Fitness instructor and personal trainer insurance

Specialist cover for fitness professionals, personal trainers and sports coaches from as little as £5 a month

  • Fast, easy online quote in 90 seconds

  • 24hr legal advice helpline and legal hub

  • No hidden fees or cancellation charges

With over 25 years of experience, our specialist personal trainer and fitness instructor insurance offers comprehensive cover for fitness and sports coaching professionals.

Insurance for fitness training professionals

Professional indemnity insurance for personal trainers is something to consider when your clients rely on your expertise and advice to improve their fitness. An injury sustained as part of your recommended workout could leave you open to a claim. Professional indemnity insurance covers you against potential loss-making outcomes, whether financially or to your reputation.

If you're running your own gym or fitness centre, or otherwise dealing with members of the public on private premises, public liability insurance is important. By taking out this cover you can feel completely comfortable and confident in your workspace.

What's the difference between cover for personal trainers and fitness instructors?

As personal trainers and fitness instructors each perform different roles, they require different levels of coverage.

Personal trainers will more commonly create a personalised training programme for an individual, helping that individual achieve their unique goals. While this personal training and mentorship may take place with a public gym, it's also common for personal trainers to work in their personal studios or in public spaces like a park.

Fitness instructors are more likely to be based within a gym or fitness centre, running group classes like spin, aerobics and weightlifting classes, and overseeing the fitness and wellbeing of all gym users.

We offer insurance for fitness trainers that's suited to your unique role. Whether you work as a personal trainer or fitness instructor, you can pick and choose different aspects of the coverage that best apply to your professional situation. If you'd like to find out more on how this works, get an online quote today. We offer a range of insurance levels to suit every fitness training professional.

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Cover starting at just £5 a month

Tailor your personal trainer insurance with these specialist covers

  • Public liability and professional indemnity insurance

    Public liability and professional indemnity insurance offers comprehensive protection against the cost of defending your fitness business against allegations of professional negligence (such as giving incorrect instruction or coaching to a client) and if unsuccessful, the cost of damages awarded against you.

    In addition, it covers the cost of defending your business (including damages awarded against you if unsuccessful) if someone is injured, or their property damaged, which arises from you going about your business. Examples of claims include:

    • You advise a client how to perform an exercise, however they fall while doing it and injure themselves. They take legal action against you, alleging you failed to properly explain the move.
    • You produce a personalised training plan for a client, however they don’t achieve the goals they were promised. They take legal action against you, alleging your training was inadequate.
    • A client trips over a weight that has been left lying around and injures their hip. They are unable to work and make a personal injury claim against you seeking compensation.
    • You help a client stretch following an exercise session, however you push the muscle too far and it tears. The client takes legal action against you for the injury suffered.

    This cover is often a requirement of gyms, village halls and other rented premises before they will allow you to begin your training sessions and is generally considered vital cover for fitness coaching professionals of all descriptions. Limits range from £1m to £5m.

  • Employer’s liability insurance

    Employer’s liability insurance is a legal requirement if your business has employees. It covers your business against claims for injury or illness suffered by employees arising from their employment.

    An example of a claim would be:

    • While training a client, an employee slips on an unsecured workout mat and injures themselves. They make a personal injury claim against you seeking compensation.

    If you employ any staff, including other personal trainers, you need this cover. Cover for £10m.

  • Legal expenses insurance

    Legal expenses insurance pays your legal costs and expenses for contract disputes, tax enquiries (including IR35), attending jury service, debt recovery, personal injury, as well as any award you are required to pay following an employment dispute with an employee. There is a limit of £100,000.

    If a client takes legal action against you because of an error you have made, this cover can prevent you from needing to use your own finances to cover legal expenses.

  • Directors and officers insurance

    Directors and officers insurance covers the costs of defending you as a director or officer of your company against allegations of wrongful acts and any damages subsequently awarded against you. Cover is also provided in respect of the legal costs and expenses of defending actions for disqualification as a director, investigations and extradition proceedings. Limits range from £100,000 to £5m.

  • Office insurance

    Office insurance covers your office buildings, office contents and computer equipment against accidental damage (including theft) whilst on your business premises. You can also choose to cover your business equipment (such as laptops and mobile phones) on a worldwide basis, and insure your business against loss of income and/or additional trading expenses following events such as damage to your property.

