Live-In Nanny · French Riviera

Live-In Nannies on the French Riviera

Villa households from Cap-Ferrat to Saint-Tropez run on a different rhythm — long summers, second residences, gardens that end at the sea. We place live-in nannies who already know it, from our own base in Nice.

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Quick answer

A live-in nanny on the French Riviera earns €3,000–€4,500+ net per month, lives in the family villa and is declared through URSSAF under France's national collective agreement for household employees — paid leave, notice periods and overtime all defined by law. Lumière, a founder-led agency based in Nice, vets, trains and places live-in nannies across Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu, Villefranche, Cap d'Antibes, Mougins and Saint-Tropez.

Villa Households Are Their Own World

This is our home ground — Lumière is based in Nice, and the founder still nannies on this coast. Riviera live-in placements rarely resemble city ones: the household is a villa in Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu or Mougins rather than an apartment, the property often has grounds, a pool and other staff, and for many families it is a second residence, lived in hardest from May to September. The right nanny for this life is a specific kind of professional, and we know the difference on sight.

Staff Quarters, Not Spare Rooms

Most villas between Villefranche and Cap d'Antibes were built with staff in mind: a self-contained studio over the garage, an annexe in the garden, a lower floor with its own entrance. It makes the living-in part of live-in far easier than in a city apartment — the nanny has genuine privacy at the end of her day, and the family keeps theirs. Where the household also runs housekeepers or a chef, we place nannies who understand how a staffed house works and where the childcare role begins and ends.

One thing is close to non-negotiable on this coast: a driving licence. Schools, activities, beaches and paediatricians are spread along thirty kilometres of corniche, and the nanny will drive them daily.

The Riviera Rhythm

  • Second-residence families: full households from May to September, quieter winters — contracts written to match
  • Year-round families in Nice (Mont Boron, Cimiez), Cannes and Mougins, with international-school runs
  • Summer weeks in Saint-Tropez or on the water; the nanny travels with the family
  • Ten to twelve-hour days, five days a week, two protected days off
  • Water confidence and pool safety treated as core skills, not extras
  • Day rates of €180–€300+ for short seasonal engagements and trials

What a Live-In Nanny Costs on the Riviera

A live-in nanny on the French Riviera typically earns €3,000 to €4,500+ net per month, with accommodation and board provided in kind and employer contributions declared through URSSAF. France's national collective agreement for household employees sets the legal floor: paid leave, notice periods and overtime are defined, not negotiable afterthoughts.

Component Typical range Notes
Live-in nanny salary €3,000 – €4,500+ / month net Senior career nannies; languages, qualifications and travel set the level
Day rates, short engagements €180 – €300+ / day Seasonal cover, trials and holiday weeks
Employer contributions In addition to salary Declared through URSSAF; the collective agreement for household employees applies
Accommodation & board Provided in kind Staff studio, garden annexe or self-contained floor within the villa
Car & extras Case by case A household car is usual — a driving licence is essential on this coast

Ranges reflect placements and market conditions in 2026. For every role and city side by side — live-in, live-out, rota and maternity — see the Lumière Salary & Cost Guide.

How a Riviera Live-In Placement Works

In France, employing a nanny at home means declaring her through URSSAF, and the national collective agreement for household employees governs the relationship: written contract, paid leave, notice periods, overtime rules. Every Lumière placement on the Riviera is made on those terms — it is simpler than families expect, and we guide each step.

From Consultation to First Morning

We begin with a consultation — typically within 48 hours of your enquiry — covering the children, the property, the driving involved, languages and how the year divides between residences. You then meet a curated shortlist of two to three candidates, not a database. Because we are based in Nice, interviews and paid trial days anywhere between Saint-Tropez and the Italian border are easy to arrange — often the founder conducts them in person.

Second-residence families can begin the search before arriving for the season; we interview locally and hold candidates ready for a May start. Every placement carries a free re-match within the first three months.

