Professional indemnity insurance for private tutors
There is no legal obligation to have professional indemnity insurance for tutors and many who engage in this profession still don’t. However, the fact that you, as a private tutor, are involved on a daily basis with your students giving them advice strongly suggests that it’s worth thinking about.
Our guide to private tutor liability insurance
Why do private tutors need insurance?
There are two aspects to a tutor profession. One is the physical contact with students and the other is the fact that your job is all about advice and guidance which can be life changing for some of your students.
Let’s start with the advice part. Many students, whether young or mature, seek and follow the advice of their tutors. It of course depends on the subject you teach but some tutors are instrumental to their students’ future choices of a career or path in life.
When the student’s dreams and aspirations don’t come true or feel that they’re inadequately equipped for whatever they have selected to do, they or their parents might try to blame you. That happens from time to time and doesn’t usually end in more than a bad review but occasionally it can lead to an accusation resulting in a legal claim with a demand for financial compensation.
And then there are other risks. As a private tutor you spend a lot of time alone with your students. It is not practicable to have a third person sitting in all the time therefore it is not surprising that tutors often end up facing accusations of professional misconduct. This type of situation can be career ending and it is crucial that you protect yourself. That includes having adequate legal cover, should you become in need of qualified legal professionals to help defend your case.
Private tutor professional indemnity insurance
This is the key cover for all private tutors, whether they teach remotely or meet their students in person. It’s there to protect you from accusations of professional negligence, failure in duty of care or saying something wrong.
If a situation arises with a student or their parents, all kinds of accusations start flying around and it is very easy to quickly find yourself in deep waters. Professional indemnity insurance is a legal cover that provides two benefits.
Firstly it is the legal support you will receive as soon as you receive the first unhappy email, phone call or text threatening to sue you or demanding a financial remedy for your conduct. Your insurers will appoint the right legal aid to review your situation and advise you what you should do next. In many case they will take the communication over from you or help you draft the right response. Cases handled at the early stage by a professional tend to go away.
The second benefit of professional indemnity insurance for private tutors is the fact that all the legal costs are taken care of by the insurers straightaway. In other words there is no need for you to pay anything at any point unless you insist on using your own solicitor. If you do, your insurers will need to approve them first and only pay you back when presented with settled invoices.
Public liability for private tutors
This is also a legal cover, intended to protect against accidents that might end up in an injury or property damage. It is particularly useful to tutors who work from their own premises or visit the homes of their students.
It could be something silly like spilling a coffee over the latest iPhone of your student or knocking something expensive over on the way in and out of your student's home. Private tutors are usually hired by well to do parents who possess a good awareness of the legal system and are always ready to consider it.
Public liability insurance is an inexpensive cover which provides peace of mind should a trip or fall occur on your premises or should you accidentally cause property damage. Just like with professional indemnity you will receive legal advice and the associated costs will be picked up by your insurers. Any compensation due is also covered.
Common Questions
Do I need insurance to be an online tutor?
You should consider at least professional indemnity insurance to protect yourself from legal claims of professional negligence, giving the wrong advice or breaching your duty of care.
Do I need public liability insurance as a tutor?
Public liability insurance is useful legal protection against accusations of causing an injury or property damage. Tutors who have physical contact with their students might wish to consider it.
As a private tutor do I legally need professional indemnity insurance?
No, it is not a legal requirement in the UK.
What insurance do I need for private tutoring?
Professional indemnity insurance is recommended for any profession that includes giving advice and guidance and public liability insurance is useful when there is physical contact with clients and their property.
Covers we offer
Suited small business owner and freelancer insurance starts with professional indemnity. It’s our core cover. With that you can also get public liability and a couple of other helpful insurance add-ons for a solid protection of your business.
Recent articles
What does ‘hibernate’ mean in professional indemnity insurance?
Imagine you’ve just delivered the last piece of work for your client and plan to take some time off, perhaps for good. Cancelling your professional indemnity cover is an option but not a very good one. The work you did in the past may still catch up with you in the future and since professional indemnity insurance (PI) works on a ‘claims made basis’, you won’t be able to access its benefits unless you have an active PI cover in place.
What is a retroactive date in professional indemnity insurance?
A retroactive date is a line in the sand which determines a specific point in the past from which your insurers have agreed to insure your business. You are effectively allowed by some insurers to backdate your professional indemnity (PI) cover so that your business is protected against possible claims as a result of your past work.
Is professional indemnity insurance the same as public liability insurance?
In short, no. It isn’t. Professional indemnity and public liability insurance are both legal covers, meaning you’re protecting yourself and your business against legal threats from clients and third parties. However, there are subtle differences and whether you need one, the other or both does depend on your business activities.
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