adonex Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 Hi Everyone! Looking for some advice on public liability insurance. But here is the problem. I am starting a course for my degree on the 21st of September and I have a gig lined up that requires 1 million of cover starting on the 29th. It will be lighting tech jobs with a bit of rigging as well. I had a look at BECTU but when I am on my course I will not need to be paying for additional PLI. Im really wanting to get the cheapest possible rate here, I dont mind paying for 1 year of PLI but ideally need short term of cover. Who is best to call? Cheers, Euan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I fell out with BECTU, and started getting quotes for PLI. None were cheaper than BECTU, and we made friends again, and I rejoined. The membership fee isn't wasted - and frankly while your course may well cover you while on their business, I've never seen a college or uni provide each person with their own cover, just student cover on student business - which means that if the job isn't under the auspices of the course, you may well have no cover at all. If somebody has asked you for proof of the insurance, will you actually be able to get the uni to get you a PLI certificate with your name on it? I don't expect many would accept a generic note. Short term cover of something pretty cheap already is probably not much less than a full year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adonex Posted August 15, 2015 Author Share Posted August 15, 2015 I fell out with BECTU, and started getting quotes for PLI. None were cheaper than BECTU, and we made friends again, and I rejoined. The membership fee isn't wasted - and frankly while your course may well cover you while on their business, I've never seen a college or uni provide each person with their own cover, just student cover on student business - which means that if the job isn't under the auspices of the course, you may well have no cover at all. If somebody has asked you for proof of the insurance, will you actually be able to get the uni to get you a PLI certificate with your name on it? I don't expect many would accept a generic note. Short term cover of something pretty cheap already is probably not much less than a full year? The thing with where I am studying is that they frown upon you undertaking work in the industry while you are studying in case you muck up and give them a bad name. Its a shame but hey ho. The cheapest PLI I can find outside BECTU is £64.40 for a year from CoVea. BECTU is much cheaper but I'm not really wanting to pay 120 plus PLI a year for something I wont be using throughout the time I am studying there. Its an awful situation cause its a gig I am really wanting to do. Their policy is done by Hencilla Canworth which do insurance independently as well so it might be an idea just to contact them on Monday? I'm really at my wits end with this because I have been searching for two days now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitlane Posted August 15, 2015 Share Posted August 15, 2015 I fell out with BECTU, and started getting quotes for PLI. None were cheaper than BECTU, and we made friends again, and I rejoined. The membership fee isn't wasted - and frankly while your course may well cover you while on their business, I've never seen a college or uni provide each person with their own cover, just student cover on student business - which means that if the job isn't under the auspices of the course, you may well have no cover at all. If somebody has asked you for proof of the insurance, will you actually be able to get the uni to get you a PLI certificate with your name on it? I don't expect many would accept a generic note. Short term cover of something pretty cheap already is probably not much less than a full year? The thing with where I am studying is that they frown upon you undertaking work in the industry while you are studying in case you muck up and give them a bad name. Its a shame but hey ho. The cheapest PLI I can find outside BECTU is £64.40 for a year from CoVea. BECTU is much cheaper but I'm not really wanting to pay 120 plus PLI a year for something I wont be using throughout the time I am studying there. Its an awful situation cause its a gig I am really wanting to do. Their policy is done by Hencilla Canworth which do insurance independently as well so it might be an idea just to contact them on Monday? I'm really at my wits end with this because I have been searching for two days now... I'm intrigued as to what the college/university/whatever will do if you choose to work whilst studying. As long as it doesn't negatively impact your studies then I'm not sure it is any of their business. Yes, there is a chance you could bring the institution into disrepute but you could do that working behind a bar or flipping burgers or just having a night out. Don't they realise that students can't afford to not work these days and relevant experience in the industry enhances your education? They're not showing much faith in your abilities, are they? We have no issues with our students working whilst studying. If someone wants to go away on tour for a few weeks then we would strongly advise against that as it is really difficult to catch up (plus they would probably be in breach of student loan agreements etc.) But if someone has a gig at the weekend or an evening that won't impact their studies then there's no problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Lewis Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 In fact I'd go even further and say that I'd be worried if our students weren't engaged with a sensibly managed number of gigs. Of course, having PLI and "doing things properly" would be very much part of that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry davies Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 100% concur with Kit and Simon, besides running up more debt you would find it close to impossible to find work as a graduate without contacts and proving yourself in a real-world situation to those contacts. I would not employ a recent grad who did not have a CV of work behind them and PLI is as essential as steelies for that. I have had recent grads who suffered from vertigo and had to be brought down from ladders, I knew one who spent a fortune and three years of his life only to run screaming from his first real gig, never to be seen again. You may not be up to it and in the sense that getting your PLI and doing a few gigs to discover you hate or can't do the work, a couple of hundred is good value when students apparently run up £60K worth of debt. If you intend to work in this industry after graduating you need to seriously consider whether an establishment that makes that difficult if not near impossible is the right place to give your money. PLI is essential for most of us and the only good insurer is one that pays out. BECTU is better than it was, whether it is sufficient I cannot comment. Ask possible employers if they accept it. Some don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 I can see two sides to this; If your establishment will expect you to work for them in term time, it will be frowned on to work for others, BUT you NEED to have an appropriate CV of real work experience at an appropriate level to make the change from student to paid worker. Consider also that short term insurance will be disproportionately expensive, and that the cheapest insurance isn't always the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 This getting more common I think. I have a dancer working for me at the moment doing back stage stuff, and she has an agent who gets her a fair bit of work, yet she is not allowed to have an agent whilst on the course, so it's all a bit secret. She is not supposed to do outside work till year three? Like the others I'm surprised your place have this stance, as work is the entire point of the training? The sixty quid option looks pretty good. I'd also bet their pli policy is basic in the extreme, and will require supervision to pay out. Very odd! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jivemaster Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 If you really want to do gigs whilst at college then ask the college what CVable experience you will get while studying there. In academia there is an odd correlation between paid work done and study results. No work makes you poor and shows gaps on a CV, too much work detracts from academic performance and juggling several jobs can cost you grades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbotsmike Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 Doesn't sound particularly awful or complex to me. Assuming it's a paid job, are you still making money if you pay for BECTU+PLI? If yes, then it's a tool to do a job, and makes you more employable on the next gig. (There realistically will be a next job). I would have very little time for a college that tried to control my work life. They're there to educate, not control your entire life. Bet they have no issue with students going on tour and potentially causing way more disrepute through drunken moron behaviour. Also, frown upon != not allowed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kerry davies Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 I have a dancer working for me at the moment ...yet she is not allowed to have an agent whilst on the course ... She is not supposed to do outside work till year threeIn the case of performance art, dance/acrobatics etc, where a person's physical condition is paramount it is natural that tutors do not want extra-mural stresses and strains to have an affect on that student. Bit like a professional rugby player, pushed to their limits in training under medical supervision yet banned from spending the weekend scaffolding. Light work backstage is probably not what they are thinking of in banning agents, who are out to gain from more work by the client. If they learned you were getting her to carry that grand piano upstairs they might get irate so keep that bit quiet, Paul. To reiterate what Jive and others write, I wouldn't bother with one-off, short duration insurance of any kind. I found it cheaper to pay for annual renewals rather than one or two weekends. If it can be obtained at a lot less than a year's fee it isn't worth the paper it is written on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djw1981 Posted August 16, 2015 Share Posted August 16, 2015 As a student, membership of BECTu can have many other advaantages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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