Car insurance employment status - "house-husband"?
Discussion
I have just received my car insurance renewal, and realise that I have overlooked informing them of a change in my employment status.
I want to do the right thing, but I also don't want to get unnecessarily shafted by declaring the wrong thing.
Until Christmas last year, I was a software developer. I got fed up with various aspects of the way my job was developing, and I voluntarily quit my job. Since then, I have not been seeking employment - I have been thinking about various options of what I might want to do in the future, and I am currently following a course of distance learning at home for the ATPL theory exams - these are the 14 exams you have to take if you want to become a professional pilot. I am paying for this myself and nobody is sponsoring me in any way.
From what I've read, anyone who declares themselves "unemployed" is likely to receive a nasty shock in their premiums. But I'm not convinced that's a fair representation of my circumstances. As I say, I am not seeking employment, not claiming any benefits, not going to interviews - and my (un)employment status is completely voluntary. My current lifestyle involves staying at home, reading up about meteorology, air law, flight planning, etc etc, feeding the cat and generally looking after the house. My car usage has reduced dramatically and the majority of my journeys are currently short and local - so much so that I now keep my two cars cars plugged into battery conditioners to prevent their batteries going flat.
It strikes me that my circumstances are rather similar to a stay-at-home "housewife". Is it possible and correct for me to declare myself as a "home-maker" or whatever the phrase is? I am, after all, staying at home while my wife goes out to work.
The other possibility would be to declare myself as a student, but I'm not sure that's really correct either. I'm not at a recognised educational establishment - the training I'm doing is distance learning from a private company that specialises in ATPL theory training. I don't think I'd be eligible to join the NUS, for example.
My car usage will change dramatically again around May/June 2017 when hopefully I will have finished the exams and I will be driving between Woking and (probably) Gloucestershire Airport most days for the flight training that I will have to do. But again, that won't be 'work' because nobody will be employing me or paying me - and I wouldn't class it as being any kind of student either, not in the sense that most people would think of it. I propose that I might reduce my mileage for now, and then declare the increase if and when it happens next year.
If the insurers' profile of an "unemployed" person includes driving to interviews in unfamiliar locations, and possibly financial hardship due to loss of job, then neither of those things applies to me.
I've just looked, and my current insurer has "househusband" in their list of occupations. Do you think it would be reasonable for me to declare that as my occupation? My honest opinion is that this is the best description of my circumstances. What do you think?
I want to do the right thing, but I also don't want to get unnecessarily shafted by declaring the wrong thing.
Until Christmas last year, I was a software developer. I got fed up with various aspects of the way my job was developing, and I voluntarily quit my job. Since then, I have not been seeking employment - I have been thinking about various options of what I might want to do in the future, and I am currently following a course of distance learning at home for the ATPL theory exams - these are the 14 exams you have to take if you want to become a professional pilot. I am paying for this myself and nobody is sponsoring me in any way.
From what I've read, anyone who declares themselves "unemployed" is likely to receive a nasty shock in their premiums. But I'm not convinced that's a fair representation of my circumstances. As I say, I am not seeking employment, not claiming any benefits, not going to interviews - and my (un)employment status is completely voluntary. My current lifestyle involves staying at home, reading up about meteorology, air law, flight planning, etc etc, feeding the cat and generally looking after the house. My car usage has reduced dramatically and the majority of my journeys are currently short and local - so much so that I now keep my two cars cars plugged into battery conditioners to prevent their batteries going flat.
It strikes me that my circumstances are rather similar to a stay-at-home "housewife". Is it possible and correct for me to declare myself as a "home-maker" or whatever the phrase is? I am, after all, staying at home while my wife goes out to work.
The other possibility would be to declare myself as a student, but I'm not sure that's really correct either. I'm not at a recognised educational establishment - the training I'm doing is distance learning from a private company that specialises in ATPL theory training. I don't think I'd be eligible to join the NUS, for example.
My car usage will change dramatically again around May/June 2017 when hopefully I will have finished the exams and I will be driving between Woking and (probably) Gloucestershire Airport most days for the flight training that I will have to do. But again, that won't be 'work' because nobody will be employing me or paying me - and I wouldn't class it as being any kind of student either, not in the sense that most people would think of it. I propose that I might reduce my mileage for now, and then declare the increase if and when it happens next year.
