Join our English Speaking team, in France!
Chateau Rigaud is an exclusive wedding venue in the Bordeaux Vines. Family run and independent, we’ve developed a first class reputation over 20 years and have hosted international sportsmen, film stars and British Royalty. Despite the celebrity names, as a business we consider our team to be the most important players. We know that if the team are happy, the clients will be happy. And a happy team is a team that sticks around. So when the guests have left, pirate parties are not all that unusual! And neither are team dinners, days out at the beach, the end of season trip, be it to Marrakech, Porto or this year, to San Sebastian.
Currently recruiting for 2026 season
Maintenance Manager
Events Manager
Bar Manager
Team for Housekeeping / FOH / Grounds
EVENTS MANAGER AFTER HOURS
1 May to 15 October 2026
€2800 / month with accommodation & excellent tips
6 months contract May to October
Running the pass and events barn to deliver an excellent wedding service, ensuring professional and effective communication with the head chef during the stressful moments to ensure the food is delivered efficiently and accurately despite the relative inexperience of the service team.
Management of the Events Barn until the end of bar service at 2am and the final lockdown at 3am
Communication with the wedding couple on the wedding night, the Events Manager is running the wedding once the planner leaves at around 8pm.
Ongoing training and management of a team of around 8 servers, to provide professional but unpretentious, 'light touch' banqueting service to up to wedding 150 guests.
Communication with the wedding planners and chefs to create accurate reports of where dietaries are seated to ensure every meal reaches the right guest without confusion among the servers.
Build-up of the wedding banquet tables, ensuring all design details are accurate to the planner and florist reports with immaculate presentation of tableware.
Communication with and assistance to the florist throughout the weekend to ensure all table floral installations are well presented.
MAINTENANCE MANAGER
Starting autumn 2026
Permanent position with accommodation and flexibility to travel out of season
Around €3000 / month, experience depending & excellent tips
Opportunity for a partner to join the team in another capacity
We are looking for a hands-on, practical Maintenance Manager to join our team at Château Rigaud. This is a key role, reporting directly to the General Manager, with responsibility for the upkeep of the château buildings, vehicles, grounds, and pool, as well as leading and motivating a younger seasonal team during our busy summer months.
The role will suit someone with a trade background who has developed a wide variety of transferable maintenance skills and is now looking for a new life in rural France. You’ll need to be both practical and people-focused, able to roll up your sleeves and also train, motivate, and supervise younger team members who may be working in this environment for the first time.
Key Responsibilities
Grounds & Vehicles
Mowing, strimming, raking gravel, recycling, jet-washing terraces, wood chopping & log preparation
Supervising younger staff to ensure these jobs are done properly
Moving heavy items such as laundry bags, tables, chairs, umbrella bases
Driving guests in minibuses to lunches, dinners, and wine tastings
Pool Care
Taking water readings, handling chemicals, hoovering, skimmer cleaning
Maintaining poolside equipment and inflatables
General Maintenance
Everyday repairs: tightening loo seats, fixing flushes, unblocking pipes, changing handles, repainting, plastering, small carpentry and electrical jobs
Occasional emergency works: e.g. leaks requiring digging or rapid response until specialists arrive
Fosse tank monitoring and maintenance
Team Leadership
Training, motivating, and managing younger, often inexperienced summer staff
Delegating grounds and cleaning work while ensuring high standards
Leading with patience, humour, and resilience
Requirements
EU passport or legal right to work in France
Full manual driving licence (confidence driving a minibus essential)
Willingness to drive a tractor and use a chainsaw
Basic plumbing, electrics, and carpentry skills
Comfortable working at heights (up to 10m)
Physically fit and able to carry heavy loads; stamina for long days in high season
Strong leadership, time management, and communication skills
Excellent spoken English; basic French an advantage
Knowledge of AV/IT systems (sound, projectors) an advantage
Terms & Conditions
Salary: €30,000 – €35,000 depending on experience & contract terms
Accommodation: Fully serviced, self-contained accommodation provided
Working Pattern:
March–October (high season): 42 hours/week, 5 days (including weekends), 2 consecutive days off
October–March (off season): option of full-time work or reduced hours while retaining accommodation, ideal for those who wish to travel
Holiday: 25 days paid holiday per year (max. 5 days during May–Sept peak season)
Tips: Equal share of team tips
Contract: Annual, renewable
Opportunity for a Partner
We also welcome applications from couples. There are opportunities for a relocating partner to join our team in a variety of roles, depending on experience — from restaurant/front-of-house management through to bar, housekeeping, or gardening.
This is a unique opportunity for someone who wants to combine practical maintenance and team leadership skills with a fresh start in the French countryside.
BAR MANAGER & WINE BUYER
1 March to end November 2026, with 12 months accommodation, allowing three months for travelling while maintaining a base €2600 / month with accommodation plus Tips & end of season bonus
An exciting opportunity for a hospitality professional who wants to develop both their wine and spirits education and management skills in the world’s finest wine region.
Full responsibility for the various chateau bars (chapel, events barn, canapé terrace) and the bar at our bistro on the river
Leading the wedding bar wine and cocktail service team until lockdown at 3am at least once and sometimes twice per week during the summer months
Developing cocktails and drinks offers to suit the preferences of different wedding parties and events
Introducing wines to small dining groups at spring and autumn Wine Weekends
Closely involved in the selection of wines for Rigaud Wine Weekends and Bistro events
Opportunity to be sponsored through WSET exams
This is a serious job which requires previous bar experience. You must enjoy night life and working until the early hours. You need a clean manual driving licence. You must be physically fit able to move heavy kegs and wine cases in the heat of the summer and you must be legally able to work in Europe.
If you would be interested to apply, please send your CV to anna@chateaurigaud.co.uk
TEAM: FRONT OF HOUSE / HOUSEKEEPING
Typical jobs include
Chateau turnaround, working within a team of 8 to clean all 13 bedrooms plus communal areas to the highest standard in a matter of hours. Rooms are presented to an exacting standard with L’Occitane toiletries and 400 thread count sheets
Setting up and serving picnics, canapés, cocktails and dinner to discerning wedding guests
Polishing glasses, wrapping cutlery, sweeping floors, washing pots, cleaning loos, plumping cushions, changing beds, hoovering vast corridors, ironing napkins, setting a table for 144 guests to the exacting standards of our FOH manager, mopping floors, moving potted plants from A to B to C to B to C to A and repeat, etc etc
Driving guests to and from the venue, (driving experience dependent)
TEAM GROUNDS / BAR / FRONT OF HOUSE
Typical jobs include
Grounds turn aorund, working within a team to prepare the grounds for a new set of clients. Mowing and strimming grass, raking gravel, chopping wood, hoovering the pool, taking bottles to the bottle bank, moving heavy furniture, carrying bags to and from rooms, cleaning windows, washing out the bins, cleaning vehicles inside and out
Setting up and serving picnics, canapés, cocktails and dinner to discerning wedding guests
Moving chairs while dressed smartly in 35 degrees of heat or more
Serving drinks at a busy bar into the early morning and then assisting drunken guests onto minibuses
Driving guests to and from the venue, (driving experience dependent)
Requirements
An EU passport or other status which is legal to work in France is preferable. We can arrange a work visa for UK Passport Holders if they have extensive relevant experience and will be staying for a six months contract
Full driving license
You must be physically fit, able to lift and carry heavy items & sometimes to work long and strenuous days
Some basic French an advantage
Terms and Conditions
Full time role, 30 hours per week, 5 days per week (including Saturday and Sunday), 2 consecutive days off each week.
From €12 per hour, experience depending, live in
Share of a company vehicle for local trips
Equal share of tips
Fully serviced accommodation in shared house
If you have more experience than would be relevant to a basic team position then let us know. We have other opportunities and we will always find a role for talented hospitality professionals
Here below are examples of our team accommodation
Example of team accommodation. There is no charge for accommodation which is provided as part of the salary package and includes all services (gas, electric, water, internet)