According to French law, when you hire a nanny you become a legal employer and she becomes your employee. Therefore you need to think like a boss. Look what how to hire a nanny in France!

1. Job offer and criteria

In the job offer you’ll want to present yourself and your family. Say something about your kids and how your family operates, in general.

Define your criteria:

What are the hard skills you want your nanny to have such as: languages (native language and extra), experience, methodology/training (Montessori?). What soft skills: creativity, energy, time-management.

Describe responsibilities: school pick up, homework, daily walks in the park, daily commute to and from school of 45min by public transportation, etc.

Now think about your personal preferences: non-smoking, screen time, dietary preferences/ restrictions, etc.

Extras: For example, do you expect your nanny to have all the vaccines? (If they are taking care of a newborn they should!)

2. Recruitment process:

There are many good approaches but we’ll share our preferred method.

Now that you’ve made your job offer you’ll want to post it, review the candidates, and select the 5 you like the most.

Prepare your questions for the interview (ensure you respect the law of non-discrimination, you are now a boss and these rules apply to you! While you may want to know – “are you planning on having your kids any time soon?” is a no-no!)

Schedule the interviews. Please be sure to define how and when you will inform your candidates about your decision.

After the interviews you want to Verify the candidate! :

Check the references, Check supplied documents.

Unfortunately, people can be dishonest and it is your obligation to check before you hire. Make sure to do the following:

For references – give the previous Employer a call

Check their ID and work permit with the Prefecture de la Police

If you have any doubts you can think about checking their address with a certified letter (accusé de réception)

Remember: it is up to you to check if all documents are in order, valid and authentic!!!

Finally, inform all candidates (not only the one you choose to hire)- they are all waiting for your answer!

3. Employment

Remember: only one person can be an employer (you can’t put both your and your husbands’ name), you can only hire on CDI (CDD must be justified).

You need to respect “Convention collectives” and minimum salary of 8.08E/h net

  • Open an account with Pajemploi by applying for CMG at CAF. Your nanny needs to be declared with following administration institutions:

CAF (if you want to apply for benefits, CAF will cover a part of social charges)

Pajemploi (it’s like external payroll, they will help you issue the pay slips, count number of holidays, etc)

  • Beyond CAF and Pajeemploi, you want to get to know DIRECCTE. They can help if you need to apply for a work permit for your nanny. They can also help with getting a work doctor. It is compulsory to provide a doctor’s visit for your nanny in the beginning of the contract and then at least once per year. It is 100% at your cost (both the visit and the time nanny has spent for it).

Here you can find a list of work doctors approved by DIRECCTE:

  • If you live in Paris
  • If you live outside of Paris (but still in Ile-de-France)
  • Other institutions you may/will need to contact are the Prefecture de la Police: if your nanny is not a French or EU citizen and your owners/renters insurance company. Your home is now a workplace and your employee needs to be taken into consideration.

 

4. Your obligations during the contract duration

  • Respect the work contract! This might sound obvious, but we often forget the initial work description and occasionally slip. For example, asking them to iron your shirt or run the dishwasher sound innocent, but are they in the contract?
  • Monthly declarations to Pajemploi. Every month you need to issue a payslip.
  • Holidays: you need to respect the number of holidays your nanny has earned. On the other hand, your nanny is obliged to plan her holidays in advance and in agreement with your family’s plan.

FAQs

What is a typical salary range for a nanny?

Nannies paid on an hourly basis typically make between €12 – €15 an hour. Obviously, this can vary depending on previous experience and the scope of services provided. If your nanny is hired on a CDI, the minimum wage in France is €1535 a month.

How can I fire a nanny in France?

If your nanny is has a CDI with you, firing them may be very difficult, especially if you are firing them for personal reasons. This is why it would be a good idea to first have a trial period before hiring them on CDI. To fire a nanny on a CDI, you may want to consult with a lawyer about how to move forward. For more details on this, check out the French government’s webpage on the topic here.

Do you have any questions? Please comment on this post, and we’ll be happy to answer!

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