themselves. It works on a phone, no account: [your link]

Swap in your own names. The link comes from your dashboard.

Tutor testimonial examples

The kind of thing tutors collect with Exalted. Each one is invented and labelled as an example.

Example

She had decided she was 'bad at math' at eleven, which is a hard thing to undo. Two semesters later she is explaining fractions to her brother.

Denise O. · Parent

Example

He went from hiding his chemistry quizzes in his backpack to showing me a test he got a B-plus on. The first thing she did was ask him to explain what he thought the problem was, and only then did she teach.

Beatriz N. · Parent of a tenth grader

Example

We hired her for SAT reading, expecting drills. She had our daughter annotate passages with a pencil for two weeks first. The score went up ninety points and, more to the point, the arguments about homework stopped.

Mark and Lissa J. · Parents

Example

I am in my fifties and needed a statistics course to finish my degree. She never once made me feel slow for asking the same question twice.

Dolores F. · Adult student

A parent choosing a tutor is worried about a child, and the quotes that land describe a change at home: the hidden quiz, the end of the homework fights. A grade helps, but the first thing a parent reads for is whether the tutor understood the kid, and these lines show it without saying so.

How it works

1
Share one link
You get a single link. Send it by text or email to a client whose work went well.
2
They write it, in a minute
No account and no app to download. They rate you and write a couple of lines.
3
You approve what appears
Nothing is public until you say so. Approve the good ones and they appear on your website automatically.

When to ask

When the grade comes back, or the child says something unprompted about the subject.

The single biggest reason tutors have no testimonials is that nobody asks while the work is still fresh, not that clients are unwilling.

Questions that get a real answer

“Please leave a review” produces “great service”, which persuades nobody. Ask something specific instead:

Where was your child struggling when we started?
What changed in how they approach the subject?
What did the results look like?

Or an email

For the parent of a high schooler who found you before applications, and reads email closely.

Subject: Sara's test scores, and a request

Dear Mark and Lissa,

Sara's practice exam came back this week, and I was pleased with the reading section. She has changed how she approaches a passage, and that will carry into college.

I would be grateful if you would describe, in a few sentences, what she was like when we started and what you notice now. Parents comparing tutors tend to look for someone who gets their kid.

It takes a few minutes through this link, with no account to make: [your link]

With thanks, Grace

Swap in your own names and the details of the job. The link comes from your dashboard.

Where people check a tutor first

Google search
Parents type "algebra tutor near me" or "SAT prep for my daughter" late in the evening after an argument over homework. The result they open first tends to be the one with parent quotes.
Wyzant and Care.com
Where a parent with no referral goes to compare hourly rates, with the reviews sitting next to each profile picture.
School parent Facebook groups
"Does anyone know a good geometry tutor?" gets a stream of names, each backed by a parent whose kid was in the same class.
Teachers and school counselors
A teacher who has watched a student improve after outside help will mention the tutor's name to the next family. You cannot see it happen, but it drives a great many inquiries.
Your own website
A parent's line about the hidden chemistry quizzes answers the question they are asking, which is whether it is safe and whether it works.

Questions tutors ask

Is it all right to ask a parent instead of the student?: Yes, and for younger children it is the only sensible way. The parent decides who hires you, so the parent's words are what other parents want to read. For a student over eighteen, ask them directly. For a teenager, ask the parent.
What if the grade did not improve?: Then do not ask yet. Some of your best quotes will come from families whose child stopped dreading the subject before the numbers moved. Ask when the parent tells you something has changed, whether it is on a transcript or at the kitchen table.
Can I use a child's name or age on the page?: Leave the child's name off. Say "parent of a tenth grader" and let the parent's own first name carry the credibility. Nothing that identifies a minor needs to appear, and parents who read the page will not miss it.
How soon after a good exam result should I ask?: Within a couple of days, while the parent is still telling other people about it. Wait a month and the story turns into "she is doing better."

Every testimonial Exalted publishes is written by a real person and approved by the business owner.

Your reputation, as a ladder

Each approved testimonial moves you up a tier, so you have a reason to keep asking. Visitors see the tier and know how established you are.

Friendly1+ approved

Honored5+ approved

Revered15+ approved

Exalted30+ approved

Pricing

Starter is $9 a month or $85 a year. Pro is $19 a month or $180 a year. Both are free until your fifth testimonial, and neither asks for a card to begin.

See what is in each plan

Worth reading before you ask

More on the blog. If you ask for Google reviews too, the free Google review link generator and the review request templates need no account. If you want a client quote as a picture to post, I made a free testimonial image maker.

Start collecting this week

Set up a link in about five minutes and send it to the last client who thanked you.

Start free