Named and Open Instructor Insurance are a different way of covering an instructor's Public Liability, Professional Indemnity and Abuse Cover needs. There's no right or wrong, and no better or worse option. It's purely a case of what works best for you and your setup.

All of our instructor insurances are underwritten by the same insurer, served via the same policy and provide the same level of cover. There's no better or worse insurance for instructors, so the question of Open Vs Named is purely based on the mechanics of cover, and which is best for your unique club setup.

As the named suggests, this is Named Instructor Insurance, combined with membership. This is the default type of cover, and the most 'traditional'. If you opt for Named Instructor Insurance (named cover) you and any other instructors registered or renewed will all automatically be covered in full, 24/7, at any venue and in any discipline you teach, for the full term of membership. It is generally more feature rich and includes full certification, but is less flexible.

Similarly, Open Instructor Insurance provides the same cover, but on a non-exclusive basis. With Open Cover, you can 'share' the insurance across any number of instructors, provided it is not being used by more than one person at any one time. Our system facilitates the ability to designate who is on cover at any time, or to self-manage at club level (subject to clear documentation and proof of assignment). Whilst clubs will need to be more careful around ensuring the correct person is insured at the right time, it does help drastically reduce insurance costs, as clubs with multiple instructors can work from a much smaller pool of insurances to suite their schedules.

For named cover, the key pros are;

✅ No confusion around who's covered - anyone with named insurance with membership is insured 24/7 on a named basis.
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✅ Clearer documentation and more flexibility of cover, to include things like Birthday Cover, Summer Camps, Temporary Switching and so on as it's easier to enforce key policy requirements.
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✅ Clearer certification, including unique information like disciplines and styles.
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​Key drawbacks are;

❌ Not flexible; once it's assigned to an instructor, it's locked in for the year and is non-transferrable.

For open cover, the key pros are;

✅ Much more cost effective for clubs with more than two instructors, as you only need to activate enough unique policies to cover the number of instructors teaching at any one time - not the entire team 24/7.
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✅ Very flexible in that cover can be instantaneously swapped from instructor to instructor using our online system as much as required without charge.
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​Key drawbacks are;

❌ More administrative burden is placed on the club, as somebody needs to take responsibility for either assigning and then re-assigning cover, or having sufficient protocols in place to manage cover at club-level.
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❌ Whilst documentation is available, it's not generally as comprehensive or authenticated as the named instructor insurance proof of cover. This is because it is a transient cover (in that it is not 'locked in' to any single instructor) and so can't be as flexible or customisable.

That's a decision for you and your club to make. We want and need everyone to make an informed decision around what's best for you. Don't be driven exclusively on cost - cover is king, and if there is ever a claim to pay you'll thank yourself for being clear on policy requirements, exclusions and functionality.

Please see dedicated handbook articles for each option;

If you have any questions, please speak to a colleague.