# Insurance for ski instructors, snowboard instructors and ski schools in Germany

> A ski instructor earns a year's income in a few winter months, with children, beginners and groups on crowded slopes. A collision involving a pupil or your own torn ligament can end the season. This page explains which insurance self employed instructors and ski schools based in Germany need, what it costs and what applies if you teach in Austria.

Quelle/Source: https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-ski-instructor-and-ski-school.php  
Updated: 2026-10-14

## Am I covered by my personal liability insurance as a freelance ski instructor?

Usually not. Personal liability policies generally exclude professional activities, and paid teaching is one. If a pupil falls because you chose a run that was too difficult, or your group knocks over another skier, you need professional or business liability cover that names your work as a ski or snowboard instructor.

## At a glance

- **Compulsory:** In Germany there is no statutory insurance duty for ski instructors or ski schools. Anyone who wants to run a ski school in Tyrol needs adequate liability insurance for the permit (section 5(2)(d) of the Tyrolean Ski School Act 1995)
- **Biggest risk:** Injured pupils, especially children, and collisions between your group and other skiers
- **Basic cover from:** about €100 a year for the liability cover of a self employed ski instructor, a guide figure from our quoting work
- **Seasonal work:** Your annual income is earned in a few months. An accident in December can cost the whole winter
- **Often forgotten:** Your own accident: knees, cruciate ligaments and shoulders are an occupational risk, and private accident insurance also pays for accidents in your free time

## What goes wrong in this trade

- **Injured pupil:** You choose a run that is too hard for the group. A pupil falls, and the parents accuse you of failing in your duty of supervision.
- **Collision on the slope:** A pupil practising turns skis into another skier, whose treatment and loss of earnings are claimed from you.
- **Accident at the lift:** A child falls getting on the chairlift because the group was sent through too quickly.
- **Your own knee:** A torn cruciate ligament in January means surgery, rehab and the end of the season, without income.
- **Stolen equipment:** Rental skis, helmets and snowboards disappear from the ski school's storage room.
- **Disputes over course fees:** Parents demand a refund because of bad weather or an injury.

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

## The insurance you need

- **Business liability** (Essential): Pays justified claims from injured pupils and third parties and defends unjustified ones. Your work as a ski or snowboard instructor must be named, including work abroad. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-liability.php
- **Accident insurance** (Strongly advised): Pays for permanent injuries after an accident, on duty and in your free time, and helps with adaptations and retraining. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-accident-insurance.php
- **Occupational disability** (Strongly advised): Protects your income if knees, back or health permanently stop you from teaching. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-occupational-disability.php
- **Group accident insurance** (Depends on the business): For ski schools: fixed accident sums for employed instructors or for course participants, regardless of fault. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-group-accident.php
- **Business contents** (Depends on the business): For the ski school office, rental equipment and storage against burglary, fire and water. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-contents.php
- **Business legal expenses** (Depends on the business): For disputes with customers over fees, with lift operators and with staff. https://www.nammert.com/en/insurance-broker-business-legal-expenses.php

## What it costs: example prices

Premiums depend on whether you teach alone or run a school with staff, how many participants you have and whether you offer freeride, children's courses or ski touring.

| Insurance | Example | Typical range |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Business liability | Self employed ski instructor, €3 million cover | about €100 to €250 a year |
| Business liability | Ski school with ten instructors, €5 million cover | about €700 to €1,800 a year |
| Accident insurance | Ski instructor aged 35, €150,000 base sum with progression | about €250 to €500 a year |
| Group accident insurance | Course participants of a ski school, seasonal policy | about €400 to €1,200 per season |
| Business contents | Ski school office with rental equipment worth €30,000 | about €200 to €500 a year |

For comparison: Liability cover for a self employed ski instructor costs about as much a year as two private lessons.