If the insurers' profile of an "unemployed" person includes driving to interviews in unfamiliar locations, and possibly financial hardship due to loss of job, then neither of those things applies to me.
I've just looked, and my current insurer has "househusband" in their list of occupations. Do you think it would be reasonable for me to declare that as my occupation? My honest opinion is that this is the best description of my circumstances. What do you think?
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Thursday 29th September 13:26
hornetrider said:
Aren't you still a software developer.... looking for work? No changes required, etc.
Not really. I don't currently wish to find work as a software developer; I'd rather do something else. And I'm not currently in employment - that's what worries me. Would the insurance company get sniffy in the event of a claim?Ultimately I may have to return to software development, because the path I've chosen is hugely competitive and I may never succeed in actually getting a flying job. But that will be in the future. For the time being, I will not be seeking employment until at least the autumn of 2017.
KevinCamaroSS said:
Not unemployed, you are a student.
Well, 'student' is probably going to be almost as expensive as 'unemployed', if not more so. So I'm reluctant to declare myself as a student. And I think I'm justified in not calling myself a student, because it's not what most people would think of as an educational establishment. I'm undergoing a course of professional training in much the same way that you would if you were in a job - except that I'm not in a job.Edited to add: I have looked at the NUS web site to see if my training organisation is listed in their recognised establishments, and it's not. So if the NUS don't recognise me as a student, then I reckon that's a fairly good indicator that I'm not a student.
Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Thursday 29th September 13:47
Retired? Hmmm... I would say that if you call yourself "retired" you have an intention to remain permanently out of work, even though that situation might change. I don't feel comfortable declaring myself retired, although I'd love to if I could!
Of course, if this crazy idea succeeds then I might find myself forced to declare it in the future, but for now I think I'll avoid it.
DRFC1879 said:
Can't you put "pilot" in there. If you were on a welding apprenticeship surely you'd select "welder" and it seems like you're on an equivalent scheme albeit self-funded...
Generally speaking, insurance companies consider "pilot" as one of the riskiest occupations. Pilots generally have to go to specialist insurers to get life insurance, for example. My instinct is that they probably pay through the nose for car insurance.Of course, if this crazy idea succeeds then I might find myself forced to declare it in the future, but for now I think I'll avoid it.
bigandclever said:
Gosh, that really does surprise me!
Mind you, my example of life insurance is a little different from car insurance. I hope it's true that professional pilots get good prices on car insurance!
I don't think it would be truthful to declare myself as a pilot yet. I have a PPL, and I've passed the first four of the ATPL theory exams, but that's as far as I've got. There's a very long way to go yet: 10 more exams, about 70 hours of flying training, and at least two flight tests.
Muddle238 said:
OP, when I was doing my ATPL theory and then the basic and advanced flight training afterwards, I just kept my car insurance "status" as student. Afterwards I changed it to airline pilot but you could always do this ahead of time, just miss out that airline bit. If you already hold a PPL, are you're undertaking studies to gain the ATPL, I'd think this is reasonable grounds to use "pilot". You don't have to be directly employed with an airline to be a pilot, only an airline pilot.
I'm doing distance learning with Bristol Ground School for the exams, and expect to start on the flight training in April/May next year, probably with Aeros at Gloucester (which will involve a long commute from Woking, which will have to be declared nearer the time). Fortunately I have the PPL and about 430 hours, so I can jump straight in at the CPL stage without any hour building.I will have another look through Admiral's list of occupations, because it's true to say that I am treating the studying as if it were a job: working about 4 hours a day, 5 or 6 days a week. So if there's something that implies retraining then that might fit.
Perhaps I just need to call them and tell them I'm undertaking the training to gain a professional pilot's licence, but make it clear that I'm not yet employed as a pilot, and see what they say.
I finally got around to calling Admiral, and the very helpful lass on the phone suggested "apprentice", which I think is reasonable. If you apply the "man on the Clapham omnibus" test, I think most people would agree that it's a close fit for what I'm currently doing. I did check that it doesn't necessarily imply that I'm being paid.
It did increase the premium slightly, but after reducing the mileage for the TVR which I haven't been driving as much recently, it's made bugger-all difference.
So, now I've just got to avoid being fired...
It did increase the premium slightly, but after reducing the mileage for the TVR which I haven't been driving as much recently, it's made bugger-all difference.
So, now I've just got to avoid being fired...
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