Household Staffing in Monaco

Ben W: Hello there podcast listeners in today’s episode of the Morgan & Mallet luxury staffing podcast. We are talking with co-founder Laurine Mallet and this episode is going to be all about household staffing in Monaco. We’re going to be talking about recent trends, the employment and residency regulations, the licensing steps. So you’re going to get a ton of value in this episode.

Before we get started though, I would just like to introduce our guest, the co-founder, Laurine. How are you doing today, Laurine? All good?

Laurine: Yes really good thank you. Thank you Ben.

Ben W: Super, super. So for the listeners, if they have not heard you before, could you just tell us a bit about yourself and why you started the Morgan & Mallet agency, please.

Laurine: Yes, so actually I worked as a nanny in London for years. In the meantime, Morgan Richez worked also for individuals. So because we really love the services, industries, high standard services and yes, the luxury. I mean the activity in general and suited to our background also.

We wanted to create our own agency but with a French added value, values. So actually something really elegant, close to the candidates and the clients also and with a high level of discretion.

What Makes Monaco Unique

Ben W: Interesting. Yeah, I must admit when I started working for Morgan & Mallet and I started learning about, I knew a lot about French culture, but I didn’t know all the standards even in the household in a personal household were extremely high you know like you can’t have your elbows on the table when you’re eating and stuff like that I thought it was really interesting to learn about all of this when I started.

And so today’s episode it’s all about household staffing in Monaco. So first question, Laurine, what makes Monaco’s domestic job market stand out from other European hubs?

Laurine: So Monaco operates as a world unto itself, so the concentration of ultra net worth, but mostly ultra net worth individuals. It’s such a tiny geography that creates exceptional demand for qualified and elite household staff. Standards are really high, I mean in Monaco as I said, extraordinarily high.

Ben W: Gotcha. And there is this extreme concentration of wealth. It’s because of the tax laws in Monaco. Is that right? There’s no tax on foreign income or the salary that you pull. Is that right? In Monaco, there’s lots of tax advantages for the ultra rich.

Laurine: Yes, that’s a fact. Yes, there are a lot of advantages. I don’t know if the client go live in Monaco for this reason, but that’s a fact. So the taxes are really good. Also, what is really important is the geography of Monaco.

Obviously, there is a port. So you can also go easily to Italy, France. Switzerland. So it’s in the middle of a lot of beautiful countries in Europe.

Employment and Residency Regulations

Ben W: I see. I see. Interesting. And just moving on, how strict are Monaco’s employment and residency regulations for private staff?

Laurine: Actually, it’s very strict, but because first of all, staff must hold appropriate work authorization. And for non-European nationals, this can be also complex process. So residency and work permits, are managed by the Monegasque government and it’s not automatically granted.

And employers also must ensure full compliance with the local employment code. And this includes registration, registered contracts, social contributions.

Ben W: Would you say it’s quite complex for clients to get started hiring in Monaco?

Laurine: It can be yes, definitely. It can be.

Most In-Demand Profiles

Ben W: So moving on to the next question, which professional profiles are most in demand among Monaco’s families in 2026?

Laurine: It will be house manager, personal assistant as I said, but house manager, estate manager.

Ben W: Right. And what’s the timeframe involved in hiring for these positions?

Laurine: What is the time frame?

Ben W: Yeah, like how long will it take?

Laurine: To recruit a house manager. Three weeks? Four weeks maximum?

Ben W: Three weeks, gotcha. Same for a personal assistant.

Laurine: Yes, exactly the same. Because we do have our database with a lot of candidates. So obviously, we need to find the good and right candidate who matches perfectly with the client’s request. And to make sure those candidates are interesting also about the offer.

But because we have our own website, our own tools also in order to work, and we work as a team with recruiters, talent acquisition, resources assistant, we finalize quite quickly and quite well our recruitment.

Language Skills and Cultural Adaptability

Ben W: Yeah, yeah, yeah. When I started working, I was surprised with the 96% success rate across all placements. Yeah, it’s quite impressive. With Monaco, is having languages and cultural adaptability quite important in Monaco?

Laurine: No, not at all. You can have obviously clients who can expect candidates talking, speaking English, because it’s much more international. That’s really rare to have candidates who have been born in Monaco. Clients, sorry.

Ben W: I see, I see. So the majority are international. And they’ll demand language skills, I imagine, no? It’s like French, English, and maybe another language. Is that quite common? Yeah, yeah, makes sense.

Laurine: French obviously the first one, English it’s quite common. And afterwards the third one will be Italian.

Salary Expectations

Ben W: Italian, gotcha, gotcha. And the culture… no, kind of… I did answer that before actually, so I’ll move on. So, are salaries higher in Monaco compared with neighboring regions?

Laurine: Yes, yes, compared to the demand and the demanding request, yes, for instance, when you talk about the staff, okay, we can place also yacht to villa staff, capable of working seamlessly across both environments. So people who are going to work, let’s say, in Monaco, during summertime and maybe on yacht and afterwards in a villa in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat the staff is mobile, so flexible and they travel.

