Hire Household Staff
in Spain
Hiring household staff in Spain?
Whether your home is in Madrid, Barcelona, Marbella, Mallorca, or Ibiza, we place butlers, housekeepers, private chefs, nannies, estate managers, domestic couples, and chauffeurs across Spain.
We recruit in Spanish, French, English, and seven other languages, from a database of 200,000+ candidates already in Spain or open to relocating.
We deal with contracts, payroll and the legal side of hiring so you can hire with ease.
Get in touch today to start hiring.
96%
Success
200,000+
candidates in Our Database
3
Month Placement Guarantee with Structured Follow-Up
91%
of Clients Return or Refer
Why families in Spain choose us
Laurine Mallet, our co-founder, is based in Barcelona and runs the Spanish market personally.
Our database covers all of Spain and 50+ countries, meaning we can find staff not only in Spain but across many other countries.
If you have a home in Madrid and a villa in Marbella, we staff both from one search.
For every four people who apply to join our database, roughly one makes it through. We are highly selective with the candidates we work with.
That’s why our placements last.
Morgan Richez, our other co-founder, worked as a butler and chauffeur before starting the agency. Laurine Mallet, worked as a nanny.
Morgan & Mallet was built to help you hire the very best household staff in Spain and internationally.
What happens when you call us
You tell us about your household. Where the property is. How many homes you have. Your routine. What you need.
From that information, we search our database and if needed search the market and match candidates based on experience, languages, personality, and what your household needs.
Every candidate you see has already had a 90-minute interview, been through thorough reference checks with former employers, as well as a criminal background check.
We show them to you in the same format so you can compare fairly.
We check in at 10 days and keep following up through the three-month guarantee.
What makes hiring
household staff in Spain different?
Marina Shevchenko, recruiter at Morgan & Mallet, on a recent Marbella search:
“The property was in a very remote location, and the client wanted someone who would never leave the property, even on days off. I explained this would be extremely difficult. The houseman must be allowed to leave, otherwise he would feel imprisoned.”
When the client later renegotiated salary down and added 24/7 expectations, all the candidates withdrew.
Setting realistic conditions matters more in remote Spanish properties than almost anywhere else.
Spain has strict labor laws for household workers. The framework is called the Régimen Especial de Empleados de Hogar, and it covers contracts, working hours, holidays, and termination.
Morgan Richez puts it simply:
“All the Latin countries like Italy, Spain, they are very labor countries.”
We walk every client through the local rules before a hire is made and can connect you with a Spanish labor lawyer for contract terms.
In Madrid and Barcelona, staff need to speak Spanish. On the coast, English is more common, but Spanish still matters for suppliers and local services. We find that many families want staff who speak two or three languages.
Families in Marbella, Ibiza, and Mallorca often need staff who keep the property running quietly for part of the year and then move into another gear when the family is home.
Finding people who do both well is one of the harder parts of hiring here.
Roles we place in Spain
These are our most placed role in Spain. 89% of housekeepers in our database have looked after both a main home and a second property.
Many families here want someone who keeps the home clean and running and can also do light cooking, laundry, and general upkeep.
Laurine Mallet, co-founder of Morgan & Mallet, on how it works in practice:
“Clients don’t involve themselves in menu creation. They just say, ‘I don’t want to eat meat,’ or ‘I want fish four times a week.’
The chef creates the menu from there.” Across Spain, families want chefs who can cook Mediterranean, French, or international food and adjust menus around dietary needs.
Spanish families often want a nanny who brings English, French, or German into the home. 68% of nannies in our database speak more than one language. 73% are trained in Montessori or Waldorf.
Domestic Couples are in high demand in Spain and short supply everywhere. A live-in pair who manage a property together, one works on the house, the other the grounds or cooking.
Across all our markets, 21% of clients who want a domestic couple can’t find one.
Morgan Richez our co-founder on what’s at stake with a domestic couple in Spain:
“When you work as a domestic couple in the south of France or Spain and the property is empty for a few months, you need to make sure the couple won’t use the property for their own life. You need people you can trust.”
A modern butler in Spain runs the day-to-day of the household. Laurine Mallet describes the shift:
“They are much more versatile, much more multitask. They can do inventory, help with cleaning, go to the dry cleaner.”
For larger homes with several staff, a house manager keeps the team on track and reports to the principal or family office.
Properties in Spain can be large with outbuildings or multiple properties. Families often need an estate manager to work with suppliers, maintenance, and budgets.