What Every Lumière Live-In Nanny Brings

  • Senior private-household and villa experience, references verified in person
  • Background checks and qualification review before any introduction
  • Lumière's Training & Standards Programme, completed by every nanny we place
  • Languages — English and French as standard; Russian, Italian, Spanish and more across the roster
  • Full driving licence, and confidence on corniche roads
  • Paediatric first aid, water confidence and pool safety

Live-In Nannies on the French Riviera: Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a live-in nanny cost on the French Riviera?
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A live-in nanny on the French Riviera typically earns €3,000 to €4,500+ net per month, with accommodation and board provided in kind on top of salary and employer contributions declared through URSSAF. For short seasonal engagements and trials, day rates run €180–€300+. Languages, qualifications and the scale of the household set where a candidate sits in the range. See our Salary & Cost Guide for full figures by city and role.
What accommodation does a live-in nanny need in a Riviera villa?
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A private bedroom with her own bathroom is the minimum; in practice most Riviera villas offer considerably more. Houses in Cap-Ferrat, Beaulieu, Cap d'Antibes and Mougins commonly have a staff studio over the garage, a garden annexe or a self-contained lower floor with its own entrance — arrangements that give the nanny real privacy off duty and the family theirs. The more self-contained the accommodation, the longer placements tend to last.
What hours and days off does a live-in nanny have on the Riviera?
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A typical contract covers ten to twelve-hour days, five days a week, with two full days off protected in writing. France's national collective agreement for household employees also guarantees paid leave, notice periods and overtime rules. High summer is planned rather than improvised: if July and August run more intensively, the contract says so, balanced with time off in lieu or additional pay and quieter arrangements out of season.
Does a live-in nanny on the Riviera need a driving licence?
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Yes — on this coast it is close to non-negotiable. Schools, activities, beaches and paediatricians are strung along thirty kilometres of corniche between Nice and Antibes, and villa households in Cap-Ferrat, Mougins or Saint-Tropez are rarely walkable to any of them. Every live-in candidate Lumière proposes for a Riviera villa holds a full licence and is comfortable on corniche roads; a household car is normally provided.
We only spend summers on the Riviera. Can we still have a live-in nanny?
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Yes. Second residences are the fabric of this coast, and placements are structured to match: some families bring their year-round nanny and we arrange seasonal support around her; others engage a Riviera-based nanny each season on day rates or a fixed-term declared contract; others want one nanny who travels between residences year-round. All three work — the key is deciding before the search starts, and writing the arrangement into the contract.
Is a live-in nanny in France legally employed?
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Yes. A nanny working in a private home in France is declared through URSSAF, and the national collective agreement for household employees governs the relationship — written contract, paid leave, notice periods and overtime rules. Lumière only places nannies on fully declared terms, never cash-in-hand, and guides families through the paperwork. It is more straightforward than most families expect, and it protects both sides.
Do Riviera live-in nannies speak more than one language?
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Almost always. English and French are standard across the Lumière roster, and many candidates also offer Russian, Italian, Spanish, German or Portuguese. Riviera families frequently want a nanny who can hold the children's home language while managing French school life — drop-offs at international schools in Nice, Mougins or Sophia Antipolis, notes from teachers, appointments with paediatricians. A language assessment is part of Lumière's vetting, so fluency claims are verified, not assumed.
Why choose Lumière for a live-in nanny on the French Riviera?
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Because this is our home coast. Lumière is based in Nice, founded and led by Hanna, a working career nanny who still takes private placements here. Every candidate is background-checked, reference-verified in person and completes Lumière's Training & Standards Programme. Placements are fully declared through URSSAF, families receive a curated shortlist rather than a database, and every placement carries a free re-match within the first three months. Lumière holds a verified 5.0/5 Google rating.

Find Your Live-In Nanny on the Riviera

Tell us about your children, your villa and how your year divides. A consultation follows within 48 hours — with an agency that lives on this coast, led by a founder who still does the job herself.

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The Lumière difference

Founded by a working career 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. She continues to take selected private placements alongside leading the agency, a working-nanny perspective that shapes every shortlist Lumière puts forward. 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 an active working career nanny.

Why families choose Lumière

Based
French Riviera
Founder
Hanna, working career 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
17 cities · 3 continents
Specialisms
Live-in, rota, governess, maternity, yacht, travel
Every Lumière nanny completes our Training & Standards Programme, founder-led by a working career nanny, not a corporate recruiter. Over 100 nannies placed, with a free re-match in the first three months.