private tutor insurance

Why is private tutor insurance important?

Your job as a private tutor might be a side business, but you still need insurance. There are many unexpected events you simply can’t plan for, and when working with children or young people, you need to make sure you’re covered.

Private tutor insurance FAQ

Whether you’re new to buying business insurance or you’ve been trading for a while, here are the answers to some commonly asked questions about private tutor insurance.

• What insurance do I need to be a private tutor?

  If you have people working for you, you’re required by law to have employers’ liability insurance. Without it, you could be fined up to £2,500 a day for each employee.

  While you may not be required by law to have other types of insurance, it’s important to protect your tutoring business. You should also protect yourself, your students, and anyone else working with you or around you.

  Two types of tutor insurance you should consider are:

  • public liability insurance
  • professional indemnity insurance
• Can I add additional cover to my tutor insurance during the life of my policy?

  Yes, you can make changes to your policy at any time.

  You'll need to pay a £15 administration fee if you need to make a change to your policy after the 14-day 'cooling off' period. it’s important to know that it could also have an effect on your insurance premium, depending on what the change is.

• Is tutors’ insurance a legal requirement?

  The only insurance for tutors that's a legal requirement is employers’ liability insurance – and that's only necessary if you employ someone.

  Although no other type of insurance is required by law, it’s important you consider other types of insurance to protect you from unforeseen costs. If you make a mistake and teach your student the incorrect information, or you or your student hurt yourselves while you’re teaching, you’ll want to be covered.

• Can I buy business insurance if I’ve had any CCJs or IVAs?

  Each insurer looks at CCJs and IVAs differently – some apply stricter rules than others, but having a CCJ or IVA doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to buy insurance.

• What’s the difference between paying by direct debit and paying in one lump sum?

  You can choose the payment type that suits your business and cash flow best. Some customers prefer to pay in one go, while others prefer to pay a regular monthly amount, like you do with lots of other bills. Simply Business offer three ways to pay for your policy:

  • one-off credit or debit card payment
  • BACS payment
  • Direct Debit

  If you choose to pay by Direct Debit, our credit provider, Premium Credit, pays Simply Business the full amount for your policy up front. You then repay Premium Credit in 10 monthly installments.

• Does public liability insurance cover my business for the actions of my employees?

  This will depend on whether you have employers’ liability insurance in place. Public liability insurance is designed to protect your business against the consequences of legal action brought by members of the public for injuries or damage to their belongings. But when it comes to your employees causing injury or damage, this protection only activates if you also have employers’ liability insurance.

  If you employ people, you’re required by law to have employers’ liability insurance.

  There’s one exception here. Family businesses that aren’t incorporated as a limited company are not legally required to have employers’ liability insurance. The government defines a “family business” as one where all your employees are closely related to you (as a spouse, civil partner, sibling, child, parent, grandparent, grandchild, step-parent, stepchild or half-sibling). So if you run an unincorporated family business and you choose not to get employers’ liability insurance, it’s important to know that your public liability insurance wouldn’t cover you against damage or injury caused by your team.

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