{"id":131,"date":"2021-05-05T11:33:47","date_gmt":"2021-05-05T11:33:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/7v6.ca4.mywebsitetransfer.com\/?p=131"},"modified":"2021-05-28T09:57:47","modified_gmt":"2021-05-28T09:57:47","slug":"how-to-get-reviews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/tips.teacher-creature.com\/en\/how-to-get-reviews\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Fill Up Your Teacher Profile With Five-Star Reviews From Students"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Take a look at this email I got from a prospective student: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"an<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Nothing out of the ordinary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


And in the next paragraph he asked me if we could have lessons in his office.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Again, nothing too unusual.
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only problems was, I was no longer a travelling teacher; to save time, I only accepted students who were willing to travel to my apartment for lessons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And that\u2019s what I told him. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s his reply:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"a<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although his office was in Pankrac, which meant one transfer and an extra hour travelling during rush hour, he was willing to do it just because of my reviews from students. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And he\u2019s not the exception. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whenever I meet a new student, I make it a point to ask him or her, Out of all the teachers you could have written to, why did you choose me? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And the answer, most of the time, is because of my testimonials. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Most Important Part Of Your Profile?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Then I started to wonder, Is this the most important part of a teacher\u2019s profile?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More important than your photo?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So one weekend I typed up a list of what I thought might be the most attractive features to have on a profile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The list included: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 5 years experience 
\u2022 university degree in education or linguistics 
\u2022 references 
\u2022 teacher training 
\u2022 experience teaching in other countries
<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then, over the course of the next week, I handed out copies to all my students and asked them to practice the third conditional. \u201cIf you were looking for an English teacher, what would be the most important factor?\u201d

And every single one of them (except for one weirdo), told me \u201creferences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Are A Product<\/h2>\n\n\n\n


In a way, you are a product on a shelf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your profile is online and right next to other profiles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students are looking at those profiles every day and making decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And a hard decision between two equally qualified teachers suddenly becomes a no-brainer when one teacher has reviews and the other doesn’t. (Even one single review can push the decision in your favor when the other teacher has zero reviews.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Think of your own shopping behavior. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How many times have you gone on Amazon to buy something and looked at the ratings before deciding to buy? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or how many times have you checked out the reviews before seeing a movie? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or looked at a hostel\u2019s score on Tripadvisor?

Reviews and testimonials are there for a reason \u2014 they work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this study<\/a>, products with reviews outsold products without reviews by 67%<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Easy Way To Get Good Reviews<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, students don’t usually voluntarily write reviews for their teachers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They even get an email from me asking them to leave a review. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But fortunately, the solution to their inertia is simple — you just gotta ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Students almost always say “yes.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They’re usually glad to help. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s how I got 90% of my reviews. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yes, it’s a little extra effort required from you. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But if you wanted the easy life, and the low pay and low freedom, you’d be teaching for the language schools. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So if you want your profile full of five-star reviews,  you\u2019re going to have to ask.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s the bad news.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The good news is, it doesn\u2019t take much time, students are often glad to help, and I\u2019m going to show you how to make the process even simpler. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here we go\u2026 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Easy Way To Get Reviews, Part One<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

First, Teach Good (And use real good grammar!)<\/strong>

That means, sow up on time, dress professionally, and have a plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words, look like a teacher and act like a teacher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Second, Wait For The Right Moment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is your student in a good mood?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did something good just happen in his life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is he happy with his English progress?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now is the time to strike! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ask a leading question, such as, \u201cCould you have done that before you started your lessons?\u201d Or,  \u201cCan you notice a change in your English?\u201d Or, \u201cDo you feel more confident now that you\u2019re having lessons?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What you\u2019re looking for is a mini-story with a before and after.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The best reviews give a glimpse of what a nightmare life was like before your lessons and what a dream it is now. And the more specific the better. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compare: <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testimonial A<\/strong>: \u201cBob is a great teacher. His lessons are very professional. I can recommend Bob\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testimonial B: \u201cI used to be so nervous before meeting my UK client that I would routinely barf out my morning sausage all over my 10,000 kc loafers. But after a few lessons with Bob, not only am I able to keep my breakfast down, I signed up the client for another million-dollar contract. Plus, my cancer went away. Highly recommend.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once you get this out of them, write it down, then add, \u201cThat\u2019s great. Would you mind if I used that for one of my teacher testimonials?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You should hear a \u201cyes\u201d, and after that, no need to continue. Your work is done for now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To recap part one:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Wait until your student is in a good mood <\/li>
  2. Ask a question that gets him to think about and then tell you how his life is better now after your lessons <\/li>
  3. Write down his story<\/li>
  4. Ask if you can use it for a testimonial<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \n