Household staff for families in France, selected in Spain
Paris, the Côte d'Azur, Corsica and Biarritz
Live-in housekeepers, domestic couples, nannies and private chefs for families in the 16th and Neuilly, on Cap Ferrat and in Saint-Tropez, in Corsica and on the Basque coast. We explain the particulier employeur frame, the CESU and the work authorisation for non-EU staff before the search starts.
- Placement agency licensed by the SNE, no. 1300000318
- 4.8 · 79 Google reviews
- One-off fee · 6-month guarantee
Why families in France hire household staff through a Spanish agency
France has one of the most organised systems in Europe for employing staff at home, the particulier employeur with its collective agreement and the CESU, and a large market of hourly help. What it lacks, especially on the Côte d'Azur and in the second-home regions, is live-in staff willing to run a large house six days a week. The families who call us are often Spanish or Latin American families in Paris, French families with a house in Spain, and international owners on the Riviera who want the same couple or housekeeper they had in Marbella.
Our placements in France have been in Paris and near Geneva, in Divonne-les-Bains. The requests from the coast are more seasonal: a villa on Cap Ferrat or in Saint-Tropez that opens in May and needs a couple, a housekeeper and sometimes a chef until October. Biarritz and the Basque coast bring families who divide their year between France and San Sebastián; Corsica brings owners looking for a couple de gardiens for a property that is empty most of the year.
Spanish speakers adapt to French faster than to most other languages, and a candidate who has worked for a French family in Spain, common in Madrid and on the Costa del Sol, arrives knowing the habits of the house. For an EU candidate the move is free; for anyone else we explain the work authorisation frankly before we start.
Paris, the Côte d'Azur, Corsica and Biarritz
A capital where families live all year, a coast that fills from May to October, an island of empty houses that need keeping, and a Basque resort a short drive from Spain.
Paris
The 16th and 7th arrondissements, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Saint-Cloud, home to the Spanish and Latin American diplomatic and business community and to French families who spent years in Madrid. The request is a live-in housekeeper for a large apartment or hôtel particulier, and a Spanish-speaking nanny for the children.
Nice and Cap Ferrat
Villas on Cap Ferrat, Villefranche and Mont Boron, many owned by families who live elsewhere and come for the season. A couple living in the staff quarters, keeping the house, garden and pool and welcoming the family in May, is what owners here ask for.
Cannes
The Californie hills and Super Cannes, apartments on the Croisette used during the festivals and the summer. Housekeepers who travel with the family from Paris or abroad, and a chef for the weeks the house is full.
Saint-Tropez
Les Parcs, Ramatuelle and the Gassin hills: houses that run at full stretch in July and August with a couple all year and extra staff in season. Discretion and stamina matter as much as skill during the summer.
Corsica
Porto-Vecchio, Bonifacio and the Calvi coast, where properties are empty for months and owners want a couple de gardiens living on site all year: maintenance, grounds, security presence and a house ready when the family lands.
Biarritz
Biarritz, Anglet and Saint-Jean-de-Luz, an hour from San Sebastián and two from Bilbao. Families here often have a foot in Spain and want a Spanish-speaking housekeeper or nanny who can move between the two countries with them.
The profiles families in France ask us for
Housekeepers and nannies in Paris; couples and seasonal staff on the coast and in Corsica; a chef for the summer weeks.
Live-in housekeeper
Runs a Paris apartment or a Riviera villa, laundry and light cooking; French or English helps, Spanish is often what the family speaks at home.
Domestic couple (couple de gardiens)
Cap Ferrat, Saint-Tropez and Corsica: housekeeper and houseman living on the property all year, extra staff in season.
Spanish-speaking nanny
Live-in nannies for bilingual families in Paris and on the Basque coast; first aid, school experience and summers in Spain.
Private chef
For the season on the coast or for Paris homes that entertain; often live-in from May to October.
Permits, the particulier employeur and rules for household staff in France
France applies EU free movement and has a dedicated employer status for families, the particulier employeur, with its own collective agreement and the CESU declaration system. Non-EU staff need a work authorisation that the family itself requests.
EU/EEA/Swiss candidates: no authorisation
A Spanish, Portuguese or other EU candidate works in France with her passport; no work authorisation, no quota. After three months she may register her residence with the mairie, and she needs a French social security number, which the employer's declaration triggers.
Non-EU candidates: the work authorisation
An employer who wants to hire a non-European foreign employee (outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland) must first obtain a work authorisation. The application is made by the employer or an authorised representative, online only, and a private household can apply like any employer. Some residence cards exempt the holder, such as the long-term resident card issued in France; a Spanish residence permit does not. A Filipino candidate resident in Spain therefore depends on this authorisation, which examines the job and the labour market.
Particulier employeur, CESU and minimum pay
The family is a particulier employeur under the national collective agreement for household and childcare employees, and declares salary and contributions through the CESU (Urssaf) or, for a full live-in role, a payroll. The SMIC is the floor: €12.02 gross per hour on 1 January 2026 and €12.31 from 1 June 2026. The collective agreement adds minimums by level, paid leave, rest days and the valuation of board and lodging, and live-in roles have specific rules on presence hours.
Who employs, and under which law
The employer is the family, in the country where the home is. We are a placement agency: we select and present, we are neither the employer nor a temp agency, so the Posting of Workers Directive (written for companies) does not apply. The contract is governed by the law of the place where the work is habitually done, even if the parties choose another (Rome I Regulation, art. 8).
Social security: the destination country's
The general rule of Regulation (EC) 883/2004 (art. 11(3)(a)) is to contribute where you work. The exception is a temporary posting (art. 12): a family resident in Spain that takes an employee already hired here may keep her in the Spanish system for up to 24 months with the A1 certificate issued by the TGSS, if the conditions are met. Otherwise the registration is done in the destination country.
Data protection when sending profiles
Profiles travel with the candidate's informed consent. Within the EEA there is no international transfer; to Switzerland, the UK and Andorra there is, covered by a European Commission adequacy decision (GDPR arts. 44-45). Monaco has no adequacy decision: we rely on appropriate safeguards or the explicit consent of art. 49.
Checked on 12 September 2026 against service-public.fr (work authorisation for a foreign employee, F2728), the SMIC announcements of January and June 2026 on info.gouv.fr, EUR-Lex and the European Commission adequacy list.
What you need to know before starting, not legal advice: each case is confirmed by the family with its adviser or the country's authorities. We keep these notes reviewed and tell you what we have checked and where.
Languages, currency and cost of living
French; English on the Riviera; Spanish at home in many of the families we serve
Spanish speakers pick up working French quickly; a candidate who served a French family in Spain arrives ready.
Euro (EUR)
No exchange risk on the salary or on our fee.
Paris and the Côte d'Azur among the most expensive areas in France
Live-in accommodation on a coastal estate is a real part of the package and is valued in the contract.
Urssaf via CESU or payroll; the collective agreement's health cover
The family declares monthly; the employee gets a French social security number on the first declaration.
From €12.31 gross per hour (SMIC, June 2026)
Legal floor; the collective agreement sets level minimums above it. Live-in staff for the families we serve, especially couples on the coast, earn well above; the market range is agreed case by case and we give it to you with the quote.
Figure pending confirmation from an official sourceSMIC revalued on 1 January 2026 (€12.02) and 1 June 2026 (€12.31) per the government's announcements (info.gouv.fr).
A French placement, step by step
For an EU candidate France is a short move with a well-mapped employer system; for a non-EU candidate the work authorisation sets the pace.
Brief and status check
We confirm the candidate's nationality first, then define the role: all-year or seasonal, live-in or in staff quarters, hours of presence, and the level under the collective agreement.
Selection in Spain
Interviews in Madrid or by video, references called, and a check of French or of the experience with French families in Spain that many of our candidates have.
Video interviews and trial
From your client portal; Paris families often meet the finalist in Madrid, and coastal owners bring the couple to the villa for two days before the season.
Contract, CESU and move
Written contract under the collective agreement at or above the SMIC, CESU or payroll registration by the family, work authorisation where needed, and a start date around the notice period in Spain.
One-off fee and a 6-month guarantee, outside Spain too
You pay nothing during the search. Only once you take the person on and you're happy do you pay a single fee: the equivalent of one month of the agreed salary, plus VAT where applicable depending on where the job is. No subscriptions or lock-in.
One-off fee: one month's salary (+ VAT where applicable)
A single payment, only once you take the person on. We confirm the exact amount upfront, in euros or in your country's currency.
6-month guarantee
Replacement at no cost if the person isn't the right fit, and a 50% refund of the fee if you're not satisfied during the first month.
Relocation and trial
The family covers the relocation trip; before that you can interview by video and, if you travel to Spain or the candidate to your city, run a two-day trial.
Hiring household staff in France from Spain
No. EU, EEA and Swiss nationals work in France without authorisation. She gets a French social security number through the family's first declaration and may register her residence after three months.
Only with a French work authorisation, which the family requests online before hiring; a Spanish residence permit does not exempt her. The authorisation examines the job and the labour market, so we say so before starting a search around her.
The Urssaf's declaration system for families who employ staff at home: the family declares the salary and Urssaf calculates and collects the contributions. For a full-time live-in role many families use a payroll instead, but the employer status is the same, the particulier employeur.
The SMIC, €12.31 gross per hour since 1 June 2026, and above it the level minimums of the collective agreement for household employees. Live-in couples on the coast and experienced housekeepers in Paris earn well above the floor.
Yes. The couple de gardiens living on the property all year is the most frequent request from Cap Ferrat, Saint-Tropez and Corsica. We keep couples available for France in our pool.
Domestic couplesFor an EU candidate, first profiles in days and a start date usually four to six weeks after your decision. For a non-EU candidate the work authorisation adds its own processing time, which we do not control.
Pages families in France also read
Looking for live-in staff for a home in France?
Tell us the region, the role and the season. We answer with the employer frame, the permit route if one is needed and the first profiles.