Rota Nanny · London
Rota nanny agency London
Two senior nannies, one continuous rotation. Round-the-clock childcare for London households — employed properly on PAYE, matched with care, and ready to travel wherever the school holidays take you.
Design Your RotaFor 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
See also: London families on the Riviera · Nanny cost in London 2026
Quick answer
A rota nanny in London works two weeks on, two weeks off alongside a second nanny, giving the household continuous 24-hour childcare on fully declared PAYE terms. Indicative market ranges (2026) put each rota nanny at £60,000–£90,000+ gross per year — and each nanny works roughly 26 weeks of it. Lumière, a founder-led agency, vets, trains and places rota pairs across Kensington, Chelsea, Belgravia, Notting Hill, Mayfair, Hampstead and St John's Wood. 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; shortlist within a week; 5.0 on Google. Facts checked October 2026.
Why London Households Choose the Rota Model
For many international families, London is the term-time anchor: school runs from a Kensington or St John's Wood base through autumn and spring, then a calendar that scatters — half term in the Alps, summer on the Mediterranean, Christmas wherever the family gathers. A single live-in nanny cannot deliver round-the-clock cover across that year. The rota model — two equally senior nannies alternating in fixed rotations — can, and it travels.
Continuity Through Term and Travel
A rota gives children two consistent caregivers rather than a patchwork of temporary help. During her weeks on, the on-duty nanny lives in and runs the childcare day complete: the morning school run through Chelsea or Hampstead traffic, after-school clubs and tutoring, evenings, nights and weekends. The off-duty nanny is entirely away, resting. Handover days are structured and unhurried, so routines cross from one nanny to the other without a seam the children ever notice.
For families expecting a new baby alongside older children, a rota pair blends well with a maternity nurse in London for the first months, then consolidates once nights settle.
Built for the International Family's Year
- Term-time base in Kensington, Chelsea, Belgravia or Hampstead; the rota flexes around exeats and half terms
- The on-duty nanny travels with the children — to a Monaco or Geneva residence, or to Dubai for winter sun
- 24-hour cover for parents who work across time zones or fly at short notice
- No burnout: each nanny rests a full rotation, so standards never slip
- Senior professionals accustomed to principal households and discretion
- One rota nanny can pair with a rota governess for school-age children
What a Rota Nanny Costs in London
Families budget two salaries — that is what buys genuine, rested, round-the-clock cover. Indicative market ranges (2026): each London rota nanny earns £60,000 to £90,000+ gross per year, with working-week rates of roughly £900 to £2,000 per week. Read every figure you compare carefully: an annual rota salary is not a weekly rate multiplied by 52 — a rota nanny works roughly 26 weeks a year, which is why weekly rates look high in isolation.
| Component | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Salary, per rota nanny | £60,000 – £90,000+ / year gross | Indicative market range (2026); seniority, languages and travel set the level. Two nannies engaged for full cover |
| Working-week rate | ~£900 – £2,000 / week | Applies only to weeks worked — roughly 26 a year, not 52 |
| Employer costs | In addition to salary | PAYE income tax and National Insurance, plus workplace pension auto-enrolment |
| Accommodation & board | Provided in kind | Private room, ideally with own bathroom, and full board during weeks on |
Ranges are indicative of 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 London Rota Placement Works
In the UK a nanny is an employee, not a contractor, and Lumière only places on properly declared terms: PAYE payroll with income tax and National Insurance deducted, workplace pension auto-enrolment, a written contract and real payslips. It protects the family exactly as much as the nanny.
From Brief to Rotation
We begin with a consultation — typically within 48 hours of your enquiry — covering the children's ages and routines, school calendars, languages, travel plans and how the rotation should breathe around your year. You then meet a hand-picked shortlist of two to three candidates per seat, not a database. Many families start their preferred nanny first and involve her in selecting her rota partner; a senior nanny knows quickly who she can share a household with for years.
Allow 6–10 weeks for a complete pair. Lumière is based on the French Riviera and places across 20+ cities; London interviews and trial days are arranged in person or by video around your diary.
What Every Lumière Rota Nanny Brings
- Senior private-household experience, references verified in person
- Enhanced DBS check, right-to-work verification and qualification review before any introduction
- 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 and a calm, confident school-run routine
- Handover discipline: a live written log between the pair, coached by us
Explore Further
Rota Nannies Elsewhere & Other Care in London
Rota Nannies in London: Frequently Asked Questions
Design Your London Rota
Tell us about your children, your term dates and where the holidays take you. A consultation follows within 48 hours — and your shortlist is hand-picked by a founder who still does the job herself.
Begin Your SearchThe 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