Art teachers need insurance
​- in case something goes wrong and
something or someone suffers damage
This section considers:
  • Insurance Risks for Teachers
  • No Insurance - what can happen
  • Do you need insurance to run an art class?
  • UK Insurance Policies for Art Teachers
  • North America: Insurance Policies for Art Teachers (under development)

Insurance risks for Art Teachers
​

Teaching is a professional activity and the standards used to judge the outcome of insurance claims and court cases will be professional teaching standards. It's very important to bear this in mind when planning your teaching activities and BEFORE you start to teach.

There are a number of insurance risks for art teachers.  In broad terms these can be split between those relating to the art teacher, their art business and the premises they use for teaching. A lot also depends on whether you are employed or work independently.
Risks re. Teaching Business
​Potential risks are:
  • employer's liability - for those employing assistance to run courses / classes / workshops (even if this is temporary. This is a LEGAL requirement.
  • business interruption - if you or one of your key employees becomes seriously disabled and is unable to continue work
  • negligence - as per defined business scope and purpose
  • theft / financial loss - in relation to any fees received on site
  • legal costs - if you are involved in a dispute and/or need to defend your business against a claim. You need cover for the employment of specialist lawyers and the cost of taking legal action relating to legal problems.
Risks re. Premises
  • 3rd party public liability insurance covers your legal liability to pay damages to members of the public (one or more) if they experience any damage (e.g. death, bodily injury re. students) or damage to property) in a property as a direct result of your professional activities in:
    • host premises (check whether included in the rental or not)
    • your own home
    • your student's home
  • 3rd party public liability for students in art workshops you're running
  • students' do not have their own insurance (make sure they bring their own!)
Risks re. Teacher 
Potential risks are:
  • malpractice (e,g, inappropriate behaviour) This is particularly relevant if for any reason you are involved in teaching children or vulnerable adults
  • 3rd party public liability insurance covers your legal liability for payment of damages to your students and other members of the public (one or more) if they experience any damage (e.g. death or bodily injury) as a direct result of your professional activities
  • legal expenses - if a claim is made against you - in relation to defending court cases in relation to any of the risks
  • professional indemnity - if providing advice, you need cover for your legal expenses if a client decides to sue you for professional negligence. Claims may occur and compensation may be required if a client is successful in claiming they lost out as a result of your service, advice or a mistake you made.  
​
Risks are reduced somewhat if you are an employee and increase if operating as an independent professional.
NO INSURANCE COVER - What can happen
Put simply, insurance is basically about keeping a roof over your head. 

If you have no insurance cover and a sizeable claim is made against you:
  • you may need to pay for legal help
  • you risk your personal assets
  • UNLESS your business is incorporated as a company with limited liability
  • but the size of claim might mean you have to bankrupt your company.
​If you are liable then any/all of your personal assets (including your home) may be at risk of being used to pay any damages due.

"Sizable" in this context is whatever sort of payment you would need to make which you cannot cover.
ADVERT

​Do you need insurance to run an art class?
​

The short answer is "Yes" - insurance is ALWAYS needed for an art class because the public are involved.
If you are running a commercial activity involving the public you owe them a duty of care as a third party
​
  • ​Public liability insurance protects an artist from legal claims if someone is injured as a result of their professional activities.
  • a-n artists insurance
Educational establishment

​All premises admitting the public are subject to compliance with health and safety standards and legal requirements for insurance
  • they MUST have insurance for the premises - including third party public liability insurance - for the premises to cover the risks of against claims due to accidents as a result of the state of the premises etc. 
  • However this ONLY covers the structure owned and managed by somebody else and does not cover WHAT you do or say while teaching in the premises.
Art Teacher - as an employee of an educational establishment

If you are employed by an educational establishment, it's likely you probably have nothing to worry about so long as you
  • conform to all relevant and required rules and regulations relating to professional practice / health and safety - and
  • make sure your students do the same

However if you work on a contracted basis for a fee you might want to check whether you are covered by their insurance or not.
​
You are obliged to conform to the regulatory arrangements on safeguarding that apply to anyone undertaking teaching work - in schools, including academies (including 16- 19 academies and free schools), local authority maintained schools, non-maintained special schools and independent schools as well as sixth form colleges, relevant youth accommodation and children’s homes.
Art Teacher - conduct as an independent professional 

​Malpractice insurance combines the 'double whammy' of
  • public liability and professional indemnity (e.g. with respect to any claims arising from advice you gave while teaching). 
  • covers claims made for bodily injury, mental and psychological damage relating to actions taken by students due to your instruction and/or advice 

Risk assessments
It's appropriate to consider how you can reduce risk and liability e.g.
  • conduct proper risk assessments of what you are doing in art class and with art students.
​
Teaching children and vulnerable adults - working in out-of-school settings
Although most botanical artists will be teaching adults, there are times when you may be asked to teach children or plan classes for children.

