# Insurance for private schools, boarding schools and tutoring in Germany

> A private school takes responsibility for hundreds of children every day, along with buildings, specialist rooms and school trips. A tutoring centre is smaller but carries the same duty of supervision, and its students often have no statutory accident cover at all. This page shows how each of these is insured.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-private-school.php  
Updated: 2026-09-18

## Are our pupils covered by statutory accident insurance?

It depends on the type of school. Pupils at state approved Ersatzschulen are covered like those at state schools through the state Unfallkasse, the public sector accident insurer for pupils, including on the way to and from school. At Ergänzungsschulen (supplementary private schools), language schools and tutoring centres this cover usually does not exist. There, group accident insurance taken out for all students fills the gap.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** No insurance is required by law; school authorities, landlords and local councils regularly ask for liability cover, and pupils at state approved Ersatzschulen (private schools replacing a state school) are covered by law through the Unfallkasse
- **Biggest risk:** Injuries to pupils through lapses in supervision, in PE, in specialist rooms and on school trips
- **Basic cover from:** about 100 to 250 euros a year for public liability for a small tutoring centre
- **Statutory accident insurer:** VBG, the Berufsgenossenschaft (statutory accident insurer) for teachers and staff at private educational providers; students at tutoring centres have no statutory accident cover
- **Often forgotten:** School trips abroad: liability and accident cover do not automatically apply everywhere outside Germany
- **WZ 2025 / NACE:** 85.20 Grundschulen, 85.31 Allgemeinbildende weiterführende Schulen, 85.32 Berufsbildende weiterführende Schulen, 85.33 Postsekundärer, nicht tertiärer Unterricht, 85.40 Tertiärer Unterricht, 85.53 Fahr- und Flugschulen, 85.61 Vermittlungstätigkeiten für Erziehung und Unterricht, 85.69 Erbringung von Dienstleistungen für Erziehung und Unterricht a. n. g.

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Supervision and breaks:** A scuffle in the playground, a fall from the climbing frame, a child leaving the grounds unnoticed: lapses in supervision are the most common liability claim.
- **Specialist rooms and PE:** Chemistry experiments, the workshop, the gym: this is where serious accidents happen, and where investigators check whether safety rules were followed.
- **School trips:** Ski trips, language trips, a day's hike: accidents, illness abroad and damage to accommodation all land with the school.
- **Buildings and equipment:** A fire in the canteen, water in the server room, a break-in at the computer room: school buildings are full of expensive technology.
- **Pupil data:** Reports, special educational needs, health data and learning platforms: data breaches at schools involve minors and are judged strictly.
- **Governance and finances:** School fees, state subsidies, staff costs: board members of school associations and managing directors are liable for mistakes with grants and contracts.

**Risk radar** (Compared with other trades, 1 low to 5 high.): Liability 4, Fire and water 4, Theft 2, Cyber 3, Downtime 3, Health 3

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Covers liability from your duty of supervision in lessons, at break times and on school trips, as well as damage to rented rooms. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Strongly advised): Gives students at tutoring centres and Ergänzungsschulen accident cover they do not have by law, and tops up statutory cover at Ersatzschulen. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php
- **Business contents** (Strongly advised): Replaces furnishings, specialist room equipment and teaching materials after fire, water damage and burglary. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Electronic equipment** (Strongly advised): For tablets, laptops, interactive whiteboards and servers against breakage, power surges and theft. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-electronic-equipment.php
- **D&O insurance** (Strongly advised): Protects the board of a school association or the management of a school company (GmbH) against mistakes with grants and contracts. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-directors-and-officers.php
- **Commercial buildings** (Depends on the business): For providers that own the school building, against fire, storm, burst pipes and natural hazards. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-commercial-buildings.php
- **Cyber insurance** (Depends on the business): For learning platforms, school administration and parent portals holding sensitive pupil data. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-cyber-insurance.php
- **Business interruption** (Depends on the business): For school fees and running costs when lessons have to move to temporary premises after a fire. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-interruption.php

## What it costs: example prices

Tutoring centres are cheap to insure. For private schools, premiums depend on the number of pupils, type of school, owning the building and specialist rooms; boarding schools with overnight stays are rated higher.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Tutoring centre with turnover up to 30,000 euros, 3 million euros cover | about 100 to 250 euros a year |
| Business liability | Private school with 300 pupils and specialist rooms | about 800 to 2,000 euros a year |
| Group accident insurance | Tutoring centre with 150 students a year | about 100 to 300 euros a year |
| Electronic equipment | Tablets, laptops and interactive whiteboards worth 80,000 euros | about 800 to 1,600 euros a year |
| D&O insurance | Board of a school association with a 3 million euro budget, 1 million euros cover | about 700 to 1,500 euros a year |

For comparison: Liability and accident cover for a tutoring centre cost about as much a year as ten hours of tutoring.

