Why do yoga teachers need insurance?
As a yoga teacher, you instruct and guide students in practising yoga. As a result, students will follow your every move and instructions.
In addition, you have a lot of physical contact with your students and third-party property, be it the venue where you teach or your students’ homes.
With that responsibility, you must protect yourself with yoga teacher liability insurance, which will respond to claims of professional errors, causing an accidental injury or property damage.
Required by venues
Most yoga venues require you to hold public liability or professional indemnity insurance before you can hire them.
Causing an injury
Yoga can be a strenuous physical activity for some students who may later blame you for their injury.
Saying the wrong thing
If you also lead your students spiritually, your risk of saying the wrong thing, leading to a legal claim against you, is higher.
Accusations of failing duty of care
If you happen to step out of a class or turn away for a moment while one of your students comes to harm, you could be held responsible.
Claims of overstepping the boundaries
As you get to know students more, you may become more involved in their lives. Sometimes this can be misinterpreted.
Public liability insurance for yoga teachers
Public liability insurance shields yoga teachers from claims of injuries or property damage.
Public liability provides legal defence if claims are made against you and pay compensation if due.
What does yoga teacher public liability insurance cover?
Public liability insurance is valuable when faced with injury claims and compensation demands.
If someone makes a claim against you for causing an accidental injury or property damage or loss, public liability will provide legal defence and pay compensation if you become liable.
Cover includes:
- accidental injury or death
- accidental property damage
For example:
- The floor during a session becomes slippery and causing an injury. A student could be asking you to cover their medical bills.
- The door to the class slams in someone’s face and breaks their nose. Compensation is being asked of you because you were responsible for the safety of the venue.
Professional indemnity insurance for yoga teachers
Professional indemnity insurance is designed to deal with any claims arising from your profession. This could be causing an injury resulting from incorrect advice or failing your duty of care.
If you are given a notice of a legal claim against you, your policy will trigger access to legal defence and take care of the situation. If you are found liable for any damages, the policy will cover the amount up to the policy limit.
What does yoga teacher professional indemnity insurance cover?
Professional indemnity insurance protects yoga teachers from claims or accusations of wrongdoing from their professional advice.
Cover includes:
- Failing your duty of care
- Making a mistake
- Acting negligently
- Giving the wrong advice or recommendation
For example, you may be facing financial demands from a client because:
- You make a mistake during a yoga class, which leads to the injury of a student
- You’re accused of negligence or misconduct by one of your students
- Your student injures themselves while using skills they learned from you
Insurance for teaching yoga - a case study
Do you think a legal claim can never happen to you? Many yoga practitioners follow the same philosophy and teach without appropriate insurance.
However, claims against yoga teachers do happen. Penningtons Law reported on such a claim where they represented a student suffering an injury due to bad advice. Compensation of £9,000 was awarded, and no doubt there would have been a hefty legal bill.
Without professional indemnity insurance, you will pay the costs out of your pocket, which can put you in a significant financial strain. The cost of yoga teacher insurance is insignificant in comparison.
What professional indemnity limit do yoga teachers need?
The professional indemnity limit you need will reflect your particular business activities. When choosing a limit, consider several factors: how often you instruct, how many students are in a class, and possible financial impacts if your advice goes wrong.
Switching your professional indemnity insurance
Typically, in the UK, if you cancel a professional indemnity policy, you can no longer claim against it.
Therefore, if you switch your yoga teacher insurance provider, be sure your new policy covers your past work; this is called “retroactive cover”.
Should I keep professional indemnity insurance if I retire as a yoga teacher?
It’s wise to keep your professional indemnity if you retire from yoga teaching. Claims against professional misconduct can surface months or years after you delivered the work.
If a past client sues you for damages and you have cancelled your professional indemnity, you will not be covered.
How long you keep your cover in place is up to you; consider the type of teaching you did and the likelihood that a client might bring a claim against you.
Other insurance yoga instructors might need
Other insurance requirements for yoga teachers may vary depending on their individual circumstances. It's important to consider factors such as ability to handle legal disputes, dealing with non-paying clients, reliance on costly electronics, resolving tax issues, and having employees or subcontractors.
Commercial legal expenses insurance
Most commercial legal expenses insurance will protect yoga teachers against various tax and legal issues you may encounter due to your profession, which are not picked up by professional indemnity or public liability.
At Suited, we combined £100,000 of commercial legal expenses insurance with helplines and other tools to better assist yoga teachers in dealing with these issues. We call this Business Legal Protect, and it’s part of your subscription.
Business Legal Protect provides qualified advice and assistance with:
- Legal and tax matters concerning your business
- Criminal prosecution
- Compliance & regulation issues
- Unpaid invoices (over £200)
For example:
- HMRC investigates your tax affairs
- You need legal help chasing a significant unpaid invoice
- You wish to take a business partner or supplier over a breach of contract
- You required guidance on compliance or regulatory issues for your business.
Income protection for yoga teachers
You use your body and voice to earn a living. If a serious illness stops you, your ability to cover your usual outgoing may become difficult.
Income protection insurance can be a welcome safety net during those times and provide a substitute financial help for up to a year or until you’re again to work.
Personal accident insurance for yoga teachers
Yoga is a calm physical exercise; luckily, severe accidents are rare. However, if you worry about this aspect, personal accident cover is a small peace of mind that is very inexpensive.
It provides a quick cash injection if you suffer a severe accident and hopefully helps you overcome the worst while considering your future options.
Life insurance for yoga teachers
As a self-employed professional, you have to pay for everything yourself. As a parent or a spouse, you will have other people to worry about.
It’s good to leave something behind if the worst were to happen. Even if you are unsure if you can afford the costs, talking your situation through with a life insurance specialist is always worthwhile. They can take you through all the options.
Shopping for yoga teacher liability insurance
Whether or not you decide to use Suited yoga teacher insurance to protect your business, it’s worth keeping the following in mind:
Cheap yoga teacher insurance
Remember that when you're choosing yoga teacher insurance, don't just focus on the price. It's also essential to make sure that the provider is there for you when you need them. At Suited, we're proud to offer diverse communication options and speedy responses to give you the peace of mind you deserve.
The reputation of the insurer is important
Insurance needs to be there when you need it most. The payout reputation of an insurer is essential. Suited uses financially sound insurers with an A+ rating.
Many providers charge fees to amend or cancel
Low initial prices often hide additional charges to pay monthly, amend or cancel your policy. At Suited, we charge no extra fees, and you can cancel anytime with no more to pay.
Some policy wordings are restrictive or have a high excess
Some providers will offer attractive prices, but it is at the expense of cover given. Suited professional indemnity and public liability have £0 excess.
