Yes. You can add optional Natural Disaster Cover to your Big Cat Travel Insurance policy for additional protection if certain unforeseen events, such as earthquakes, floods, wildfires, hurricanes or volcanic eruptions, disrupt your trip. Cover limits depend on your chosen policy level, and the event must not have been known or foreseeable when the cover was purchased. Please refer to the policy wording for full terms and exclusions.
0333 003 3161
So you want to be a ski or snowboard instructor? You’ve probably found the right course abroad and are looking forward to hitting the piste and learning how to master the skills needed to qualify as an instructor.
But have you checked out the refund policy?
Are tuition fees refundable?
Ski instructor courses are not cheap. Their so called “all-inclusive” fees often include flights, transfers, accommodation and meals. But what happens if you are injured or fall ill prior to or during the course - will the organisers refund the thousands of pounds you paid upfront for tuition?
In our experience they won’t. And neither will ordinary travel insurance cover you.
Ordinary ski insurance is not enough
Regular travel insurance for skiing is designed for those on ski holidays not for those paying out for professional courses. Those tuition fees are likely to comprise the largest part of the overall cost. So, while regular ski insurance may cover pre-booked flights and accommodation in the event you have to cancel or cut short your trip due to an insured reason, regular holiday travel insurance may not cover the substantial tuition fees you paid upfront.
Unless you have the type of policy designed to do so.
Get the right policy for Ski Instructor Courses
What you need is Big Cat Travel Insurance’s specialist policy tailored to cover Ski instructor courses.
Our policy can cover the extra risks involved in training to be a ski or snowboard instructor such as intense on-snow training, snow sports and avalanche awareness training - risks that are not covered by standard ski insurance.
What’s more, our policy cover includes options such as on and off-piste skiing and snowboarding, and helicopter evacuation if medically necessary.
Crucially the BigCat policy includes cover for your course fees you may miss out on due to cancellation before you travel or the curtailment from the date you returned to your home country, or the dates you were hospitalised as an in-patient or the date your quarantine period started. Please see the Policy Wording for full details of the policy terms and conditions.
Key Benefits of Ski Instructor Course Insurance.
- Emergency Medical and Repatriation Expenses up to £10 million.
- Cancellation & Curtailment up to £10,000.
- Personal Liability up to £2 million.
- Winter Sports Equipment - owned up to £600.
- Winter Sports Equipment hire, up to £300.
- Ski Pack up to £375.
- Baggage & Personal Effects up to £2,000.
- Gadgets & Valuables up to £1,000.
- Legal Expenses up to £15,000.
- Personal Money up to £500.
- Tickets up to £1,000.
- Passport and Visa up to £300.
- Money back 14-day cooling off period if you decide to cancel your policy prior to departure and have not made any claims.
Where do you live
All persons to be insured must reside at a permanent address in the United Kingdom.
Can I take out this insurance if I am already travelling?
If you purchase cover after leaving the United Kingdom having started your trip, a 48-hour waiting period applies before your policy becomes active. For cover to be valid, the “Already Travelling” extension must be shown on your Booking Invoice or Validation Certificate. Illness that develops during this 48-hour period will not be covered, as it will be treated as a pre-existing medical condition. However, if you suffer a serious accident during this time, you’ll be covered straight away, provided it is independently witnessed and confirmed by a medical professional.
IMPORTANT
Please be aware that once you’ve started travelling,
the 14-day cooling-off period no longer applies and premiums are non-refundable.
family
family
Definition of a couple
A couple is defined as 2 adults who have been permanently living together at the same address for more than six months, who intend to travel together.
If you do not qualify as a couple, please select individual(s)
Annual Multi-Trip Durations
Annual Multi Trip policies are designed for multiple short holidays leaving from and returning to your home country.
Annual Multi Trip trip limits:
Standard policy - 35 days
Premier policy - 90 days
If you need continuous cover for a year (home visits allowed on policies over 4 months long) select Single Trip or One Way. You can travel around as much as you like, to as many different countries as you like, with a Single Trip or One Way policy.