_Guide prices excluding German insurance tax, as of September 2026, based on published tariff examples for trainers, associations and D&O and on our own quoting experience. Hardly any premiums for private schools are published, so we obtain the exact quote for you._

- [Hiscox: insurance for trainers](https://www.hiscox.de/geschaeftskunden/trainer-versicherung/)
- [Hiscox: association liability insurance (including schools)](https://www.hiscox.de/geschaeftskunden/vereinshaftpflichtversicherung/)
- [transparent-beraten.de: D&O insurance](https://www.transparent-beraten.de/d-o-versicherung/)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Tutoring** (Tutoring centre or learning studio in rented rooms): Business liability, Group accident insurance. Together: about 200 to 550 euros a year
- **School** (Private school or language school in rented premises): Business liability, Group accident insurance, Business contents, Electronic equipment, D&O insurance. Together: about 2,500 to 5,500 euros a year
- **Campus** (School provider with its own building, boarding house or several sites): Business liability, Group accident insurance, Business contents, Electronic equipment, D&O insurance, Commercial buildings, Cyber insurance, Business interruption. Together: from about 8,000 euros a year, calculated individually

## The worst day at the private school

Six things that really happen at private schools and tutoring centres, all on a single school day. Tap through the day and see who pays.

- 07:50: Break-in at the computer room: 25 tablets and two projectors are gone. (€14,000, Paid by: Electronic equipment)
- 10:05: During morning break, a pupil falls from the climbing frame that had been reported as wobbly for weeks. (€18,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 11:40: At the tutoring centre, a student trips over a cable and breaks two teeth. (€3,500, Paid by: Group accident insurance)
- 13:20: Acid splashes during a chemistry experiment, a pupil suffers burns on her arm and the parents say safety goggles were missing. (€9,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 15:30: The learning platform is hacked, and support plans and grades appear online. (€20,000, Paid by: Cyber insurance)
- 22:15: A short circuit sets the canteen kitchen on fire; lessons move to temporary rooms for two weeks. (€60,000, Paid by: Business contents)

**Damage so far:** €124,500

## Practical tips from your broker

- Check for each type of school whether your pupils are covered through the Unfallkasse, and take out group accident insurance if not.
- Have school trips, exchanges and language trips abroad expressly included in both liability and accident cover.
- Keep records of defects reported on play equipment and specialist rooms and when they were fixed: after a claim, that is the decisive evidence.
- Insure tablets and laptops that pupils take home with cover away from the premises.
- Choose at least 5 million euros of cover for schools, and rather 10 million for boarding schools.
- Freelance tutors should be named on your policy or show proof of their own professional liability cover.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **We sort out the school types:** Ersatzschule, Ergänzungsschule, tutoring: what is covered by law depends on this. As a broker we clarify it and get only what is really missing, from several insurers.
- **We know claims handling in practice:** In boat insurance we handle claims ourselves. When parents make demands and the insurer examines the supervision, we know what matters.
- **For providers and school leaders:** From the school building and the technology to D&O cover for the board, we match the policies to each other, with one contact for everything.
- **A family business since 1989:** Education is a long term business, and so is our advice. It is free for you, as the insurer pays our commission.

## FAQ

### Does a tutoring centre need liability insurance?

Not by law, but when you teach minors it is essential. Landlords and partner schools almost always ask for proof.

### Are tutoring students covered for accidents?

No, private tutoring is not covered by the statutory accident insurance for pupils. Group accident insurance from the centre often costs just a few euros per student.

### Who is liable on a school trip?

The school as provider and, in cases of gross negligence, the teacher. The school's public liability protects both, provided teachers are co-insured and trips abroad are included.

### Does a private school have to insure its building?

Not by law, but banks and landlords require it, and without insurance a fire could threaten the school's survival. Tenants insure their furnishings and equipment themselves.

### What does insurance for a private school cost?

A school with around 300 pupils in rented premises usually pays about 2,500 to 5,500 euros a year for liability, accident, contents, equipment and D&O.

### Are pupils' tablets insured at home?

Only with cover away from the premises under electronic equipment insurance, or through a loan agreement that obliges the parents to insure them. Settle this before handing them out.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison. Free of charge and without obligation: the insurer pays our commission. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-private-school.php#anfrage

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NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act, broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. For boat and yacht insurance we act as underwriting agency, not as broker.

NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH, Karl-Marx-Straße 4, 15711 Königs Wusterhausen, +49 3375 29 12 77, info@nammert.com. Wikidata: Q141141479.