Unusual jobs rising as Brits tire of traditional careers
London, UK – Badger consultants, dog psychologists and vibration consultants are just three of the unusual job titles that have become commonplace in today’s business vocabulary.
According to Hiscox, there has been a steady rise in the number of non-traditional businesses looking for insurance policies to cover their unusual businesses. Alternative jobs on the increase include:
- Badger consultants: advising people how to keep within the laws protecting the nocturnal animals;
- Dog psychologists: analysing the behaviours and characteristics of troublesome pups;
- Feng Shui consultants: visiting offices and homes to ensure a harmonious environment;
- Home economists: the ‘behind the scene’ chefs who prepare the kitchen for celebrity chef programmes;
- Embalmers: it seems gold isn’t just for the pharaohs, as more embalmers have appeared on Hiscox’s books;
- Kosher certification consultants: whilst unlikely to be Michael from the Apprentice, others are setting up business to advise on whether food is prepared in accordance with Jewish law;
- Vibration consultants: nothing risqué! These are people who advise on - and correct - vibration and noise problems for construction companies or manufacturers;
- Painting authenticators: the teams who see through art fraudsters to differentiate between true versus fake paintings;
- Saddle consultants: for equine lovers who want to ensure they’re having the most comfortable ride possible and that their horses have the perfect riding accessory.
However, even the quirkiest of professions have a serious side to them, says specialist business insurer Hiscox. Businesses of this ilk need to have the appropriate professional indemnity (PI) insurance to ensure they are covered for compensation claims from clients unhappy with the standard of work delivered.
Gary Head, Director of Business Insurance at Hiscox UK says: “The difficulty with such unusual jobs is that they often don’t fit in the pre-written rule-book. But, that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be any rules when it comes to negligence; in some ways, the more unconventional the job, the more you need to think about the hidden risks.
“In today’s compensation culture, it is unfortunately all too easy to imagine a customer suing their dog psychologist if their dog continues to eat their slippers, or somebody taking their feng shui consultant to court if they’re not happy with their home’s energies.”
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Fishburn Hedges
About Hiscox
Hiscox Ltd (LSE:HSX), headquartered in Bermuda, is a specialist international insurance group listed on the London Stock Exchange. There are three main underwriting parts of the Group – Hiscox Global Markets, Hiscox UK and Europe, and Hiscox International. Hiscox Global Markets underwrites mainly internationally traded business in the London Market – generally large or complex business which needs to be shared with other insurers or needs the international licences of Lloyd’s. Hiscox UK and Hiscox Europe offer a range of specialist insurance for professionals and business customers, as well as high net worth individuals. Hiscox International includes operations in Bermuda, Guernsey and Hiscox USA. Hiscox Insurance Company Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
For further information, visit www.hiscox.com
About Professional Indemnity Cover
Hiscox offers a range of PI products specifically tailored to different business sectors including accountancy, recruitment, management consultancy, IT and publishing. Cover includes claims resulting from negligence and breach of contract, infringement of intellectual property rights, defamation and loss of professional documents.
Hiscox services for small and medium-sized businesses in the UK
Hiscox has more than 70,000 small and medium sized business customers in Europe. The firm offers a number of flexible insurance policies for these businesses which provide a level of cover not offered by the ‘one-size-fits-all’ pre-packaged policies currently prevalent in the marketplace.
Flexible Office Policy
Designed to appeal to a broad range of commercial office clients, ‘Flexible Office’ enables small and medium-sized businesses to tailor their insurance policies according to their individual risks (up to maximum policy limits allowed). This helps businesses avoid being underinsured or paying for cover they do not necessarily need. The policy provides up to £200,000 contents cover and offers as standard what some insurers consider ‘extras’. It can be bought as a stand-alone product or as part of a wider Professional Liability package covering PI, Internet and E-mail, Employment Practices and Directors & Officers liabilities.
In addition to the cover which Hiscox provide as standard, the policy also includes:
- Office contents - Hiscox cover is broader than most insurers (e.g. computer breakdown cover up to £5,000 as standard)
- Computer equipment - whether there is one or 50 computers
- Portable equipment - including mobile phones and personal organisers
- Business interruption - to help businesses recover from a disaster
- Commercial legal expenses
- Public liability
- Employers’ liability.
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