OM Yoga UK – June 2017

om yoga teacher training guide

S

o, you’ve completed the training,

identified your clients, found a venue.

You’re ready to go? So what about

insurance?

Insurance is readily available these

days and relatively inexpensive. However,

the value and benefits of the various policies

available is something you ought to consider,

carefully.

Very few newly qualified yogis and yoginis

will be knowledgeable about insurance. To

be fair, the same is true of most yogis and

yoginis – so you might be well advised to read

on. It won’t take long!

The basic insurance you will need as a

yoga teacher falls under the heading liability

insurance. But this ‘group’ title belies a myriad

of other sub headings. The bits you should

have will include:

Public Liability in case your clients are

injured during a class

Product Liability in case a product you are

selling causes damage or injury

Malpractice in case you are accused of

giving bad advice

Professional Indemnity in case your actions cause financial loss

If you employ anyone, you will also need:

Employers Liability Insurance (compulsory in the UK & most

other countries)

Next you will need to consider where and when you might be

exposed. Here are some examples beyond the usual yoga class:

Your website: You will almost certainly have a website. What if

something you publish is wrong, or belongs to someone else, or is

libellous?

Your studio: If you’re hiring premises, make sure that your insurance

includes accidental damage caused by your class to that studio.

Legal disagreements over bad debts, contractual obligations,

employment difficulties.

And then, where will you be working?

Some policies will allow you to work around the world. Check for

limitations and exclusions. Make sure the jurisdiction clauses allow

you to defend a claim outside of the UK – especially if you live

abroad or have assets in the country where you are working.

Some venues will insist on an indemnity limit of £10 million. Make

sure the policy you choose can provide higher indemnity limits: just

in case!

And some other useful policy benefits to look out for:

n A ‘Nil’ excess is worth looking for

n Will the policy still cover you if your business becomes ‘Ltd’?

n Check on the retro-active date and run-off cover options. (This

means the date from which the policy will be active – and what

cover continues if you stop working)

n Do you carry stock? Is your computer insured? Do you comply

with the Data Protection Act?

A word of warning: take care about buying insurance ‘online’ unless

you are confident at giving the correct information – and asking/

answering the right questions to a computer.

Finally, consider joining one of the professional yoga groups so

you are not alone in the world.

By Nick Ellwell of BGI Insurance (bgi.uk.com)