// INSURANCE · CLIENT-SIDE
Insurance & safeguarding.
What insurance independent tutors actually carry, and what safeguarding step is expected when teaching minors. Country-aware.
Public liability — what's typical
Providers tutors often use
Safeguarding (working with minors)
The "what to do if" basics
- Always teach minors with a parent or guardian on-record (online: visible camera angle preferred; in-person: never alone in a closed room).
- Keep written copies of session notes — date, duration, what was taught, what was assigned.
- Have a one-page safeguarding statement you give parents at intake. Free template in the contract builder.
- Know your country's mandatory-reporting threshold for child-protection concerns.
// HOW IT WORKS
What this tool does.
Insurance is the part of going independent nobody warns you about until something happens. On a platform, the platform carries the policy that covers you for parent complaints, accidental data leaks, third-party injury at a lesson. The day you teach your first private student, that policy is gone — and most tutors assume their home contents insurance is enough. It isn't.
Pick your country and the page lays out three things. Public liability — what's typical (cover amount, monthly cost, what's actually covered when a student trips on your stairs or a laptop falls during a lesson). Providers tutors actually use — not a sponsored list, the names that come up repeatedly in indie-tutor communities for that country. Safeguarding for minors — the country-specific background check (UK Enhanced DBS, Australian state WWCC, Ireland Garda Vetting), what it costs, where to apply, and a four-line "what to do if" basics list (always teach minors with a parent on-record, keep written session notes, etc.).
What it isn't. A policy quote. Coverage detail varies between providers within the same country — one might cover online-only, another might require in-person disclosure. Quote two before you buy and read the actual terms. The page tells you what's typical for an indie tutor; your specific situation (in-person at the student's home, mixed online + in-person, group classes) shifts the right policy.
Use it when: you're switching from a platform to private and need to know what cover you've just lost; or when a parent asks if you carry insurance and you want to give them an answer that sounds like the answer of someone who's read their own policy.
// FAQ
Honest answers.
Do I really need insurance for online tutoring?
If you teach minors and a parent ever pushes back on a piece of feedback, professional indemnity insurance is what stands between a complaint and a payout. Public liability matters more in-person (a student trips on your stairs) than online.
Many platforms require both above a certain volume; once you go private, you're carrying the policy yourself.
What's a DBS / WWCC / Garda check and do I need one?
Country-specific background check for adults working with minors. UK Enhanced DBS, Australian state Working With Children Check, Ireland Garda Vetting, NZ Police Vet, US state-by-state — most cost £20–£100.
Required for school-based tutoring, often expected for in-person private lessons with minors, less common for online but reassures parents. The country pack lists where to apply.
What does public liability actually cover?
Third-party injury or property damage at the lesson. A student trips on your kitchen step, your laptop falls and hurts a child you're tutoring at their home, you spill coffee on a parent's rug — that's public liability.
It does not cover your own equipment or income loss. Most policies are £5–10/month for £1m–£5m of cover.
Does Slatework recommend specific providers?
Yes — the providers tutors actually use, by country (Westminster Indemnity in the UK, Hiscox internationally, BizCover in Australia, etc.). We don't earn an affiliate fee on most of them; the listings are there because they're the right answer for an indie tutor at this scale.
Quote two providers and read the actual policy before buying — coverage detail varies.