  • Occupational personal accident insurance

    Occupational personal accident insurance provides a weekly payment if you are unable to work due to temporary total disablement (subject to a 14 day deferment period).

    In the event of loss of limbs, sight, speech, hearing, permanent total disablement or death, a lump sum would be paid out.

    Few personal trainers and fitness instructors are fortunate enough to not be injured in the course of their profession, and occupational personal accident insurance can help you maintain an income if you were unable to work following an accident while working for your business.

  • Cyber and data risks insurance

    Cyber and data risks insurance pays the costs of restoring data and equipment, informing clients, meeting ransom demands and loss of your net profit following a cyber attack. It also pays your legal defence costs and damages you are legally liable to pay to other parties. If you hold confidential information about your clients, their training plans and other sensitive information about them on computers and other internet connected devices, you should give consideration to this cover.

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Cover starting at just £5 a month

Frequently asked questions

  • Am I covered to work with clients remotely?

    Yes. Your insurance policy automatically provides cover for working with clients remotely, including using an audio or video service such as Zoom or Skype.

    Many of our customers have begun doing this as a way of continuing business and retaining clients during the COVID-19 pandemic, and you do not need to contact us to include it on your policy.

    Please note that your sessions/instruction must be done on a live basis and to your client (or clients, if part of a group session) only. Your policy does not provide cover for pre-recorded videos that are uploaded to a video platform (e.g. YouTube) for anyone to access.

  • What's the difference between professional indemnity and public liability?

    Professional indemnity insurance covers against allegations of professional negligence - which means it would cover you if you were to make an error or mistake in a piece of work (such as a project or report) for a client.

    Public liability insurance covers against allegations of injury or illness caused to third parties by your negligence. This includes many of the slips, trips and falls that are associated with personal injury claims. In addition, public liability insurance covers against damage to third party property - for example, if you were to damage a client-owned laptop or smartphone.

    As they insure against different scenarios, it's important you consider arranging both types of cover to ensure you are properly protected.

  • I do bootcamp and other sessions outside - is this covered?

    Yes. Bootcamp classes and other workout sessions outside are covered by our policy.

  • Do I need a current first aid certificate to be covered?

    No. Although it is advisable for you to have one in case something were to happen during a workout, it is not something that we insist on.

  • What limit of cover should I choose?

    Many clients and industry bodies with regulatory requirements will require you to have a minimum level of cover in order for you to undertake a contract, so it's worth checking this before you arrange cover. If you're unsure, or it's the first time you have arranged cover, give some thought to a worst-case scenario and the likely costs involved in putting your mistake right. We offer a range of limits on insurance, so you're sure to find the right cover for your business.

  • Why should I choose Markel’s insurance?

    Markel has over 25 years of experience insuring contractors, consultants and self-employed professionals. We insure over 200,000 micro businesses and are highly rated by our customers at Feefo.com.

    We are a division of Markel International, a Lloyd’s and London market insurer that wrote gross premium totals of £1.09bn in 2020.

    To talk about your insurance requirements and better understand our cover, call us on 0800 640 6600 or get a quick quote online.

  • How are Markel regulated?

    Markel International Insurance Company Limited is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority. Find out more on the Financial Services Register.

  • Do you insure personal training businesses run from home?

    Yes, many of our PT insurance customers do not have a single premises for running their sessions, and operate from various locations.

  • Is this cover suitable for contact sports?

    Our policy doesn't cover all contact sports. For example, we do not cover boxing, judo, kickboxing, and other martial arts sports. If you are a trainer of contact related sports, please refer to the policy documents once you have obtained a quotation for the full list of excluded activities.

Expect more from your insurance provider.

We insure thousands of fitness instructors, coaches and professionals, which is why we offer a range of useful services designed to make your life easier (included as standard with the relevant section of cover).

24 hour legal helpline  24/7 access to a legal advice helpline manned by qualified solicitors

Legal hub access  Access legal templates and resources with the Markel Law Hub

  Access our fee dispute service to assist with unpaid invoices

  Expert management of public relations crises with The Counsel House

  A specialist cyber response helpline to help in the event of a cyber attack

 

Discover more about these services.

Cover starting at just £5 a month