For American families · Riviera, Monaco & the Alps
The Riviera and Europe nanny agency for American families
For families from New York, the Hamptons, Palm Beach and Los Angeles who spend part of the year in Europe: a villa on the Riviera from May to October, an apartment in Monaco, a charter out of Antibes, a ski season in the Alps or a relocation to Geneva. Lumière is based in Nice, founded by a career nanny, and places the nannies who make those months run.
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
Quick answer
Lumière places European career nannies, governesses and maternity nurses with American families for their time in Europe — Riviera summer villas, Monaco and Geneva relocations, Mediterranean charters, Alpine seasons and travel nannies for shorter trips — under French-law contracts employed by the family. We also introduce US-eligible candidates for roles back home. Shortlist within a week; first reply within 48 hours, in your time zone; 3-month guarantee. 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.
Hire where the nanny will actually work
An American family arriving in Cap d'Antibes in June does not need a US agency's database of candidates who have never left New Jersey. It needs a nanny who already lives on the Riviera, speaks French to the housekeeper and the paediatrician, knows which beach club takes children and how the yacht tender works, and is employed correctly under French law from the first day. Lumière is that agency: based in Nice, founded by a career nanny who has done the Riviera summer herself, with a team on the ground in Nice, 100+ placements and a 5.0 Google rating.
What we place for American families
- Riviera summer nannies, May to October, for villas in Cap d'Antibes, Cap Ferrat, Saint-Tropez and Cannes
- Year-round nannies and governesses for families relocating to Monaco, Nice or Geneva
- Yacht and charter nannies out of Antibes, Monaco and Palma, STCW-certified where the captain requires it
- Travel nannies for Europe trips, ski weeks and multi-city itineraries
- Maternity nurses and newborn specialists for a European birth or the first weeks at home abroad
- Rota pairs for 24-hour cover across two residences
How the summer usually works
- January–March: brief agreed, candidates interviewed on video in your time zone
- April: shortlist, interviews, contract drafted under French law
- May–June: the nanny meets the family on arrival; the household is already running
- September–October: hand-over, or the nanny travels back with you on a travel-nanny arrangement
- Start your search by 1 March for the strongest choice
Who employs whom, and where
Placements for American families on the Riviera, in Monaco and in Switzerland are made in Europe: your family employs the nanny on a local contract (URSSAF-declared in France, CCSS in Monaco, AVS in Switzerland) and Lumière guides you through the paperwork. Lumière is not a US-licensed employment agency and does not place foreign nannies into US jobs or sponsor US visas. For roles at your home in the United States we introduce only candidates who are already US-eligible — the right to work in the US — and your family handles I-9, payroll and tax with a US household-employment specialist, as you would with any US hire.
What it costs
- Riviera live-in nanny salary: €3,000–5,500 net per month (2026 market range); Monaco live-in €3,500–4,500 net
- Day rates for short engagements and travel: €250–400 per day plus flights and board
- Rota nannies: €60,000–120,000 per nanny per year
- Lumière's fee is separate and stated in writing before the search — see our terms
Working with us from the US
- WhatsApp, phone and video in US hours; first reply within 48 hours
- Contracts, payslip set-up and a bilingual point of contact on the ground
- NDA signed by every candidate before introduction
- The same nanny can return every summer, or travel between the Riviera and your US home on a travel-nanny arrangement
How We Match Your Family
Every search starts with a conversation with the Lumière team, led by Hanna, a career nanny, 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, each one Hanna and the team would work alongside.
See also: Long-term nannies New York · Long-term nannies Miami · Long-term nannies Los Angeles
Frequently Asked Questions
Spending next summer in Europe?
Tell us where, when and the children's ages. We reply within 48 hours, in your time zone.
Tell us what you needVetting & compliance
How Lumière nannies are vetted for American families
Lumière Placements is a French Riviera-based agency, not a US-licensed employment agency. For American families we place nannies for Europe — the Riviera, Monaco, Mediterranean charters and the Alps — under French-law contracts, and we introduce only US-eligible candidates (with the right to work in the US) for roles at home. The family is the employer: I-9, payroll and tax are handled with a US household-employment specialist. We do not sponsor US visas.
Where the placement happens
Riviera, Monaco, Alpine and charter placements are performed in France and Monaco under French-law contracts, employed by your family. For roles at home we introduce only US-eligible candidates.
Right to work in the US
US citizenship, green card or valid work authorisation confirmed before any introduction. Lumière does not sponsor US visas.
Payroll and tax
Handled by the family with a US household-employment specialist; we provide a written agreement template and point you to the right provider.
Background checks
US candidates: identity, driving record and criminal background through a reputable US screening provider; European candidates: criminal-record extract and references verified in person.
NDA and discretion
Every candidate signs a non-disclosure agreement before any introduction to a high-profile household.
Travel-ready
Valid passport, ESTA or Schengen eligibility and comfort with frequent travel confirmed before 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