So actually such salary are, such profile expect for a high salary. Also if you place candidate bilingual or trilingual let’s say this is valuable, I mean being able to talk in languages. So actually you need to a high salary, competitive salary for this. It’s like the chef.

Ben W: Is it easy to find a candidate who has both skills for the yacht and the household or is it quite a challenge?

Laurine: This is a challenge, but it exists definitely and we used to place people on yachts and also work inside a villa, but that’s not common, obviously.

Ben W: Right, okay, let’s see. So it could take a little bit longer if a client does want a candidate with all the language skills and the yachting experience and the household experience.

Laurine: It can be a bit longer, let’s say. Usually, we finalize our recruitment in three, four weeks. So for this kind of profile, it can be four, five weeks. But also, in our side, we multiply. I mean, we change our way to work. We can also use other tools in our system to find those candidates. While we don’t usually.

Ben W: Yes, I see, I see. So it might be slightly longer than a standard recruitment. However, because it is quite a niche position, but there will be more activity from the agency side to compensate because it’s such a specialist position. Gotcha, gotcha.

Laurine: Exactly. And also, I mean that the market of the demand and the offer. So you’ve got less candidate. So in order to attract those less candidate, you need also to provide good and right and fair salary.

Confidentiality in Close-Knit Community

Ben W: I see, for the specialist positions. Yeah. Absolutely, absolutely. Okay, next question. How does confidentiality work in such a small, close-knit community? Is this the same as the other regions, like everybody knows everybody who works in Monaco?

Laurine: Monaco’s communities are so small that everyone knows everyone, which means that it’s important to have discretion.

Ben W: I see, I see. So, and when you’re hiring somebody, I guess you would expect, a requirement would be having experience in the Monegasque market, right? As a candidate.

Laurine: It’s a plus, but it’s not mandatory. Most important is, as you know, so we select people, candidates with minimum of three years’ experience. But also, when we provide candidates, it’s providing a candidate who already worked in this kind of environment. So it can be Monaco or somewhere else.

Never mind. Let’s say for a nanny, a nanny who is going to look after a two years old boy, let’s say in Monaco, we won’t look for a nanny who already worked in Monaco, but a nanny who already worked with a two years old boy. You know what I mean? So that’s why it’s really important. So this is a big plus if the candidate already know Monaco, but it’s not necessary.

Compliance and Licensing Requirements

Ben W: Gotcha, gotcha. And okay, so just to summarize, it’s more about like the personality, the experience, and then the regional experience. That would be roughly the priority, the hierarchy. Gotcha, okay. And then I’ve covered this a little bit before, but what compliance or licensing steps are unique to working in Monaco from a client’s perspective?

Laurine: So again, sorry.

Ben W: Yeah, what compliance regulations, for example, or licensing steps are unique for a client wanting to employ somebody in Monaco?

Laurine: Okay, in French, sorry, we called direction du travail and it’s like that also in Monaco.

Ben W: It’s like the government body responsible for employment regulation.

Laurine: Yes, in Monaco. So actually, employers must register the employment contract with the Direction du Travail de Monaco, so this organism. Social contributions are paid to another organism from Monaco, for non-European workers. Work permit application must be submitted before the candidate begins a new employment.

And there are also specific rules governing working hours. So rest periods, paid leave. And that differs from French legislations. So employers should not assume that French human resources practices…

Ben W: Gotcha, gotcha. So there are some differences and it’s, I advise clients not to assume it’s the same as the French one. It’s got its own legal body with its own legal regulations. Gotcha.

Laurine: It’s really close to French law, but they have very particular and specific differences.

Work Permit Requirements

Ben W: Right. Gotcha. Okay. And you mentioned before about applying for a permit to get the… Do European workers need a permit?

Laurine: Who? Sorry?

Ben W: European workers like a French worker or Italian, will they need a permit to work in Monaco?

Laurine: Actually, yes, when you are a worker, if you want to work in Monaco, you need to have a permit also.

Ben W: Right. Is the process, how long does the process take?

Laurine: It can be weeks or months, but not more than three months.

Ben W: Okay, so it seems like it’s quite a lengthy process then.

Laurine: Because actually in Monaco, let’s say, there is like national preferences. So they prefer to employ people inside Monaco. So who already lived in Monaco. If you would like to employ someone outside, so usually that’s French people from France, you need to explain why actually you are going to employ this candidate.

First of all, this is a client’s obligation. And afterwards, in some cases, the candidate can also ask for a permit to work in there. It depends on the country, actually.

Yacht Crew Regulations

Ben W: Gotcha, interesting. So if a client wants a whole yacht crew for the summer, they are probably better starting the process January, February to make sure everything’s in place for when they want to go on the yacht. Is that correct?

Laurine: So for the yachts they are different because I mean your yacht, the residency of your yacht depends on the country flag.

Ben W: Okay.

Laurine: Let’s say you can have a yacht all year long in Monaco while its flag is Spain. So actually, if your flag is Spanish, it means every worker is going to have a Spanish contract. It’s really like a country, like your own house. You’ve got a property in Paris, so Paris is France. But because a boat, a yacht is on the sea all year long, you need to give a country flag. And then every contract also with suppliers, for example, you’ve got a stamp from your country flag.

