OOM Verzekeringen · compared independently · advice from Finass
Insurance for students or au pairs via OOM
A student and an au pair both spend a long time in a host country, but the au pair works in the house where she lives, and that shifts the whole question of cover.
The calculator and the quote form below are in Dutch. Prefer to do this in English? Email info@finassverzekert. nl or call 072 - 509 24 56 and we will take it from there.
Work out for yourself what it would cost.
Enter your details; you will receive a proposal within one working day.
We compare the offerings of several insurers
An adviser checks whether the cover suits your situation
A premium indication, not personal advice. Prefer to talk it through? Call 072 - 509 24 56.
In brief
These two groups are often mentioned in the same breath because from the outside their situation looks the same: young, in another country for a long period, usually with a visa that imposes an insurance requirement, and with no claim on the host country's health system. For acceptance and premium that is indeed comparable. For cover it is not.
The difference lies in the business activity. A student mainly runs the risk of medical costs, interruption of study and liability during practicals or a placement. An au pair lives in the family she works for: she has that family's belongings in her charge every day and supervises children. Damage to the property of members of the household and injury to a child under supervision are precisely the items an ordinary liability cover limits or excludes.
We therefore first ask what you will actually be doing there, not what your visa is called. On that basis we set OOM's cover alongside other providers. A different regime applies to those coming to study in the Netherlands; see international students in the Netherlands.
The structure of the cover in three parts, with an overview per situation below.
Basic cover
The basic cover insures the core of your insurance for students or au pairs. We show what OOM and other insurers offer within it.
Injury to persons
Property damage to third parties
Employees included
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Extended cover
On top of that to damage to third parties, employers' and product liability and damage during work at the client's premises.
Employers' liability at the client's premises
Product liability
Agency workers, interns & volunteers
Care, custody and control (property in your care)
Complete package
The most complete cover. We compare OOM's extended version with the market.
Environmental impairment (unforeseen, limited)
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Higher sums insured
What we do
What we do
At Finass
Direct with OOM Verzekeringen
Comparison across several insurers
Yes
No
Advice based on your own situation
Yes
Sometimes
One point of contact for claims
Yes
Sometimes
Cancellation with your current insurer arranged
Yes
No
We determine whether OOM Verzekeringen is the best choice
Yes
No
Advice fees for you as a customer
No
No
This overview concerns our service, not the cover. What is actually covered is set out in the policy conditions and on the insurer's insurance card (verzekeringskaart); you receive both before you take out cover.
Where things go wrong in practice
Four points that make the difference between a policy that pays out and one that does not.
Au pair: damage in the house where you live
As an au pair you constantly have the host family's laptop, car and furnishings in your charge. Items in your care, custody and control are excluded as standard under liability cover or insured only up to a limited amount. On top of that, members of the household are usually not third parties within the meaning of the policy. So ask explicitly about an extension for items in your charge and about cover for damage to the host family itself.
Supervising children is a risk of its own
If a child is injured while you are looking after them, the parents can hold you liable under Article 6:162 of the Dutch Civil Code. At the same time the host family, as the party engaging you, may have its own responsibility for your safety, comparable to the duty of care under Article 7:658 of the Dutch Civil Code. Record which tasks you do and do not carry out, because an au pair who in fact functions as an employee falls under a different regime from a participant in a cultural exchange.
Student: a placement and a part-time job are not study
Policies for students assume study activities. A paid part-time job, a paid placement or voluntary work can fall outside cover, even if the university makes that placement compulsory. If you work with equipment, chemicals or laboratory animals, report that separately. Damage to property of the educational institution is also often treated as damage to items in your charge and not as damage to a third party.
What you declare about health and sport
When you apply, the duty of disclosure under Article 7:928 of the Dutch Civil Code. A pre-existing condition, psychological treatment or medication you fail to disclose can be raised against you by the insurer under Article 7:930 of the Dutch Civil Code at the moment you submit a claim. The same applies to sports: rugby, climbing, motorcycling and diving are generally excluded without an additional module, including within a university setting.
Retroactive cover (prior risk)
Retroactive cover (prior risk) Included for your staff during work.
Defence & legal costs
What does your premium depend on?
Country of destination. The level of medical costs in the host country is the most heavily weighted factor, with the United States in a category of its own.
Length of stay. An exchange semester is assessed differently from a full bachelor's degree or a year as an au pair.
Business activity. Student, placement student or au pair leads to a different risk assessment, because the activities differ.
Age. Most policies apply age limits for youth rates; above them an ordinary rate applies.
Cover components chosen. Medical costs, liability, baggage, personal accident and legal expenses are each added on as modules.
Excess. A higher personal contribution per treatment or per event reduces the premium.
Insurers weigh these details differently. That is where your saving is.
How we arrange it
You request a quoteWe take stock of your situation, your risk and your wishes.
We compareseveral insurers, on premium as well as conditions.
You receive a proposalWith an explanation of the differences and the exclusions.
We arrange the switchIncluding cancellation, so there is no gap in cover.
Customers rate our service on four aspects: personal service, service delivery, availability and the outcome. The reviews are collected and published by NH1816 and come from customers who have actually taken out a policy with Finass Advies B.V. or reported a claim.
As an au pair, am I insured for damage in the host family's home?
Not as a matter of course. Belongings of the family you live with are in your care, custody and control, and members of the household usually do not count as third parties. Without an extension, a broken television or damage to the family car is therefore left at your expense. Have it recorded in advance whether you may drive the car and whether such damage falls under the family's motor policy.
As a student in the Netherlands, do I stay insured during my studies abroad?
That depends on whether you remain registered in the Personal Records Database and whether you are still a resident. If you are, basic health insurance continues, but abroad it reimburses no more than the Dutch tariff. If you deregister, the obligation to insure ends and you need full international cover.
Will my tuition fees be refunded if I have to stop?
Only if interruption of study is insured as a separate section, and even then only for a covered cause such as serious illness or a death within the immediate family. Stopping because the course is disappointing, because the visa is refused or because the institution cancels the programme does not fall under it. Read the list of covered causes before you enrol.
Does a policy like this meet the embassy's requirement?
Often yes, but requirements differ by country and by type of visa. What is usually required is minimum cover for medical costs and repatriation, with a period of validity spanning the entire stay. We ask on which form the requirement appears and check whether the policy confirmation can be issued in the right language and with the right details.
Finass Verzekert is a trading name of Finass Advies B.V. We advise on and arrange non-life insurance on the basis of an objective analysis of several insurers, and receive commission for this from the insurer, which is included in the premium. You pay no separate advice fee. Before you take out cover, we establish your wishes and needs.
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