Live-In Nanny · London

Live-In Nannies in London

One career nanny, resident in your home — nursery runs, rainy Tuesdays in the park, and calm at bath time. Enhanced DBS, proper PAYE employment, and a shortlist chosen by a founder who still nannies.

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Quick answer

A live-in nanny in London earns £45,000–£55,000+ gross per year — £550–£850+ per week live-in — employed through PAYE with National Insurance, workplace pension auto-enrolment and an enhanced DBS check. Lumière vets, trains and places live-in nannies across Kensington, Chelsea, Belgravia, Notting Hill, Mayfair, Hampstead and St John's Wood.

Live-In Childcare in London

The Classic Arrangement, Done Properly

London is where the professional nanny tradition comes from, and the live-in arrangement still fits the city's family life best: school and nursery mornings that start early, parents whose diaries run past six, and houses in Kensington, Notting Hill or Hampstead that were built with a nanny floor in mind. What separates a good London placement from a difficult one is rarely the childcare — it is the paperwork and the boundaries, and we insist on both.

The Nanny Annexe, the Top Floor

London houses solve accommodation more gracefully than most cities. The classic answer is the top-floor room with its own bathroom — many Victorian terraces in Chelsea and St John's Wood have one that has housed nannies for a century — or a basement annexe with a separate entrance. In Belgravia and Mayfair, lateral apartments usually include staff quarters. A private room and bathroom is the minimum we place into; a kettle and a door the nanny can close matter more to retention than any salary increment.

Families needing full days but not a resident professional may prefer a live-out nanny in London — the same standard of care, structured differently.

A London Week

  • Nursery and prep-school runs — often on foot through the park, timed to the minute
  • Ten to twelve-hour days, Monday to Friday, with evenings by prior arrangement
  • Weekends off as standard; occasional weekend cover agreed and paid, never assumed
  • Two or three evenings of babysitting written into the contract if wanted — not left vague
  • Half-terms and school holidays planned early, including travel with the family
  • Wet-weather craft as strong as the sunny-day repertoire — this is London
Salary & Cost

What a Live-In Nanny Costs in London

A live-in nanny in London typically earns £45,000 to £55,000+ gross per year, or £550–£850+ per week on live-in terms, with room and board provided in kind. One habit to adopt early: agree salaries in gross, not net — gross is what the contract, HMRC and the pension scheme all work from, and it avoids expensive misunderstandings later.

Component Typical range Notes
Live-in nanny salary £45,000 – £55,000+ / year gross Senior career nannies; qualifications, languages and sole-charge experience set the level
Weekly live-in rate £550 – £850+ / week The same market expressed weekly — useful for comparing offers
Employer obligations In addition to salary PAYE income tax, National Insurance and workplace pension auto-enrolment
Accommodation & board Provided in kind Private room with own bathroom — typically a top-floor room or annexe
Extras Case by case Travel with the family, use of a car, discretionary bonus

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.

The Practicalities

How a London Live-In Placement Works

Employing a nanny in the UK means becoming an employer: PAYE registration, National Insurance, workplace pension auto-enrolment and right-to-work checks. Every Lumière candidate for London additionally holds an enhanced DBS check. We place only on declared terms — a proper contract and payslips, never cash-in-hand — and point families to a specialist nanny payroll service so the administration takes minutes, not evenings.

From Consultation to First Morning

We begin with a consultation — typically within 48 hours of your enquiry — covering the children's ages and school arrangements, the accommodation on offer, languages and how much flexibility the role truly needs. You then meet a curated shortlist of two to three candidates, not a database. Interviews run by video and in person in London, followed by a paid trial before either side commits.

Allow four to eight weeks from consultation to start date for most searches. Every placement carries a free re-match within the first three months.

What Every Lumière Live-In Nanny Brings

  • Enhanced DBS check and verified right to work in the UK
  • Senior private-household experience, references verified in person
  • Background checks and qualification review — Norland, CACHE, NNEB among them
  • Lumière's Training & Standards Programme, completed by every nanny we place
  • Languages — English as standard; French, Russian, Spanish, Mandarin and more across the roster
  • Paediatric first aid, current and certified

Explore Further

Live-In Nannies Elsewhere & Other Care in London

Live-In Nanny Guide (Hub) Live-In Nanny Monaco Live-In Nanny French Riviera Live-In Nanny Geneva Live-In Nanny Dubai Live-Out Nanny London Rota Nanny London Maternity Nurse London Nanny Agency London Salary & Cost Guide Which Nanny Do I Need?