Important Notice
Important Information
By selecting the "one-way" travel option or traveling without a pre-booked return ticket to your home country, note the following exclusion:
Curtailment, Section D: Return travel expenses to your home country will not be covered in the event of a curtailment claim if you do not have a valid return ticket to your home country.
Trip Type
Select the type of policy most suitable for your needs.
A flexible policy designed for travellers going abroad on a continuous trip, whether short-term or long-term. Suitable for backpacking, long stays and multi-country travel. There is no requirement to hold a return ticket at the time of purchase. Where a policy is longer than four months, temporary return visits to your home country are permitted in line with the policy terms.
Single Trip (IEC Canada):
This option is for travellers going to Canada on an International Experience Canada (IEC) visa (Working Holiday, Young Professionals or International Co-op). It is designed to meet IEC insurance requirements and should only be selected if you are travelling on an IEC visa. IEC visas are available to applicants aged 18–35, so this option is intended for travellers within that age range. If you are travelling to Canada but do not meet the IEC age criteria, please select the standard Single Trip option instead.
One Way Trip:
This option is suitable if you are emigrating to a new country where you intend to live permanently, or if you are returning to your home country on a permanent basis. Cover will end upon arrival at your final destination. Please note that there is no cover for emergency return travel expenses if you do not already hold an original return ticket.
Annual Multi-Trip:
This policy covers an unlimited number of trips within a 12-month period of insurance. Each individual trip has a maximum duration depending on the level of cover selected. For Standard policies, the maximum length of any single trip is 35 days, and for Premier policies the maximum length of any single trip is 90 days.
If you are already travelling, it is not possible to purchase an Annual Multi-Trip policy.
Geographical Areas
Europe:
Europe means the continent of Europe West of the Ural Mountains, and includes the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Iceland, Jordan, Madeira, the Canary Islands, the Azores and Mediterranean Islands as well as all countries bordering the Mediterranean.
Australia & New Zealand:
a) For any period of cover purchased, a 48 hour stop-over anywhere in the World for both outward and return travel will be included.
b) If the period of cover purchased is two months or more, a stop-over of 7 days/nights anywhere in the World will be included.
Worldwide excluding North America & Mexico:
(North America means the USA, Canada & Mexico.)
a) For any period of cover purchased, a 48 hour stop-over anywhere in the World for both outward and return travel will be included.
b) If the period of cover purchased is two months or more, a stop-over of 7 days/nights anywhere in the World will be included.
Worldwide including North America & Mexico:
Worldwide means anywhere in the World including the USA, Canada & Mexico.
To
Automatic Trip Extension
If the Insured Person is prevented from completing their travel before the expiration of this Insurance as stated under the Period of Insurance on the Booking Invoice or Validation Certificate (as applicable) for reasons which are beyond their control, including ill health or failure of public transport, this Insurance will remain in force until completion but not exceeding a further 31 days on a day by day basis, without additional premium.
In the event of an Insured Person being hijacked, cover shall continue whilst the Insured Person is subject to the control of the person(s) or their associates making the hijack during the Period of Insurance of a period not exceeding twelve months from the date of the hijack.
Please ensure you arrange cover for the entire duration of your travel
Policy Duration Error
The maximum allowable policy duration is 731 days. Please adjust your travel dates to proceed.
Where you normally reside
Where do you normally reside? Where do you normally reside?
Please use the drop down box to choose your country of residence. Note we can only insure residents of the United Kingdom.
Can I take out this Insurance if I’m already abroad?
If you are normally a resident of the UK Country and your insurance has run out, you may take out cover online with us. This is on the understanding that nothing has occurred at the time of taking out the cover which has led to a claim or may lead to a potential claim. Note you cannot take out our Multi-Trip Insurance if you are already abroad.
Do you have minimum residency requirements?