You need to be very aware of
  • legal requirements on safeguarding and
  • why you may invalidate your insurance (e.g. not be covered) if you don't make clear to insurers that your client group has changed.
The likelihood that you will put yourself at risk and/or need to defend any claim is reduced IF prior to teaching children and/or vulnerable adults you have received:
  • accredited training in safeguarding children / vulnerable adults
  • have developed a safeguarding policy / processes (see below)
  • keep up to date with all relevant safeguarding standards 
  • apply for and pass a detailed Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
  • do not allow the involvement of any other adults other than those who have also been DBS checked to an appropriate level
REFERENCE:
re Teaching children or vulnerable adults 
​You MUST appreciate that a number of insurance policies will have stringent requirements in relation to cover teaching children or vulnerable adults. You can be exempt from DBS Certificates if only teaching 'normal' adults. Find out how to request:
NOTE:
  1. These notes relate to the UK - but similar policies and processes will doubtless apply elsewhere. You need to check what you need to know.
  2. My role in a previous life meant I had to be "police checked". The process is not difficult but you must be truthful and sometimes it take some time for the clearance to be received and this can impact on when you can started working with children
The (independent) school’s ‘proprietor’
The ‘proprietor’ of an independent school is the person or group responsible for the management of the school – typically the board of governors. The proprietor of each independent school has legal responsibilities in the area of safeguarding. For example, they must ensure that:
- the school has suitable child protection policies and procedures in place which are made available to parents and are on the school’s website
- the school operates safe recruitment procedures and makes sure that all appropriate checks are carried out on those who work with children
- the school has suitable procedures for dealing with allegations of abuse, including a trained senior member of the school to take lead responsibility
- all staff who work with children undertake regular child protection training
- any deficiencies or weaknesses in regard to child protection arrangements are remedied without delay
an annual review of the school’s policies and procedures relating to safeguarding is carried out
Safeguarding children | Independent Schools Council
Teaching Business
A teaching business in many ways is just like any other business and is subject to the common risks that apply to businesses. See Insurance for Art and Artists for a discussion of all the typical risks relating to an art business.
Limits on Cover
Insurance cover is often limited as to:
  • a specific time period
  • payment of the policy
  • geographical area (eg a teacher travelling overseas may well need additional insurance cover for their teaching - in the same way as they do for health insurance)

INSURANCE POLICIES FOR ART TEACHERS

PLEASE NOTE:
  • I do NOT provide insurance 
  • I do NOT sell policies
  • I do NOT provide quotes​
  • I do NOT offer advice as to the most appropriate insurance strategy or policies for YOU. Guidelines are generic i.e. general.
  • I am NOT liable for any problems you have as a result of reading this page or any site it links to. YOU make the decisions not me.

UK Insurance Policies for Art Teachers
​

The price you pay is specific to your requirements and will depend how many people are involved in your business, the limit of indemnity you require and whether you have previously had any claims made against you.
Arts and Crafts Teaching Public Liability Insurance
Blackfriars Group Insurance
Direct Line
Salon Gold
Simply Business ​
The biggest concern most tutors face, particularly if they work from home, is someone they teach getting hurt on their premises. Even relatively small slips and trips could result in a claim being made. Even if you’re not at fault, the cost of defending yourself in court can be extremely high.
Direct Line (re. public liability)

North America:  Insurance Policies for Art Teachers
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to follow.

Insurance Policies for Teachers - in other countries
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My aim is to make this page as helpful as possible for those teaching art - on an independent basis - around the world.

I need your help to do this.

If you are an artist and have secured insurance for your art classes that you are happy with please can you send me details - using the Form (to the right or below - depending on how you are reading this)

What I need to know:
  • the country you live in
  • the name of the insurance provider
  • the name of the policy
  • a URL link to the policy
  • details of the type of specific cover it provides for
    • art teachers or
    • art classes
    • which country

    TELL ME about
    ​Insurance for Art Teachers