Insurance for new makeup artists - is public liabiilty insurance required? Judy Neame, Principal of Centre Stage Makeup Studio explains.

New Makeup Artists often struggle to obtain adequate Public Liability Insurance. Is public liability cover required when newly qualified?

In this video Judy Neame, Principal and Lead Tutor at Centre Stage Makeup Studio in East Sussex explains why public liability insurance for new makeup artists is highly recommended. A text transcript of the video is below for those who prefer to read.

Do New Makeup Artists Need Public Liability Insurance?

Insurance for New Makeup Artists – Is Public Liability Insurance Required?

Video Transcript

Hello from me, Judy Neame, and welcome to the CENTRE STAGE MEDIA MAKE-UP AND HAIR TRAINING STUDIO here in East Sussex.
Once you have successfully finished our Complete Course and obtained your CENTRE STAGE Diploma, you will become a newly-qualified makeup artist.

As such, you will have already invested much time and effort and money into your training, equipment, and future career.
If you plan on setting up your own business or working as a freelance MUA, public liability insurance is to be highly recommended.

What is public liability insurance?

Whenever you work with people, there is always the risk that someone may make a claim against you for damage or injury.  Public liability insurance covers the costs of the claim for harm to another person or damage to property.

No matter how experienced or careful you are, there’s always a possibility that something can go wrong. You, and the people you are working with are only human!

Imagine, you are working with a bride on her most special day and despite patch tests and trial runs, she reacts to the foundation you used on the day.  Or you’re working on a film production, It’s busy with people dashing in and out and your kit has been moved from where you had safely put it to somewhere else, less safe.  In the rush, someone trips over it and falls…

Meeting just the legal costs of a claim, let alone damages can be financially crippling.

So, while public liability insurance may not be a legal requirement, it is certainly to be highly recommended.  Indeed, many productions, salons and other organisations who hire freelance makeup artists insist that they have their own public liability insurance.

Newly qualified MUA’s often experience considerable difficulty in obtaining professional Public Liability cover during their early post-qualification period, particularly in the first two years of professional life.

Many insurance companies will not provide insurance cover without evidence of appropriate training (which you will have had here at CENTRE STAGE) but also experience, which can of course only come with time.

The “CENTRE STAGE Complete Media Makeup and Hair Course” not only covers the business elements of working as a media makeup artist but I, myself, am privileged to be a Life Member of NASMAH (The National Association of Screen Make-up Artists and Hairdressers).  The Centre Stage Makeup Studio “Complete” Course is recognised as appropriate training for insurance purposes by NASMAH, who have written to me to confirm that (and here I quote):

…Our insurance broker has Centre Stage Media Make-up and Hair Training Studio on their training facilities list as being recognised by NASMAH as having the required standard of training for students to obtain insurance when they finish their courses.
Our Association would have no hesitation in recommending …Centre Stage Media Make-up and Hair Training Studio to up-and-coming artists wishing to train in the Art of Film and TV Make-up and Hairdressing“.

I do encourage you to consider very carefully this extremely important aspect before enrolling for any course tuition.

Here at CENTRE STAGE, you will not only have first-class “hands on” training but also the assurance that you will be eligible to request adequate insurance cover for your future professional work.

I do hope that I shall have the pleasure of meeting you here at CENTRE STAGE.
Please do not hesitate to contact me, Judy Neame, by telephone, e-mail or voice-mail.  You will find all these details on our website.

Want to train as a Media Makeup Artist?

Discover more about the Complete Media Makeup and Hair Course here.