Guides · 8 min
How to Hire a Private Assistant in France: The Complete Guide
The short answer: for most international clients, the right model is a bilingual private assistant on a monthly retainer through an established practice — not a direct hire, not an hourly freelancer. It costs from €1,500 per month, starts within days, and carries none of the obligations of French employment law. Here is how to decide, and what to verify before you commit.
The three models, compared
There are three ways to obtain a private assistant in France, and they solve different problems. A direct hire gives you exclusivity but binds you to French employment law: a contract, payroll, social charges of roughly 40–45% on top of gross salary, and a separation process measured in months. It is the right instrument only if you need someone forty hours a week, indefinitely.
An hourly freelancer is the opposite extreme: flexible, cheap to start, and structurally unreliable. Freelancers optimise across many clients, carry no obligation of continuity, and rarely accept accountability in writing. For errands, acceptable. For your bank, your préfecture file or your children's school, a gamble.
A retainer with a private assistance practice sits between the two. You pay a fixed monthly fee, a named assistant owns your file, and the practice — not an individual's calendar — guarantees continuity. There is no employment relationship, so there is no payroll, no social charges and no severance.
What a private assistant in France should actually cover
A serious scope covers four territories: personal administration (préfecture, CPAM, taxes correspondence, renewals), household coordination (contractors, utilities, insurance, deliveries), family logistics (schools, healthcare, activities) and local presence — someone who physically stands in for you at appointments and offices.
- Bilingual operations: every call, letter and meeting handled natively in French and English
- Written follow-through: each request acknowledged, tracked and closed in writing
- In-person representation across Paris and the Île-de-France, with mandate where required
- A single point of contact — you should never repeat your story
What it costs — honestly
Direct hire: a competent bilingual assistant in Paris commands €45,000–€65,000 gross, which lands at €65,000–€95,000 in total employer cost. Hourly freelancers charge €40–€90 per hour, which looks cheap until coordination overhead and re-briefing time are counted.
A retainer practice typically charges €1,500–€4,000 per month depending on scope: personal affairs only at the entry level, through to full coverage of personal, business and lifestyle matters. Third-party costs (couriers, tickets, suppliers) are re-invoiced at cost with prior approval. If your need is under thirty hours per month of high-trust work, the retainer wins on every axis: cost, speed and accountability.
The five questions that predict a good fit
Credentials matter less than operating discipline. Before engaging anyone, ask these five questions and insist on specific answers:
- Who exactly will handle my file — one named person, or whoever is available?
- Is an NDA signed by default, and what does your discretion policy oblige in practice?
- How is every request tracked, and what do I receive in writing each month?
- What happens when my assistant is ill or travelling — who guarantees continuity?
- Can you represent me in person at a French administration, and under what mandate?
How an engagement should begin
Distrust any provider who sends a price list before a conversation. A serious engagement starts with a private call in which you describe how you live and work in France; you then receive a written proposal naming your assistant, defining the scope and stating the retainer. Expect a three-month minimum term — shorter commitments signal a transactional service, not a trusted one. From signature, a good practice is operational within days, not weeks.
FAQ
How much does a private assistant cost in France?
On retainer through a practice: €1,500–€4,000 per month depending on scope. Direct employment: €65,000–€95,000 per year in total employer cost. Freelancers: €40–€90 per hour plus coordination overhead.
Do I need to speak French to work with a private assistant?
No — that is precisely the point. A properly built service operates bilingually: you instruct in English, everything French-facing is handled natively in French.
Is a retainer legally an employment contract?
No. A retainer with a practice is a professional services agreement: no payroll, no social charges, no French employment law obligations for you.