You can find students for an English school or a tutor among people who publicly ask for a teacher recommendation: “recommend a tutor for my kid”, “looking for a business English teacher”, “recommend a school where you actually start speaking”. In the week of 21-27 September 2026, the searches we set up for English schools found 92 such requests on Threads and Telegram. That is a sample of our searches, not the whole market. Below is what the requests look like, how parents' requests differ from adults', how to reply and what the cases of schools we work with show.
How many requests we see
A request in our index is a public post on Threads or Telegram where someone asks for a recommendation for a specialist or a school, and our system has classified it as a request for advice. We count posts, not people.
In the index data, the first requests in this business appear in the week starting 17 August: 25. Then week by week: 107, 122, 90, 104 and 92 for the week of 21 September. The two earlier weeks in the index are empty, and we don't know whether that's because the searches didn't exist yet or for another reason. So we don't read it as growing demand. Comparing these numbers with other lines of business isn't valid either: we set up separate searches for each. Current numbers are on the English schools demand page.
Two different clients: parents and adults
Here are examples of requests from the index for 21-27 September, paraphrased so the author can't be identified. They split easily into two groups.
Parents looking for a teacher for their child:
- “Looking for an English tutor for my 7-year-old, mainly interested in conversational skills.”
- “Looking for an English tutor for a 4-year-old who knows how to engage little kids through play.”
- “Looking for an English teacher for a 6-9 year old for online lessons.”
Adults looking for themselves, almost always with a specific goal:
- “Need an English tutor focused on business communication - meetings, presentations, negotiations - and also pronunciation.”
- “Looking for an English tutor to prepare for a job interview, level A2-B1.”
- “Need a tutor to prepare for a state exam, my level is complete beginner, looking for someone who explains things clearly.”
- “Looking for a school and teacher of English with genuinely effective teaching that actually helps overcome the language barrier.”
Our research sample also has phrasings like “recommend a teacher who makes lessons comfortable - not like school”, “know a teacher you studied with yourself and your level actually went up?” and “can you recommend an online English tutor who doesn't cost a fortune?”.
What these examples show (an observation, not a count): parents usually give the child's age and want lessons that keep the child interested. Adults describe the situation where they need the language, and often their level. Another visible theme is being tired of the “school” approach and wanting to finally speak.
Typical intent phrases our model picked out of the sample: “recommend an English tutor”, “looking for English teacher”, “recommend English school”, “need tutor for kid”, “who knows a good tutor”. We don't count how often each one appears.
How a school or tutor should reply
These posts get crowded. In our snapshot of Threads posts (September 2026), the posts with the most replies included requests for an online English tutor: each got 40-70 likes and 70-120 replies. So the person receives dozens of offers, and the winner isn't whoever wrote “first lesson free” first, but whoever answered to the point.
| Who asks | What they usually write | How to start the reply | What to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parents of a young child | Age, “through play”, online or in person | How to tell in the first lesson whether the child is interested | Has your child had lessons before? |
| Parents of a schoolchild | Conversation, exam prep | How conversation lessons differ from test prep | Which matters more right now? |
| Adult with a work goal | Meetings, negotiations, an interview, level | What to practise for this exact situation | When is the interview or the big meeting? |
| Adult with a speaking barrier | “Can't start speaking”, “not like school” | What to watch in a trial lesson: whether they let you speak | What have you tried already? |
A few rules that matter especially in education:
- Don't promise results in levels and deadlines. “You'll be speaking in a month” sounds like an ad and can't be checked.
- Don't write “first lesson free” in the first comment. It's an offer, not an answer. Make it as a second move, once the person responds.
- Don't guess age or level. If the post doesn't say, ask.
- To parents, talk about the child, not the method. What matters to them is whether the child will enjoy it, not the name of your approach.
More before and after examples are in the article on replying to “any recommendations?”.
Where to find students
Threads. Search intent phrases on the “Recent” tab: “recommend an English tutor”, “looking for an English teacher”, “tutor for my kid”. Try different word forms and synonyms. More in how to find clients on Threads.
Telegram. Parents' groups, city communities, chats for Ukrainians abroad where parents look for lessons for their children. There are fewer requests than on Threads, and they drown among ads, so pick groups carefully. On the rules: finding clients in Telegram chats.
For an online school the city usually doesn't matter: students can be anywhere. A school with in-person lessons should add the city or district to its searches.
What school cases show
An online English school has worked with us since July 2026. In the first 3 days its dashboard had 27 leads, and 999 since July. An outcome is tracked for 367 leads: among them 46 people replied, and 2 more leads ended in an enquiry or a sale. The best month was August: the school sent 235 replies, and 42 people wrote back. For the other leads there is no outcome, so 46 is not a share of all 999. Details on the online school case page.
An English school for adults has worked with us since late August 2026. In the first 3 days, 93 leads; in the first 7, 155; since the start, 475. Outcome tracking in that dashboard started late, and so far 1 sale is marked, so we don't calculate reply or sale rates. Details on the school for adults case page.
Source: client dashboard data, October 2026.
What Zapyt can do for you
For an English school or tutor we set up the search for your format: online or a city, children or adults. Every day we score the posts we find and draft two reply options in the school's voice, taken from its brief. You see every reply before it goes out and decide whether to send it. What people ask about learning English is collected on the English schools page. The first 7 days are free on any plan: pricing.
FAQ
Where can an English tutor find students without ads?
In public posts where people ask for a teacher recommendation: on Threads through search for intent phrases, on Telegram in parents' and city groups. Reply to the point and without ads.
Can I message parents privately?
Not unless they ask. Reply publicly to the post, and move to private messages only when the person wants to.
How do I reply when a post already has dozens of comments?
Don't repeat what others said. Find an angle that isn't there yet: concrete advice for the person's age or goal and a question about their situation.
How many students will this kind of search bring?
We won't promise a number. The number of requests depends on your format, city and how the search is phrased. A week of searching for your business will show your own picture.