Geneva & Switzerland · 2026 guide
How to choose a nanny agency in Geneva (2026)
Seven things a family in Geneva, Vaud, Zurich or the Alps should check before signing with any nanny agency — and how Lumière answers each one.
Tell us what you needFor families · a one-minute enquiry
Tell Hanna and the Lumière team what you need
A private search, never a database.
Every enquiry is read by the team. Reply within 48 hours; shortlist within a week.
- Founded 2025 by Hanna, a career nanny · 100+ placements
- 3-month guarantee, then 2 months on each replacement — up to 3 re-matches
- Long-term nannies, newborn care specialists and private teachers · our terms
- Every contract fully declared
Updated 15 October 2026 · by the Lumière team
Quick answer
Choose a Geneva nanny agency on seven checks: know whether the agency is a Swiss-licensed placement agency or introduces candidates from abroad; confirm every candidate's right to work in Switzerland before you meet her; make sure your family employs on a declared Swiss contract with AVS; verify references and checks; get the fee in writing; know what the guarantee covers; and check the languages your household needs. Lumière Placements — founded 2025, based in Nice, specialising in long-term nannies, newborn care specialists and private teachers: guarantee three months, then two on each replacement, up to three times; shortlist within a week; 5.0 on Google. Facts checked October 2026.
What to verify before you sign
Every agency describes its candidates as exceptional. These are the things a family in Geneva can actually verify in one call.
The legal and practical basics
- Licensed or introducing?. Swiss-based agencies that place for a fee need a cantonal licence (and SECO for cross-border work); agencies abroad introduce candidates and your family employs. Ask which you are dealing with.
- Right to work, before you meet her. EU/EFTA citizens can start on a simple notification; non-EU candidates rarely obtain permits for household roles. Be wary of any promise otherwise.
- A declared Swiss contract. Your family registers the nanny for AVS/AHV and accident insurance, pays at least the cantonal minimum, and follows Geneva's standard contract for domestic workers.
- Checks that can be shown. References verified by a person, a criminal-record extract and paediatric first aid.
What separates a good agency
- The fee in writing first. A percentage of first-year salary or a fixed fee, stated before the search.
- The guarantee, precisely. How long the placed candidate is covered, how many replacements are included, and whether each replacement is covered too.
- Languages and seasons. French and English as standard, German for Zurich and Zug; ask for chalet-season experience if you need Gstaad or Verbier.
Our answers, in the same order
Licensing: Lumière is a French agency and is not Swiss-licensed — we introduce vetted candidates and your family employs, usually with a Swiss household-payroll specialist. Right to work: we confirm each candidate's position before any introduction and do not handle permit applications. Contract: declared Swiss employment with AVS/AHV, at or above Geneva's cantonal minimum. Checks: references verified in person, criminal-record extract and first aid sighted. Fee: set out in writing before any search, with full terms on our fees page. Guarantee: three months on the placed candidate, then two months on each replacement, up to three replacements. Languages: French, English, German, Russian and more; Gstaad and Verbier season candidates flagged.
Full terms: fees and guarantee · Nanny cost in Geneva 2026 · Nanny agency Geneva · Rota nannies Switzerland
Frequently Asked Questions
Ask us the seven questions
Send us your Swiss brief; we reply within 48 hours with every answer in writing and, within a week, a shortlist.
Tell us what you needVetting & compliance
How Lumière nannies are vetted for Swiss families
Lumière is based on the French Riviera and is not a Swiss-licensed placement agency. For Swiss families we introduce vetted candidates; the family is the employer and handles the Swiss employment contract, AVS/AHV registration and any permit application, usually with a Swiss household-payroll specialist. We confirm each candidate's eligibility before any introduction.
Right to work in Switzerland
EU/EFTA citizenship or an existing Swiss permit confirmed before any introduction. Non-EU/EFTA candidates are introduced only where a permit is realistic; the application is made by the family through the canton.
Declared Swiss employment
The family registers the nanny for AVS/AHV and accident insurance and signs a Swiss employment contract; we explain each step.
Minimum wages and hours
Swiss household staff are covered by the federal standard employment contract for domestic work and, in Geneva and Vaud, by cantonal rules. Seasonal and rota schedules are written to respect them.
Criminal-record extract and references
Home-country criminal-record extract, references verified in person by Hanna, paediatric first aid and, where relevant, mountain and water-safety experience.
Multilingual interview
French, English and German candidates interviewed in the language the family will use; Russian, Italian and Spanish on request.
Season-ready
Candidates with prior chalet, ski-season or Riviera-summer experience are flagged on the shortlist.
Declared employment. Every placement is made on a written, declared contract with the family as employer. Lumière does not place undeclared nannies.
The Lumière difference
Founded by a professional nanny, not a recruiter
"I founded Lumière because the families I worked for kept asking the same question: where do we find another nanny like you? I still take private placements. Every nanny I place is one I would work alongside."
Hanna founded Lumière Placements after years inside private households as a career nanny. Lumière is the only French Riviera-based boutique placement agency, placing across Monaco, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Cannes, Saint-Tropez and Nice, and worldwide, founded and led by a professional nanny.
Why families choose Lumière
- Based
- French Riviera
- Founder
- Hanna, professional nanny
- Approach
- Families understood from the inside, the right nanny for the right family
- Qualifications
- Norland, CACHE, NNEB, Montessori
- Vetting
- References verified, DBS where applicable
- Employment
- Declared, full contracts
- Reach
- 20+ cities · 3 continents
- Specialisms
- Live-in, rota, governess, maternity, yacht, travel