Ben W: Interesting, I didn’t know that. And is there a preference among the yacht owners in Monaco for a country flag? Are they all in like, I don’t know, the Caribbean or tax jurisdictions are like that? Or are there a lot of local Monegasque flagged yachts?

Laurine: I guess the flag is interesting to have a flag in a country with lower taxes. And especially because having a yacht is very very expensive.

Hardest Roles to Fill

Ben W: Which roles are the hardest to fill in Monaco?

Laurine: Really good question. Probably, probably living caregiver. Probably. We used to have a lot of requests for caregivers because the population is aging, as we said last time, and we do have a lot of clients in Monaco. There are also requests for caregivers. But they need to have people who live in the property.

And this is a bit difficult. We do find candidates, but it can be a bit longer. Because the candidates, they don’t really expect living in Monaco. It’s not like a dream, I mean, for them. They will prefer to… For example, for instance, it’s easier to place caregivers in Switzerland, Geneva, or in France, Normandy, let’s say, than in Monaco.

Because candidates think Monaco is not as attractive as other cities and countries also. And they don’t really know Monaco. It’s not really famous from the candidate and especially from the caregivers.

All requests we got from a client who called for caregivers, we found candidates. And even when it was really complicated, I remember one client, I managed myself eight years ago. It was four people for this client. It was not easy at all. We did it, but it was longer compared to what we have expected. But the client were really happy because he knew it was very challenging.

Caregiver Placement Challenges

Ben W: I see. And for this search, because the position was so specialist and difficult, I guess you had to be more active than say a standard search, is that right?

Laurine: Yes, definitely. Caregivers, anyway, are really challenging because they need people with qualifications, diplomas, certificates, so with real knowledge of their job and their role. And they are going to look after and take care of someone fragile, disabled, old. So it’s not easy at all. And on the other side, you need to make sure you are going to provide to place a candidate with the personality expected from the client, by the client.

Ben W: I see, so there’s a lot.

Laurine: So it’s multiple challenges for us as a recruiter. But it’s really interesting. That’s one of my favorite recruitment. No, no, really that’s really interesting. Really interesting.

Ben W: Gotcha, gotcha. So it’s like a really demanding placement to fill because as you said, the technical qualifications, but also the personality at a much deeper level, right? Because they’re caring, interesting. Wow.

Laurine: And first of all, you receive a call from the sons, daughters or sons, the principal of the owner, because they are aware of the situation. And often the client himself doesn’t really want someone in his property. And so you need to understand also their feelings and their needs for their parents, and after to provide the good and right candidate.

Ben W: So it’s even more complicated because it’s difficult to reach the actual person who will be receiving the care you’re going through an intermediary who is talking on behalf of the person who needs the care. That’s interesting. Yeah.

Final Advice for Employers

Ben W: Okay Final question. What advice would you give to employers to remain compliance fair and competitive in Monaco?

Laurine: First, work with a specialist agency that understands Monegasque Employment Law. We used to have clients in Monaco. So this is really important. Offer also competitive packages that reflect the true cost of living. Including housing support. Also… Probably I would say treat your staff with the same level of professionalism you expect from them. And invest in long-term relationships. The best candidates in Monaco are often found through trust and reputation, not job boards.

Ben W: I see, I see. So it’s a little bit old school, we could say. Yeah, yeah. Super. All right. Thank you very much. Laurine, is there anything else you’d like to, that you find fascinating about the Monegasque market that you’d like to share? Or have we covered everything in this podcast?

Laurine: That’s a very tiny country area land, while the request big and we do receive a lot. And a lot of candidates would like to work in Monaco also. Yes, that’s it. That’s tiny compared to France or Switzerland, let’s say, but the market is very, very high.

Ben W: Yeah, yeah, it’s just a super concentrated area of the world, with super exceptional levels of wealth. That’s interesting.

Laurine: Mm.

Ben W: Okay, super. So I’m going to wrap this podcast up. For the listeners, if you are considering hiring in Monaco as co-founder of Morgan & Mallet just mentioned, you’re best going with an expert with a recruiter who knows the market with an agency who’s been there for a long time.

And one of those agencies obviously is Morgan & Mallet and you can get more information at householdstaff.agency. If you are just considering or if you would just like to find out about the expectations, you can give Morgan & Mallet a call. Just go to householdstaff.agency. You’ll see the number. You can fill out a form or you can send an email and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.

And for the listeners, if you want to hear more of these Morgan & Mallet podcasts, just subscribe. We’re on Spotify, iTunes, all the major platforms. And we’d love to hear from you as well if you’ve got any suggestions for future content. So that’s it. Thank you very much, Laurine.

Laurine: Thank you. Thanks a lot. Thank you for your time.

Ben W: Thank you everybody and wishing you all a beautiful day.

Morgan & Mallet is a leading global household staffing agency with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris, Geneva, Dubai, and South Africa.

The agency finds private chefs, butlers, nannies, housekeepers, estate managers, chauffeurs, and personal assistants for UHNW families and family offices worldwide.

All candidates carry a minimum of three to five years of verified private household experience.