Professional Pilates Instructor Liability Insurance

Even though a gym may have their own insurance, chances are good that even if they extend you some degree of coverage, the coverage provided will be a relatively small amount. This means that you alone bear the responsibility for paying any shortfalls there may be. If you are operating as an independent contractor, you may not have any coverage at all under the gym’s policy, making it vital for your own financial affairs and very well the fate of your career to have a solid professional liability insurance policy backed by an A-rated carrier.

Absolutely! We know as an instructor that being able to prioritize payments each month can make all the difference to your bottom line so offer the convenience of flexible payments. Through PayPal credit, members can pay monthly premium amounts instead of having to provide the full balance each term.

How long do you have? Truth is, we’ve seen so many different types of claims in this industry that hardly anything seems new anymore and yet we see new kinds of liabilities all the time. To give you a better picture of the bulk of our program, we’ll run through an example within each of the three core protections our pilates insurance coverage affords:

• General liability: a client slips on the welcome mat and shatters their hip on the hard concrete beneath. They are suing for their injuries, doctors bills, time spent out of work, and emotional distress. 
• Professional liability: a client strains a muscle while trying to concentrate on their balance and core strength in a physically-demanding Pilates position. Since you were providing instruction, they assert you are liable for their injury and should pay for their doctor visits and physical therapy bills. 
• Product liability: a client breaks out with an allergic reaction from the being on the Reformer you had them using during their session. They file a claim alleging the cleaner you use is what caused their reaction and they demand you pay for their medical treatment.

Pilates insurance, like any insurance policy, is a contract between the insurer and the policyholder that, if an event occurs that falls under the provisions of the policy, the insurer will provide the financial resources to cover the costs of the claim, up to whatever the policy’s limits are. Pilates insurance is used to cover the liabilities that are inherent in the industry of providing Pilates instruction. Putting clients through physically-challenging sessions, unfortunately, presents many opportunities for liabilities to occur. Not fully knowing where clients are coming from with physical ability, existing health conditions that can be exacerbated by exercise, and even completely random events which are hard to ever plan for all present opportunities for a liability claim to be filed against a professional. Insure Fitness Groups' professional liability insurance provides security from these liabilities.

Most claims that befall a Pilates instructor fall within three areas of liability - general, professional, and product. Pilates insurance provides ample coverage for these three anchors, in addition to providing other protections for other events that can arise in the course of providing Pilates instruction. 

• General liability is what’s known as “slip and fall” insurance because it provides coverage for injuries or damages that occur simply from being open for business. 
• Professional liability gets a little more specific as it applies to the actual services you provide. Routinely called “malpractice” insurance, this important coverage provides Pilates instructors with assurance that alleged incidents of malpractice will be provided for, up to the policy limit.
• Product liability provides a good amount of coverage for any claims that result from when a client has a detrimental reaction to a product that was used during the Pilates session.

Kicking it up a notch, our insurance program also provides coverage for many other types of loss events like stolen equipment or damage to a rented space - all so our members have multiple layers of protection from the what-ifs surrounding a future claim. Learn more about Insure Fitness here.

Pilates insurance covers a wide range of claims for today’s Pilates instructors kicking butt in the field. General and professional liability claims are some of the most common types that a Pilates instructor might face in their career. Claims related to these provisions will be taken care of up to $1 million for each claim and $3 million in total for all claims in a year for each individual (referred to as an individual annual aggregate). Our Pilates instructor insurance also comes complete with product liability coverage, stolen equipment coverage, rental damage coverage, and more. Learn more here.

However, you define benefit - perk, reward, gravy - our insurance program comes with some of the best benefits the industry has to offer. We have built relationships with the best names in fitness gear, accessories, service providers, and event builders to bring our members exclusive access to these and other great programs like our professionally-curated member content library.

Certainly! We help out our Pilates students that are just getting into the industry with a students-only rate of only $59 for a year of insurance coverage. A great strategy for students of Pilates instruction is to wait until they are nearing graduation to purchase their one-year student policy. That way, they will get professional liability insurance coverage for almost the entirety of their first year in the industry. On-the-job lessons are sometimes costly so having the backing of our solid insurance program for Pilates instructors is one of the best decisions a student can make for protecting their budding career.

Liability insurance provides a guarantee for the policyholder that a liability claim against them is covered per the provisions of the policy. Liability is simply something you have financial responsibility for. Instructors assume a certain amount of liability when they choose to provide services.

That’s affirmative. We chose to offer the convenience of full-portability with our Pilates instructor liability insurance policy. This means that no matter if you switch employers, choose to strike it out on your own as a sole proprietor, or even pick up and decide to offer services in a new state, your policy follows you. Do note that, we are only able to provide coverage for those services that you are legally experienced, and duly licensed for, in the state or locale in which you plan to operate. The best course when moving states is to look up your new state’s requirements for transferring a license or starting a new Pilates practice and get the necessary wheels in motion well in advance of your move.