While in the midst of teaching students to ace their latest routines, it can be easy to forget that at its core, being a dance teacher is still a job and one that comes with risks. From client injury to personal or employee injuries, through to damage to property or equipment, insurance can provide you with protection when you need it most. It can provide financial support against claims made by the public, replacement or repair costs and even legal fees. Here, we’re taking a deeper dive into just why you should get insurance as a dance teacher.
Personal Injury
Dancing requires a lot of different movements and while good training will teach you how to prevent injuries and accidents, they aren’t completely avoidable. When an accident happens and you stumble, fall or trip, you could be injured which may ultimately affect your ability to work. When this happens, there could be a loss of earnings or income, which is where a personal injury policy could help. It will protect you financially against loss of earnings and can compensate you for various treatments and therapies needed to get you back to working fitness.
Student Injury
When teaching students to dance, you are always faced with risks. Whether they’re newcomers or seasoned students, accidents can happen and it’s crucial that you are prepared when they do. Whether they trip over a mat or even wires to your sound system, or they hurt themselves while dancing because the warm-up wasn’t sufficient, you could face claims against you and your company as a result. Common situations that could lead to a public injury or illness claim include:
- Poor risk assessments of the studio or dance area, leading to overlooked trip or slip hazards
- Trips over equipment, including wires, mats, costumes etc.
- Injury due to poor business activity e.g. poor warm-ups, poor instruction etc.
- Your dance routine includes lifts and the student falls or is dropped
Any of the above, and plenty more can cause injury and injuries can lead to claims made against you. These claims can be costly when it comes to compensation and legal fees, which is why public liability insurance for Dance Teachers is a must.
Property Damage
Just like student injury, damage to their property or other third-party property could also lead to costly claims. Public Liability Insurance will also cover damage to third-party property, which makes it a no-brainer of a policy! When teaching dance, accidents can happen and range from something as simple as knocking a student’s bag and damaging its contents, to damaging the floor of the studio you’re hiring for the day, or even causing damage to a venue during a show or performance.
In many cases, venues and other locations that you choose to use or hire for your performances or practices will require some form of proof of Public Liability Insurance in order to protect their own interests as well as yours, so it’s important to always check the fine print and requirements. Having an existing policy will prevent you from running into any hurdles along the way and keep you and your students, venues and other third parties protected.
Employee Injury
Every business with employees needs to have Employer’s Liability Insurance as a legal requirement, but this is particularly important in a job as physical as teaching dance. When employees are hard at work, accidents can happen and they could injure themselves or even fall ill due to environmental factors within your studio. Any employee who is injured while at work may be able to make a claim against you for that injury and as a result, employer’s liability insurance can protect both you and that employee by providing financial support.
Employer’s Liability Insurance can cover financial costs relating to compensation, legal fees and more depending on what’s needed and what your policy in particular will cover. We can help you find the right policy to suit you and your business and ensure that you remain protected.
Equipment Damage, Theft or Loss
We often don’t think of Dance Teachers are needing much more equipment than a sound system, but the reality is very different! You could have stacks of costumes, props, mirrors, mats, speakers, lighting and more and all of these pieces of equipment could be at risk. Your sound system could be stolen from your car or equipment could be dropped, lost or damaged – with the right cover, you can protect yourself and your business financially against the costs associated with repairs or replacements, so you can get back to teaching as soon as possible without any hefty costs out of pocket.
For more information about our Dance Teacher’s insurance and how we can help you find the perfect policy to suit your business, our team are available to help. Simply get in touch with Ashburnham Insurance on freephone 0800 1696137.