When we needed guaranteed child care, we paid guaranteed hours. Now our kids are 12 & 13, and our schedule is all over the shop. They only need rides, and no child care. When I travel, we need much more help. When I have late calls, or the kids have an away volleyball game & one of us can't make it, the cross country practice conflicts with soccer, etc, etc. Because of our erratic schedule, we had an upfront conversation with our nanny. We know that our hours are unpredictable, so we do the following;
-Give as much lead time as possible on our schedule, knowing she fills in with other jobs
-Pass her name onto friends, and we have a casual sharing. Our nanny still gives me priority
-Minimum guarantee for time. I often only need 20-30 minutes of help, but we also pay for the minimum guarantee, to make it worth her time.
-We pay quite a bit over the standard hourly rate in our area
-When we have weeks where we don't need help (my parents are in town, etc), we arrange for date nights instead, so she can still get paid
-When I cancel at the last minute (my work ends early, whatever), we still pay
It's actually quite challenging when your kids are older, and you only need sporadic help. Very few people can afford to work that type of nanny job, or have a schedule that accommodates. We've found that being upfront about expectations, and following the guidelines above really help. Also note that our nanny works in a school, so this is a side hustle for her & not her full time job by any means.