No. If you are, for example, a British Passport holder and have right of abode in the UK, we are not concerned as to how many months in the past year you have been in the UK provided at the time of arranging this insurance you have a UK residential address.
Age Restriction Error
We are unable to quote, Please ring our Offices on 0333 0033 161 for further assistance.
FAQ's
Yes. Emergency transport costs, including helicopter evacuation where medically necessary, are covered subject to policy terms and conditions.
Yes. Skiing and snowboarding off-piste within resort boundaries is covered. Additional requirements apply when skiing outside resort boundaries.
Yes. When you add the Winter Sports extension, cover includes skiing and snowboarding subject to the policy terms, conditions and exclusions.
Ski instructor courses are covered when you add the Winter Sports Plus add-on to your policy.
Winter Sports Plus was specifically designed for customers heading abroad for ski seasons, instructor courses and more advanced winter sports activities.
In addition, customers with a Standard or Premier policy also benefit from cancellation and curtailment cover for pre-booked ski instructor course fees, subject to the policy terms and conditions.
Standard policies include up to £3,000 cancellation and curtailment cover as standard, while Premier policies include up to £7,500, with the option to increase this up to £10,000.
We offer a 'Winter sports plus' add-on that can provide cover whilst in Ski parks including jumps up to 9m (medium).
Yes, bar work or working in a chalet is automatically covered with all of our policies.
We have a few options when it comes Winter Sports cover duration:
14 non-consecutive days
28 non-consecutive days
56 non-consecutive days
Unlimited
You can choose the cover duration you need. Remember, test the different durations, sometimes it's equal value - or better, to opt for the entire duration option.
When travelling to Europe, only the Unlimited option is available.
Medical - First and foremost, The 'Winter sports' add-on provides medical coverage in the event of an accident or injury whilst on the slopes, this includes Helicopter rescue, in patient treatment in a hospital and repatriation to the UK if necessary.
Off-Piste - You are covered for skiing on/off-piste within the boundaries of the resort. If you are outside of resort boundaries/Heli-skiing, you must be within a group of 3 or more or with a qualified instructor with working communications equipment (mobile phone).
Winter Sports Equipment – Loss theft or breakage of your own Winter Sports Equipment is insured up to £300 Budget, £450 Standard or £600 Premier per person, subject to a limit of £100 Budget, £200 Standard or £250 Premier for any single item, set or pair.
Loss theft or breakage of hired Winter Sports Equipment in your charge is insured up to £150 Budget, £225 Standard or £300 Premier per Insured Person.
Winter Sports Equipment Hire – Up to £150 Budget, £200 Standard or £350 Premier per Insured Person in respect of replacement Winter Sports Equipment hire following loss, theft or breakage, or misdirection or delay in transit of an Insured Person’s Winter Sports Equipment preventing their use for not less than 12 hours.
Ski Pack – Up to £400 Budget, £500 Standard or £700 Premier per Insured Person in respect of the proportionate value of any ski pass, hire or tuition fee necessarily unused following accident or sickness of the Insured Person, or loss theft or damage of the ski pass.
Piste Closure – Up to £15 Budget, £20 Standard or £30 Premier per day per Insured Person to a maximum of £150 Budget, £200 Standard or £300 Premierfor additional transport costs to reach an alternative resort necessitated by a lack of snow or avalanche at your pre-booked resort following the closure of skiing facilities.
Avalanche Closure – Up to £150 Budget, £200 Standard or £300 Premier per Insured Person in respect of additional travel and accommodation expense necessarily incurred as a result of the outward or return journey by public transport being delayed for 12 or more hours beyond the scheduled arrival time.
Big Cat Travel Insurance is a trading name of Flynow.com Ltd (registration No.FRN 1022075) who is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. You may check this on the Financial Services register at www.fca.org.uk or by contacting them on (0) 800 111 6768. © 2026 Big Cat Travel Insurance Services. All rights reserved.