Live-In Nannies in London: Frequently Asked Questions

How much does a live-in nanny cost in London?
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A live-in nanny in London typically earns £45,000 to £55,000+ gross per year — £550 to £850+ per week on live-in terms — with room and board provided in kind. On top of salary the family pays employer National Insurance and pension contributions through PAYE. Qualifications, languages and sole-charge experience set where a candidate sits in the range. Always agree salaries in gross; see our Salary & Cost Guide for full figures by city and role.
What accommodation does a live-in nanny need in London?
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A private bedroom with her own bathroom is the minimum. London houses usually offer this gracefully: the top-floor room of a Victorian terrace in Chelsea or St John's Wood, a basement annexe with its own entrance in Notting Hill or Hampstead, or staff quarters within a Belgravia or Mayfair lateral apartment. Genuine privacy — a door the nanny can close and a space that is truly hers off duty — is the single biggest factor in how long live-in placements last.
What hours and days off does a live-in nanny have in London?
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A typical London live-in contract covers ten to twelve-hour days, Monday to Friday, with weekends off as standard. Many families write two or three evenings of babysitting per week into the contract; beyond that, evening and weekend cover is agreed and paid, never assumed. Half-terms, school holidays and travel with the family are planned in advance, with time off in lieu where the schedule runs heavier. Living in does not mean being on call.
Is a live-in nanny in London legally employed?
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Yes — a nanny in the UK is an employee, not a freelancer. The family operates PAYE, deducting income tax and National Insurance, enrols the nanny in a workplace pension and verifies her right to work. Lumière places only on declared terms with a written contract and proper payslips, and points families to specialist nanny payroll services that handle the administration for a modest fee. Cash-in-hand arrangements protect no one and we never place on them.
Do your London nannies have DBS checks?
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Yes. Every candidate Lumière proposes for a London role holds an enhanced DBS check — the highest level of UK criminal-record disclosure, appropriate for sole-charge childcare. That sits alongside the rest of our vetting: background checks, in-person reference verification, qualification review, a language assessment where relevant and a character interview. A DBS certificate is a floor, not a vetting process, which is why we never rely on it alone.
Can a live-in nanny manage London school and nursery runs?
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Yes — the school run is the backbone of most London live-in roles. Lumière nannies handle nursery drop-offs, prep-school runs and the after-school circuit of music, sport and tutoring, usually on foot or by black cab and bus rather than car. Families in Hampstead or St John's Wood with longer runs may want a driving nanny, which we build into the brief. The nanny becomes a known face at the school gate — punctual, discreet and organised.
How long does it take to place a live-in nanny in London?
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Allow four to eight weeks from first consultation to start date for most London searches. Very specific briefs — a Mandarin-speaking Norlander, or a newborn specialist for a January start — can take longer, and we say so early rather than over-promise. Your consultation happens within 48 hours of enquiry, interviews run by video and in person in London, and a paid trial precedes any commitment. Every placement includes a free re-match within the first three months.
Why choose Lumière for a live-in nanny in London?
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Lumière is a boutique, founder-led agency: Hanna, who founded it, is a working career nanny who still takes private placements, and that standard shapes every shortlist. Every candidate is background-checked, reference-verified in person, holds an enhanced DBS and completes Lumière's Training & Standards Programme. London placements are made on full PAYE terms with pension enrolment, 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.

Other Care for London Families

A live-in nanny is one of four ways Lumière structures childcare in London. If you are still choosing, start with Which Nanny Do I Need?

Live-Out Nanny London

A daily professional working set hours from her own home — full days of care, complete family privacy in the evenings.

Learn More →

Rota Nanny London

Two senior nannies alternating in fixed rotations — genuine 24-hour cover for households that need it, without burnout.

Learn More →

Maternity Nurse London

Certified newborn specialists for the first weeks and months — day-and-night or night-only, singletons and twins.

Learn More →

Find Your Live-In Nanny in London

Tell us about your children, your house and your week. A consultation follows within 48 hours — and your shortlist is hand-picked by a founder who still does the job herself.

Begin Your Search

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.