‘Assessing and managing risk’: these words may not immediately spring to mind as forming part of every music teacher's description of their work. But in reality, this is exactly what music teachers do, every working day, whether they realise it or not.
Do you think about the layout and accessibility of room you teach in, or where chairs, stands and cables go when you present an end-of-term concert? Taking on a new student – have you agreed the terms of the engagement, and could you prove it if they didn't pay you or give you proper notice? What about working with children or vulnerable adults – do you know what the rules are? If you run your own business, are you certain you have your tax affairs in line?
These are areas music teachers encounter regularly in their professional lives, and all represent potential risks in some shape or form. Some risks you will minimise by means of things like written contracts for your teaching engagements, undertaking professional development, training to understand health and safety requirements, using external advisers, and getting insurance cover – to name but a few.
That all sounds well and good. But do you have the time to research all those things, compare different products and services, understand the insurance policy document small print? These insurance deals, and the legal advice that comes with it, are not all the same and some aren't quite right for music teachers.
At the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM), as a body representing music professionals – including you, the teacher – we understand who you are and the work you do, and will provide the insurances and legal advice you need to support you professionally.
The ISM, as the professional association for musicians, looks for practical ways to support, protect and advise teachers so they can focus on what they do best – inspiring their students to learn and to reach their full potential.
We have been helping musicians manage and minimise risk for many years by offering individual legal and business advice and assistance to music teachers. Our in-house team deals with many hundreds of enquiries and issues each year from members on the broadest range of topics. We also run a 24-hour legal and tax helpline.
We help you to cover some of those risks, with practical backup in the form of legal expenses insurances. This could cover you for lost earnings when you don't receive payment in lieu of proper notice from students or parents. Or it could give you cover so an appointed firm of solicitors will act on your behalf in the event of an accident or injury – and not just ones which happen in the work environment.
ISM membership also includes a public liability insurance offering cover of up to £10 million. This covers you against any liability you may have for accidental damage or harm to others, for example your pupils or their property. This is a great benefit for members, especially as so many work from their homes. Our team recently dealt with an issue from a member whose home was in a larger property. The management company responsible for the freehold of the property asked what our member was covered for in terms of insurance, particularly in relation to any accidents or injury occurring while her pupils were in the common areas, such as the drive, the car park and the internal corridors and stairwells of the property. How would the two insurances (our member's and the freeholder's) interact? Our close relationship with our insurers meant we could ask them directly on behalf of our member, and receive instant advice, which we could then pass back.
The scale of our membership – growing all the time – means we can negotiate the best-value insurances for ISM members. With many years’ experience of providing legal expenses and public liability insurance cover for members, we know what matters to music teachers and other music professionals.
We monitor our members’ feedback about these services very closely to make sure they are relevant, good value and of the right quality for our members. We believe the ISM offers the very best legal expenses and public liability insurance for musicians.
