home owners insurance for the piano teacher

[luvslive]

hello all!
my husband and i have purchased a home and are looking to get home insurance before our closing date.  well, we called AIG and they asked what i do, and then how many students i have in the home per week.  we said "20 students" and then they said because this would be considered a business they would not do it.  what is the magic number to not be considered a business?  are all the insurance companies going to do this?  any information you have would be helpful, i don't want to ruin my chances with another insurance company until i have more information to work with.  i could probably teach some of these people outside of my home since i already do this with about 13 others.

[Bob]

Do they have business insurance?

I imagine you can always have some kind of home insurance.

If you're teaching lessons, you're supposed to have a business license and all that, even if it's just one student.

I'm curious about it.

[luvslive]

Hi Bob,
I ended up calling a different company where I have other business and they know me on a more personal level, they know I teach etc.  And I am waiting for the quote from them.  We even talked about my teaching and nothing was said on their end.   Maybe they're letting it slide, I figured that something was strange, maybe AIG just doesn't have the business insurance.  I would like to be covered if something would happen to a student while at my home, and I've heard that is not too expensive to add on to one's insurance.  I have a teaching license and noone ever had said I needed a business license.  I tend to get the feeling that things are more easy-going in my rural state.
I remember reading in Clavier magazine about one piano teacher's ordeal with her neighbors trying to stop her business and I just can't imagine such hostility.  I am so happy to live amongst people who mind their own business and appreciate what  I do.  Not that I want to be breaking the law in the mean time.   

[pianistimo]

i think your homeowners would cover one student coming in at a time already.  i mean, it would be covered automatically wouldn't it?  i think bob is right about the business license.  they are much less expensive than adding more to your insurance policy.  funny thing is, it won't be a student - it'll probably be your own child slipping in front of the fridge on melted ice.  especially if you have carpeting and keep all your students in one location of the house.  usually, they just go right to the piano and then out the door.  but, i agree about being cautious in all circumstances - so this is j ust my opinion.

*thinks about the episode where i got short of breath from nerves at my own piano lesson.  that really freaked my teacher out.  i said, 'i can't breathe.'  thankfully, he just went over and opened the window and i felt ok.  guess that if they faint in your home, you just drag them to the sidewalk and then revive them.

[luvslive]

the one and only scary episode i've had was while teaching a girl who appeared to have a mini seizure.  she said she was thirsty so i brought her a glass of water, which she chugged down.  then she got a really goofy blank look on her face, and i thought she was being silly, until she dropped the glass.  yikes!   it would be a nightmare to have someone faint during a lesson and hit their head somewhere.  my brother faints and has seizures frequently.  once in the computer lab at college he fainted and hit his head on the floor.  i'm sure everyone was in shock.  at least these things happen quickly and are over and you're not left wondering "will they make it"...

[Bob]

It's good to ask when you get a new student if there is anything special you need to be aware of about that student. 

[arensky]

the one and only scary episode i've had was while teaching a girl who appeared to have a mini seizure.  she said she was thirsty so i brought her a glass of water, which she chugged down.  then she got a really goofy blank look on her face, and i thought she was being silly, until she dropped the glass.  yikes!   it would be a nightmare to have someone faint during a lesson and hit their head somewhere. 

Sounds like hypernatremia, water intoxication or some such thing... tell her parents if you haven't already.

//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypernatremia


You may have to incorparate or set up a service to obtain insurance. With your husband, you can set up an LLC or an S-Corp, the insurance is cheaper and there are many tax advantages. Find an accountant who specializes in self employed people or small businesses; they know the ropes.