INSURANCE
All students must have valid insurance before starting their RLUS course. Birmingham and Manchester will arrange the insurance for you and you need do nothing else. St Andrews will provide health cover, but you will not be insured for your possessions or for cancellation. You are advised to arrange cover for your possessions and cancellation and let RLUS have the details.
If you are not a student of these universities, RLUS recommends Endsleigh Insurance. RLUS is an appointed representative of Endsleigh Insurance Services Ltd which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. This can be checked on the FSA register by visiting the website at www.fsa.gov.uk .
Endsleigh have provided group insurance for RLUS students for a number of years and have during that time provided excellent service. If you would like to purchase an Endsleigh insurance policy, please click here. This will take you to a secure part of the Endsleigh website and you will be able to arrange the insurance that you require. You will be given a small discount, compared to the normal internet prices. You may be asked by Endsleigh to contact RLUS. You do not need to do this. RLUS will be e-mailed with the details and cost of the insurance and will send you an invoice by e-mail. You will be asked to pay RLUS (and not Endsleigh) for your insurance. Once the premium has been paid, RLUS will issue the policy and Endsleigh will e-mail you your insurance documents. If you subsequently wish to amend your cover, you can do so by contacting Dr Bivon.
However, you do not have to be insured with Endsleigh. As long as your policy covers you for medical expenses and personal belongings, this will be acceptable to RLUS. I also recommend that you choose a policy that covers the cancellation of your course or curtailment. RLUS will need a copy of your insurance certificate for our records. You must be covered for the official course dates. If you are doing two RLUS courses, you may find it cheaper to have one policy covering both courses.
If you decide not to insure with Endsleigh through the above link, RLUS will need an insurance policy document that shows your name, insurance cover and the dates of the policy. This will also be necessary if you insure directly with Endsleigh, not through the link above.
Visa invitations will only be sent to students for whom we have proof of insurance. Without an invitation, you will not be able to get a visa and attend your course. If you delay sending in your insurance policy, you may not get your invitation till shortly before departure, causing you extra expense and possibly delay in starting your course.
Please note the following:
1) If you wish to travel beyond the Urals (e.g. to Siberia) during your reading weeks, you will need worldwide cover. If you do not plan travel beyond the Urals, European cover will be sufficient.
2) Endsleigh offers two levels of cover: Essential and Comprehensive. Please read what is covered under both policies and decide what the best policy for your circumstances is. RLUS will accept both policies.
2) Most policies have a single article limit of about £200. If you wish to take any items with you worth more than the single article limit, you should add them to the policy when you apply on the website. Laptops should also be added on the website, as, whatever their value, they are only covered if you specify them when you fill in the online form.
3) Some of you may be insured on your family’s annual travel insurance. However, this is not likely to be valid for RLUS courses, as there is likely to be a limit of a stay abroad of no more than 4-6 weeks. This would exclude all RLUS courses, apart from the three week course at the Benedict School (PBEN3).
It is essential that you take with you to Russia the insurance document, showing what to do in the event of a claim. I suggest that you also leave a copy with someone in the UK. If you need to make a claim, the RLUS representative will help you to obtain the documentation that you will need to make the claim, but it is your responsibility to make the claim.
