For tutors and tutoring centres
Collect tutoring testimonials from parents and students, with the right permission
A parent describing their child’s change in confidence is powerful proof. It also involves a minor, and a quote about a grade jump can read as a promise. Check each testimonial below, then collect it with StoryProof.
- Permission rules for students under 18
- How to handle quotes about grades
- Separate prompts for parents and students
The problem, solved
Where tutoring testimonials get stuck, and how StoryProof unsticks them
Situation 1 of 5
Most of the students I teach are under 18
Contacting a 15-year-old directly about appearing in your marketing puts the family relationship at risk before any testimonial exists.
How StoryProof solves it
Requests go out by email, so you choose the address. Send both the parent and student forms to the parent, who then decides what reaches the child.
Situation 2 of 5
Teenagers go quiet when I mention a camera
A student who is happy to talk in a lesson often refuses to film themselves, and a forced clip sounds rehearsed anyway.
How StoryProof solves it
The same link offers video, an audio note or a short written review in the browser, so a shy student can pick the lightest option.
Situation 3 of 5
A proud parent might quote an exact exam score
One untypical result on your homepage can read to other parents as a promise you cannot keep.
How StoryProof solves it
Nothing a family submits goes public until you approve it, so a score or a school name can be caught before it appears anywhere.
Situation 4 of 5
A chemistry parent lands on English reviews
Families search for help with one subject, and a page full of praise for other subjects tells them little.
How StoryProof solves it
Tag each testimonial by subject and level, then pick exactly which ones appear in the widget on each subject page.
Situation 5 of 5
Families mean to reply, then the holidays start
The end of term is the best moment to ask and the worst moment for a busy parent to remember a form.
How StoryProof solves it
On plans with automations, follow-up emails remind them after three days and again four days later, and stop once they leave a testimonial.
Checklist
Check each tutoring testimonial before it goes live
Tick off each item for every testimonial. The grade section follows the FTC’s guides on consumer endorsements in the United States; elsewhere, check your local advertising rules.
The checklist runs in your browser and saves nothing.
Prompts
Two voices, two sets of prompts
Parents notice different things from students. Ask each about what they saw.
Parents, at the end of a term
- What was homework time like before tutoring?
- What changes have you noticed in how your child talks about the subject?
- How did the tutor keep you updated?
Leave out
- Specific grades or test scores, unless they are typical of your students
Students, after an exam or a milestone
- What do you understand now that you did not before?
- What was it like working with your tutor?
- What would you tell a friend who is stuck on this subject?
Leave out
- Their school, teacher or classmates’ names
In StoryProof
Collect it with StoryProof
- You will need
- Written permission from parents of students under 18
- A StoryProof workspace
- 1
Set up one form for parents and one for students
Each uses its own prompts. Students who would rather not be on video can write a few lines or leave an audio note.
- 2
Email the parent, always
Send the request to the parent’s email address, including the student form for under-18s, so the parent sees what is being asked.
- 3
Review for names, schools and grade claims
Every submission waits for your approval. Check it against the list above before approving.
- 4
Tag by subject and level, then publish
Tag testimonials by subject and level, such as maths or exam preparation, and put each set on the matching page.
What happens next: When a student turns 18 or leaves, check with them whether they are still happy for their testimonial to appear.
One family, two testimonials
Illustrative scenario, not a StoryProof customer
A maths tutor finishes a term with a 14-year-old student. She emails the parent two links: one form for the parent and one for the student.
The parent records an audio note about evenings that used to end in arguments over homework. The student writes two sentences about finally understanding algebra. Neither mentions a grade.
The tutor approves both, tags them “maths, secondary”, and puts them side by side on her maths page.
Before you start
Honest limits
What this does not cover, and what to check on your side. Better to know now than after launch.
- 01
Not legal advice
Rules on children’s data and advertising differ by country and state. Check your own obligations, especially if you work with under-13s.
- 02
StoryProof does not verify ages
It is up to you to know which students are minors and to collect a parent’s permission before sending them a form.
- 03
Grade quotes are the hardest to use well
If you cannot show what students generally achieve, leave the grade out and keep the change in confidence. It persuades parents just as well.
- 04
A parent can withdraw permission
If a family asks you to take a testimonial down, remove it from your site and anywhere else you reused it. Keep a note of where each one appears so you can.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
Do I need a parent’s permission for a student testimonial?
For anyone under 18, get a parent or guardian’s permission, and the student’s own agreement too. Keep it on file with their details.
Can a testimonial say a student went up two grades?
In the US, the FTC expects a result like that to be typical, or the ad to say what students generally achieve. If you cannot show either, leave the grade out.
What if the student and the parent remember things differently?
Publish each in their own words and do not blend them into one quote. Two honest views side by side read as more believable than one that has been smoothed over.
Can a tutoring centre use a testimonial about a tutor who has left?
It describes a lesson that new families can no longer book with that person. Either move it to a general page about the centre or retire it, and check with the tutor before keeping their name on it.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
Start with this term’s families
Set up a parent form and a student form, and send them as term ends.
Sources
- 16 CFR 255.2: Consumer endorsements, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Checked 2026-11-04.
- 16 CFR 255.5: Disclosure of material connections, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Checked 2026-11-04.
Last updated 2026-11-04.