Which insurance teachers in Germany need depends on their status. Teachers with civil servant status (Beamte) need private health cover alongside state aid (Beihilfe), service incapacity insurance and official liability cover, which costs about 19 euros a year as an add on. Employed teachers need disability insurance (Berufsunfähigkeitsversicherung) instead.
Published premiums and tariff examples, monthly or yearly as stated.
Example
Typical range
Official liability for teachers, add on only
about 19 euros a year
Personal liability with official liability for teachers
about 76 euros a year
Service incapacity, upper intermediate service, 30, 2,000 euros pension
from about 78 euros a month
Service incapacity, higher service, 30, 2,500 euros pension
from about 98 euros a month
Private health cover, trainee teacher, 25, 50 percent Beihilfe
about 120 to 160 euros a month
Private health cover, 30, single, 50 percent Beihilfe
about 260 to 370 euros a month
Private accident insurance, office work, 100,000 euros basic sum
about 60 to 180 euros a year
As of October 2026, from published tariff examples; the legal provisions have been checked.
The assessment of legal expenses cover is a guide value from our quoting practice.
Your premium depends on status, state, age and health; we obtain the exact quote for you.
Worked example
Teacher, 27, civil servant on probation, grammar school
A complete basic package in order of urgency.
Private health cover alongside Beihilfe
about 150 to 180 euros a month
Service incapacity insurance, 2,000 euros pension
from about 78 euros a month
Personal liability with official liability
about 76 euros a year, around 6 euros a month
Private accident insurance, optional
about 5 to 15 euros a month
In total about 240 to 280 euros a month. The health cover is not an extra: it replaces the statutory contribution that employed colleagues have deducted from their pay.
Civil servant or employee: the key question
Each German federal state decides whether teachers are appointed as civil servants (verbeamtet) or employed, and many states have both groups. Check your certificate of appointment or employment contract before you choose any cover.
Teachers with civil servant status receive Beihilfe towards medical costs and later a civil service pension. Employed teachers are covered by statutory health, pension and accident insurance like other employees. That leads to two different shopping lists.
Risk
Civil servant teachers
Employed teachers
Medical costs
Beihilfe plus private top up tariff
statutory health insurance
Long term inability to work
service incapacity insurance with DU clause
disability insurance
Damage to the employer
official liability
official liability
Accident at work
accident care (Dienstunfallfürsorge)
statutory accident insurance
Accident in leisure time
private accident insurance if wanted
private accident insurance if wanted
First priority for teachers: income if you cannot teach
Under the Civil Servants Pensions Act (Beamtenversorgungsgesetz) a pension is only paid after five years of service. A teacher on probation or in teacher training (Referendariat) who falls ill for good is usually dismissed and only retroactively insured in the state pension scheme. The waiting period only falls away if the incapacity was caused by the service.
Teachers often leave service because of mental illness. Look for a genuine service incapacity clause (echte DU-Klausel) without exclusions for mental health and with a rule for partial service incapacity. Our page on service incapacity insurance for civil servants explains the details.
Official liability for teachers
Civil servant teachers are liable to their employer under section 48 of the Civil Servants Status Act for intent and gross negligence. For employed teachers, section 3 (7) of the TV-L collective agreement refers to the same rules. Slight negligence costs you nothing, gross negligence can be expensive.
Typical cases are a lost master key, damage on a school trip or a breach of supervision duty. In one published tariff the add on for teachers costs about 19 euros a year. Choose at least 50,000 euros for lost keys.
Health insurance for civil servant teachers
Beihilfe pays a fixed share of medical costs, usually 50 percent for active civil servants. Teachers insure the rest privately. During teacher training this costs about 120 to 160 euros a month, at age 30 about 260 to 370 euros.
If you have pre existing conditions, use the opening campaign (Öffnungsaktion) within six months of your first appointment: no rejection, surcharge at most 30 percent. Some states offer a flat rate Beihilfe for statutory health insurance instead.
Accident, legal cover and what teachers rarely need
An accident in class or on the way to school is covered for civil servants by accident care and for employees by statutory accident insurance. Private accident insurance adds cover for leisure time, it does not replace service incapacity insurance.
Legal expenses insurance with a module for public service can help in disputes about assessments, transfers or accusations from school life. Civil servant teachers do not need daily sickness benefit, since their salary continues.
Teaching privately on the side
Private tutoring or courses on your own account are not covered by official liability. For self employed work we have separate pages by type of business that explain professional liability for such activities.
Step by step
Clarify your status: on revocation, on probation, for life or employed.
If appointed, sort out health cover within six months, using the opening campaign if you have conditions.
Take out service incapacity or disability insurance as early as possible.
Add official liability to your personal liability policy and check the key limit.
Only then decide on accident and legal expenses cover.
Checklist
Genuine DU clause for civil servants on revocation, probation and for life
Mental illness not excluded
Official liability with at least 50,000 euros for lost keys
School trips included in liability cover
Top up tariff matching your Beihilfe rate
Option to increase cover on appointment for life or promotion
Common mistakes
Relying on the civil service pension during probation
Buying accident insurance instead of service incapacity insurance
Assuming personal liability covers work, although it usually excludes it
Buying daily sickness benefit that civil servant teachers do not need
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Do employed teachers need official liability cover?
Yes, it is just as useful.
Under section 3 (7) TV-L employed teachers are liable like civil servants for gross negligence.
When should teachers take out service incapacity insurance?
Ideally during teacher training.
The premium is lowest and the gap largest,
because in the first five years illness usually brings no pension.
Does my union already provide official liability?
Some unions and associations include it for members.
Check your membership documents, especially the limit for lost keys.
Are teachers insured on school trips?
An accident on a school trip counts as an accident at work.
For damage you cause you need official liability cover.
What about teachers who tutor privately?
Self employed tutoring is not covered by official liability.