Personal assistants manage schedules, travel, and admin.
We check chauffeur driving records going back five to seven years.
Salary ranges in Spain
What you pay depends on the role, the candidate’s experience, how many properties you have, and whether the position is live-in.
Position | Annual salary range (EUR, gross) |
|---|---|
Nanny | €45,000 – €60,000+ |
Housekeeper | €45,000 – €60,000+ |
Housekeeper/Cook | €45,000 – €70,000+ |
Private Chef | €45,000 – €60,000+ |
Butler | €45,000 – €60,000+ |
House/Household Manager | €45,000 – €60,000+ |
Estate Manager | €45,000 – €60,000+ |
Domestic/Caretaker Couple | €45,000 – €60,000+ |
Personal Assistant | €45,000 – €60,000+ |
Governess | €45,000 – €60,000+ |
These ranges come from our 2025/26 Household Staff Salaries Annual Report, based on 200,000+ candidates and thousands of placements. Live-in roles usually include accommodation and meals.
Full report with global comparisons: Morgan & Mallet Annual Salary Report 2025/2026.
Where we place staff in Spain
A very strong market. Spanish and international families with villas along the coast. Domestic couples and housekeeper-cooks are the most common roles we are contacted about here.
Morgan Richez: “People from Dubai, the Emirates, Qatar, Saudi Arabia – during summer they move from the Middle East. They come first to London in July for shopping and errands, then for August they go to the south of France or Marbella.”
A strong market for permanent staff is the capital.
Butlers, personal assistants, housekeepers, and estate managers for homes inside the city and also nearby country properties.
Full-time residents and seasonal families. Nannies and housekeepers are the most requested roles here. Spanish language is essential for staff here. Catalan really helps.
Busiest from May to October. Villas need staff who understand entertaining in summer and how to look after the property for the rest of the year.
Stronger year-round community than Ibiza. Large rural fincas here need ongoing estate management and care.
Employment essentials in Spain
Laurine Mallet’s advice to international employers: “As soon as you make a contract, communicate with your advisor, accountant, or HR agency. You can write your own employment contract, but send it to your accountant or advisor to make sure it’s correct. If it’s done incorrectly, it’s the employer’s fault.”
Household staff must be registered with Social Security. The employer handles this.
Contracts should be in writing, covering hours, duties, salary, and accommodation details for live-in roles. The minimum wage is updated each year.
Live-in staff get a reduction on cash salary for accommodation and meals, capped by law. Working hours are limited to 40 per week, with separate rules for live-in staff around rest and availability.
Holiday is 30 calendar days per year. Public holidays vary by region. Termination requires notice and usually severance based on length of service.
We recommend a Spanish labor lawyer for specific contract terms. We can connect you with one.
Our team
Morgan & Mallet has an office in Barcelona as well as New York, Los Angeles, Miami, London, Paris, Geneva, and Dubai. We speak Spanish, French, English, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, Arabic, Polish, and Filipino.
Spain
phone
+34 624 867 589
office address
Calle Ros de
Olano 6 Ático 1º,
(08012) Barcelona, España
opening hours
Monday - Thursday : 9AM - 6PM
Friday : 9AM - 5PM
Saturday & Sunday : Closed
Are you a candidate
looking for a role?
We work with clients across Spain and internationally. Have a look at what’s available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do candidates need work papers for Spain?
EU, EEA, and Swiss nationals can work freely. For candidates from outside the EU, a work visa must be arranged before they start. We check eligibility during vetting.
Can you find staff who will live on the property?
Live-in is common in Spain. We check willingness during the 90-minute candidate interview.
Accommodation quality matters though. Morgan Richez: “The accommodation is a very important point. You need to offer decent, furnished, modern accommodation.”
What if we have properties in Spain and other countries?
Spain and the UK. Spain and France. Spain and the Middle East. We are very experienced at managing all these different scenarios.
We place staff who travel with you, or we staff each property separately.
How quickly can you fill a role?
A housekeeper in Marbella might take two to four weeks. A domestic couple with specific language and estate experience could take longer.
The length of time really does depend on the role you’re looking for and your individual needs.
How quickly can you fill a role?
A housekeeper in Marbella might take two to four weeks. A domestic couple with specific language and estate experience takes longer.
Jonathan de Vanderbilt, recruiter at Morgan & Mallet, on what speeds things up: “The fastest searches start with clarity. When a household can explain expectations at week two, month two, and month six, interviews improve and candidates self-select accurately.”