Nannies
Most daycare centers and pre-kindergartens take children from the age of 2 years so many people in Abidjan have nannies who take care of their children at home until he/she turns two.
Having domestic help (Nanny, maid, cook, gardener etc..) is the one thing you will absolutely cherish in Abidjan although it is very difficult to find a good nanny!
It is always better to put some thought into this topic ahead of time. Will you want someone coming in several times a week? Or will you want her to live with you? In that case, she will occupy the domestic quarter, something most houses in Abidjan are equipped with. And are you looking for someone mainly to clean, or also to take care of your children?
One of the best way to find good domestic help is to hire someone who’s worked for another expat family before. You could contact your embassy as they could have referrals from people who left the country.
Another way is to ask other expat families on facebook or other expat blogs.
There are also agencies who could select a few candidates for you to make sure you get a good match but they charge a fee for the referral. While they do perform a background check, the best background check is for you to talk with the previous employer.
As soon as you have found a maid, there is a bit of legal stuff you should know about.
When you first employ any domestic help, you must register him/her with the National Social Security Fund, caisse nationale de protection sociale in French (CNPS).
Domestic workers are protected by law (which is a good thing) and all rules and regulations regarding domestic workers can be found on the CNPS website, which also has an English page:
Website: www.cnps.ci
Address: Avenue Lamblin Plateau
Tel: +225 20 25 21 00
Here is a link to a number of forms you might need to download:
www.cnps.ci/Anglais/onlineservices/Pages/downloadable-forms
Frequently asked questions:
www.cnps.ci/Anglais/onlineservices
Typical monthly salaries for domestic workers range between 30 000 FCFA and 400 000 FCFA (for professional cooks) working Mon-Fri from 8-5. But bear in mind that a new regulation has recently set the miminum salary to 66 000 FCFA.
The salary will depend on the skill level, i.e. in addition to cleaning do they cook and babysit? For a live-in maid you typically also provide the food, plus furnishings for her room, and perhaps the occasional doctor’s visit, but ideally you should take up an insurance coverage for her.
Most expats pay between 60 000 cfa and 150 000 cfa to Nannies and cleaners, between 100 000 cfa and 200 000 cfa to Cooks.
A number of Abidjan-based agencies provide household staff, here is a short list:
- SOCIETE RECITAL HOME SERVICES
Address: Rue des Jardins opposite Restaurant Nuit de Saigon
Contact: Mrs Dominique Laubhouet-Vally
Tel: +225 02 00 66 45
Email: recitalhomeservice@yahoo.fr
- ONG DEFIS (N.G.O)
Address: Rue des jardins-Cocody II Plateaux Vallon
Tel: + 225 59 74 99 74 / +225 77 04 47 04
Email: secretariat@nounou-plus.com
Website: ONG DEFIS Programme Nounou
- AGENCE NOUNOU GENTILLE
Address: Tchegbaya Building-Angré 8ème tranche
(Opposite quartier soleil 3)-Cocody, Abidjan.
Tel: +225 58 39 46 04 / +225 40 61 07 88
Facebook: Nounou Gentille
Website: www.nounougentille.com
- MAISON IDEALE
Address: Cocody not far from Hotel Belle Côte
Tel: +225 22 52 55 89
- AGENCE KYRIA
Address: Cocody Riviera Palmeraie Boulevard Mitterrand, opposite new ‘’camp militaire
Tel: +225 20 39 31 80 / +225 72 23 66 22
- AGENCE PERFORMANCE
Address: Cocody Angré 8è tranche behind SGBCI
Tel: +225 22 50 40 57
Website: www.performance.ci
- 2M ORGANISATION
Address: Cocody Riviera Faya Road of Bingerville
Tel: +225 22 47 04 13 / +225 09 56 24 96