During his time in prison, Alan had done all he could to make himself more employable upon release. Knowing that it would be extremely difficult to find work with a conviction which was never spent, Alan did an NVQ course in plumbing as well as attending self-employment and business start-up courses in prison.
Upon release, he was able to secure a small amount of funding to purchase some tools and his parents bought him a work van. However, his business dreams were almost over before they’d even got going when he discovered how difficult it was to insure his vehicle.
A search of the internet led him to the InformationHub site and Unlock’s list of insurance brokers. After comparing the prices of several brokers he settled on one who was also able to give him a competitive quote for both motor and employers liability insurance.
Alan said:
“I never dreamt that I’d have problems getting van insurance because of my criminal record. Many high street insurers wouldn’t give me the time of day and those that did wanted to charge me an exhorbitant premium. Coming across the InformationHub site was a godsend and I’ve managed to get van and employers liability insurance at an affordable price. I can now concentrate on building up my client base”.
Lessons
Most people recognise that finding a job with an unspent conviction may be difficult. However very few consider that a criminal record will also have an impact on buying insurance and, the significant impact this will have on any business start up.
Links
- Practical information: Insurance
Notes about this case study
This case study relates to our information site.
Names and details have been changed to protect the identity of those involved.