_All figures are guide values from our quoting work, excluding German insurance premium tax, as of October 2026. We found no published tariffs specifically for ski instructors. The source documents the rules in Tyrol. We obtain the exact quote for you._

- [RIS: Tyrolean Ski School Act 1995, section 5 ski school permit](https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/eli/lgbl/TI/1995/15/P5/LTI40049729)

## Our suggestions: three packages

- **Solo** (freelance ski or snowboard instructor): Business liability, Accident insurance. Together: about €350 to €750 a year
- **Professional** (full time instructor working in mountain or water sports in summer): Business liability, Accident insurance, Occupational disability. Together: about €350 to €750 a year excluding income protection
- **Ski school** (ski school with employed instructors, children's courses and rental): Business liability, Group accident insurance, Business contents, Business legal expenses. Together: about €1,500 to €4,000 a year

## The worst day on the slopes

Six things that really happen to ski instructors and ski schools, all on one Saturday in the February holidays. Tap through and see who pays.

- 09:15: A child in your group falls getting on the chairlift and breaks an arm. The parents blame you. (€6,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 10:40: A pupil practising turns skis into a woman, who is off work for weeks with a knee injury. (€14,000, Paid by: Business liability)
- 12:30: A course participant falls on his own and breaks his collarbone. (€3,000, Paid by: Group accident insurance)
- 14:50: You twist your knee during a demonstration: torn ligament, surgery, end of season. (€20,000, Paid by: Accident insurance)
- 17:30: Twelve pairs of rental skis are stolen from the ski school's storage room. (€6,500, Paid by: Business contents)
- 19:00: A family demands a refund for the whole week and threatens to sue. (€1,500, Paid by: Business legal expenses)

**Damage so far:** €51,000

## Practical tips from your broker

- Have your work as a ski and snowboard instructor named explicitly in the liability policy, including children's courses, freeride and ski touring if you offer them.
- Check the territorial scope. If you teach in Austria, Switzerland or Italy, you need cover there.
- If you want to open a ski school in Tyrol, you need adequate liability insurance for the permit.
- Take out accident insurance before the season, not after your first fall.
- For income protection, give your exact occupation. A ski instructor is rated differently from an office job.
- Record group size, pupils' ability and the run you chose; it helps against claims of poor supervision.

## Why NAMMERT for your business

- **Your work correctly in the policy:** As an insurance broker we compare several insurers and make sure teaching, children's courses and work abroad are covered.
- **We know seasonal work:** Like sailing schools and boat rentals, ski instructors live from a few months a year. We make sure one accident does not cost the whole season.
- **Winter and summer in one place:** Many instructors work as mountain guides, sailing or surf instructors in summer. Norman Nammert, your insurance broker, looks after both activities together.
- **Family business, placing cover since 1989:** Our work is free for you; the insurer pays our commission. You get named contacts instead of a hotline, in English or German.

## FAQ

### Do I need liability insurance as a ski instructor in Germany?

It is not required by German law. Personal liability usually does not cover paid teaching, so your own professional or business liability policy is the most important protection.

### What applies if I teach in Austria?

In Tyrol, for example, a ski school permit requires adequate liability insurance. Your liability policy must also apply abroad.

### What does liability insurance for ski instructors cost?

About €100 to €250 a year for a self employed instructor, about €700 to €1,800 for a ski school with ten instructors. These are guide values from our quoting work.

### Are my course participants insured?

Your liability policy only pays if you are responsible for the accident. For falls that are nobody's fault, a ski school can take out group accident cover for participants.

### Is income protection worth it for ski instructors?

For full time instructors yes, because knees and back take a lot of strain. Premiums are higher than for office jobs, so comparing quotes pays off.

### Does liability cover ski touring and freeride?

Only if these activities are in the policy. Ask explicitly, because many tariffs are limited to marked slopes.

## Request quotes

We obtain quotes and come back with a comparison, free of charge. You can write in English. https://www.nammert.com/en/business-insurance-ski-instructor-and-ski-school.php#anfrage

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Your broker: Norman Nammert, trading as NAMMERT. Insurance broker licensed under section 34d(1) of the German Trade Regulation Act. Broker register no. D-C08Q-TOSD4-37. NAMMERT Assekuradeur GmbH is a separate company. It does not arrange your contract.

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