Anyone else caught by the 'business use' insurance trap?
Discussion
I've just successfully completed three years of a University / frontline experience training course, and am now a qualified Paramedic.
Happy with that - and I start work full time next month.
However - car insurance.....
When I started my course, I was actually amazed that when I changed my employment status from my last job, to my new status as 'student - medical' on the Meerkats website, my premium actually went down, which I wasn't expecting!
However, rather annoyingly, my NHS contract advised me that, as I might be occasionally working from 'other' Ambulance Stations, different from my 'base station' (but all in the same county) that I would now need to add 'business use' to my private car insurance, because it would be in conflict to most insurance companies' 'driving to and from a permanent place of work' clause.
My simple mind doesn't really understand the distinction - after all, I am driving to and from the same job as such - and the only difference would be driving to one of maybe three different stations, all a fairly similar distance from my house. Driving to work is driving to work, isn't it???
I can understand maybe, I dunno, builders driving all over the gaff for jobs at loads of different sites, and self-employed peeps going all over the country to see loads of different customers? But for me, this seems to be a bit disingenuous...
Anyway, 'only' another 50 quid, so not the end of the world. At least it means I can also deliver pizzas on my days off I guess
Anyone else caught out with something similar? I'm sure it wasn't like this in 'the good old days', right?!
Happy with that - and I start work full time next month.
However - car insurance.....
When I started my course, I was actually amazed that when I changed my employment status from my last job, to my new status as 'student - medical' on the Meerkats website, my premium actually went down, which I wasn't expecting!
However, rather annoyingly, my NHS contract advised me that, as I might be occasionally working from 'other' Ambulance Stations, different from my 'base station' (but all in the same county) that I would now need to add 'business use' to my private car insurance, because it would be in conflict to most insurance companies' 'driving to and from a permanent place of work' clause.
My simple mind doesn't really understand the distinction - after all, I am driving to and from the same job as such - and the only difference would be driving to one of maybe three different stations, all a fairly similar distance from my house. Driving to work is driving to work, isn't it???
I can understand maybe, I dunno, builders driving all over the gaff for jobs at loads of different sites, and self-employed peeps going all over the country to see loads of different customers? But for me, this seems to be a bit disingenuous...
Anyway, 'only' another 50 quid, so not the end of the world. At least it means I can also deliver pizzas on my days off I guess
Anyone else caught out with something similar? I'm sure it wasn't like this in 'the good old days', right?!
LaurasOtherHalf said:
Nothing to add other than congrats on getting qualified R-L-Y 
Cheers dude! Risking a thread diversion, it's been amazing, flipping hard work but ultimately probably the single most amazing thing I have worked for in this life. I am now looking forward (terrifyingly) to being employed as a frontline Paramedic actually out on the road for real! Ulp! I just hope that I can do my best and make a difference to some people's lives when I can...Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff