Private teachers · London
Private teachers in London
Full-time qualified teachers for children learning at home, between homes or preparing for a new school.
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
Lumière places full-time private teachers, homeschool tutors and governesses with London families — Kensington, Chelsea, Belgravia, Notting Hill, Mayfair, Hampstead and St John's Wood — for the British, IB, American and French curricula and for 7+, 11+ and 13+ entrance preparation. Candidates hold QTS, a PGCE or an equivalent qualification and a current enhanced DBS check. The family is the employer through PAYE. Each brief is quoted privately. 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.
A teacher for the whole school year
Families in London hire a full-time private teacher when school does not fit the way they live: frequent travel, several homes, a child who needs a different pace, or the year before a move to a new school.
Who we place
- Full-time private teachers. Qualified teachers who run a child's whole school programme at home or while the family travels.
- Homeschool tutors. Teachers who deliver an online or distance-learning school's programme day to day.
- Governesses. Educators who combine teaching with care, manners, languages and culture.
- Entrance and exam preparation. Teachers who prepare children for a new school, a boarding school or exams taken as a private candidate.
What we vet for
- A teaching qualification: QTS or a PGCE, a teaching degree from the candidate's own country, or IB or Montessori training.
- Classroom and one-to-one experience, with references from schools and families verified by the team.
- The curricula your children follow: British, American, IB, French or Swiss.
- The languages your household uses, and the temperament to teach one or two children well.
The programme your child follows
Most children taught at home follow an established curriculum, so they can return to school or sit exams without a gap.
| Curriculum | Typical route at home | Exams |
|---|---|---|
| British | National Curriculum through an online school or a teacher's own programme | IGCSE and A level as a private candidate |
| American | An accredited online or umbrella school | SAT, AP and a high-school diploma from the online school |
| International Baccalaureate | An IB online school for the Diploma; PYP and MYP approaches at home | IB Diploma through an authorised school |
| French | The CNED or a French online school | Brevet and baccalauréat |
| Bilingual or travelling | A combination, planned with the family and the child's next school | Set by the school the child will join |
The teacher works to the programme of the school or exam board the family chooses.
Educating a child at home in London
Home education is legal in most of our markets, but the rules differ a great deal. These are the points families ask us about most.
| Where | What the rules say |
|---|---|
| England | Home education is legal. Parents must make sure the child receives an efficient, full-time education suited to age and ability. |
| Leaving school | If the child is at school, the parents write to the school to have the child taken off the register; the local authority may then ask about the education provided. |
| Exams | Children educated at home usually sit IGCSE and A level exams as private candidates at an exam centre. |
General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with the education authority before the school year.
Where we place private teachers
Teachers live in or work full-time from nearby, and many travel with the family.
- Central London. Kensington, Chelsea, Belgravia, Mayfair and Notting Hill.
- North London. Hampstead, Highgate and St John's Wood.
- Out of town. Families who split the week between London and the country.
- Abroad. Teachers who travel with London families to the Riviera and the Alps. See London families on the Riviera.
What a full-time private teacher costs
Every brief is quoted privately. These are the elements that set the package.
| Element | How it works |
|---|---|
| Qualifications | Qualified teachers and IB or exam-board experience sit at the top |
| Curriculum and languages | Bilingual teaching and several curricula raise the package |
| Live-in or live-out | Live-in teachers receive accommodation and board in addition to salary |
| Travel | Travel days, flights and accommodation agreed in writing |
| Employer | Your family, through PAYE with National Insurance and pension auto-enrolment |
| Lumière's fee | Set out in writing before the search; see fees and guarantee |
See also the London cost guide.
How We Match Your Family
Every search starts with a conversation with the Lumière team and ends with a hand-picked shortlist — never a database. Four steps, the same for every family.
Comprehensive Screening
References verified in person, criminal-record and DBS checks where applicable, credentials sighted, and experience with staffed, international households assessed.
Language Assessment
Candidates are interviewed in the languages your household uses; qualifications, first-aid certificates and right to work are verified before any introduction.
Family Consultation
A detailed conversation about your household, routines, schools, travel and the person you want in your children's lives.
Cultural Matching
Temperament, values and professional maturity matched to your family; two or three candidates presented.
Frequently Asked Questions
Looking for a private teacher in London?
Tell us the children's ages, the curriculum and how you live. The team replies within 48 hours and introduces a shortlist within a week.
Tell us what you needVetting & compliance
How Lumière vets private teachers for London
Lumière is based in Nice and works introduction-only in London: the family is the employer and runs PAYE, National Insurance and pension, usually through a nanny-payroll provider. We introduce only candidates with the right to work in the UK and do not sponsor visas.
Right to work in the UK
Confirmed before any introduction; we do not sponsor visas.
Enhanced DBS
A current enhanced DBS check, or one applied for before the start date.
References verified
Previous families and schools contacted by the team.
Qualifications sighted
QTS, PGCE or equivalent teaching qualifications, and first aid, seen before the shortlist.
PAYE employment
The family employs the teacher through PAYE with pension auto-enrolment.
Everything in writing
Hours, holidays, travel and term dates agreed before the start.
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
