Running a home studio can be a wonderful and rewarding job for many singers. Teaching is more lucrative than many restaurant and office jobs, and can bring true satisfaction to teachers. After all, as a teacher you can find joy in the successes and improvements in your students, knowing you were there to help these young singers grow. Voice teachers can also take pride in the fact that they are helping support themselves by using the vocal skills they have honed and nurtured for years.
It might seem that few worries accompany teaching from home, aside from the occasional no-show at a lesson. Don’t find yourself trapped in this illusion—danger could lie ahead. If you are teaching from your home or apartment and don’t have the proper insurance, you could be walking straight into a liability minefield.
Homeowner’s or Renter’s Insurance: Basic Coverage
Accidents happen. A voice student could slip on the front porch, get bitten by the teacher’s dog, or even fall on the stairs, and bring a negligence suit against a teacher. Many teachers who work from home may mistakenly assume that the liability coverage in their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance automatically protects them against a suit by an injured student. This may not be true. Many policies have a “business pursuits exclusion” that says liability coverage does not apply if the injury arises while the student is on the premises for a business purpose. Insurance companies recognize voice teaching as a business—and it is—so you should buy extra coverage to protect yourself and your bank account.
Closing the gap left by the business pursuits exclusion is quite simple. Your insurance agent may suggest adding a business pursuits endorsement to your homeowner’s policy. This provides liability coverage when the injury arises from your business. This kind of endorsement is sufficient for most teachers who have occasional students in their home, and is available at a low cost; it may increase your premium by as little as $15-$30 a year. That’s not a bad price for protecting yourself from a true financial disaster: a lawsuit for which you have no insurance.
A brief chat with your insurance agent is the best way to avoid nasty legal problems if you are teaching from your home or plan to do so. Explain to your agent what kind of work you will be conducting from your home. The agent can advise you on the best insurance policy for your particular situation.
The Price of Success—You May Need More Coverage
If success comes knocking along with your students and your studio really takes off, you should speak with your agent again and make sure you still have appropriate coverage. If you have a large number of students and are making a significant amount of your income from your teaching, your agent may recommend that you buy a special type of policy (beyond a homeowner’s policy) that has specialized coverage for an in-home business. This type of individualized policy also provides essential protection if someone is injured while at your home for a business purpose and makes a claim.
A Good Idea: Get Under an Umbrella
Most home studio teachers are properly protected once they add a business pursuits endorsement to their homeowner’s or renter’s insurance. However, in almost all cases your agent will also recommend an umbrella policy. Such policies are inexpensive and provide special, high-liability coverage limits that go beyond the protection a homeowner’s policy business pursuits endorsement provides. A typical umbrella policy adds an additional $1 million of protection. If a student sustained an injury so serious it might exceed the limit of your homeowner’s policy, an umbrella policy could really save the day in the event of a lawsuit.
Ask Your Agent
If you teach from your home or you plan to teach from your home, make sure you are fully protected. What can you do if you’re still confused by all of this insurance talk? Ask your agent! They are there to help you and know what special coverage you may need in your situation, and they know about any special laws in your state.
Teaching others to sing is a wonderful way to share your gifts and support yourself. Do so with pride, and with the satisfaction and comfort of knowing you are protected in the unfortunate event of a mishap.
