Travelling with Free Accommodation at your Fingertips (2 of 2)
In the first part of the series I talked about house sitting and the benefits (such as saving money on rent, experiencing new places) that it can offer.
Read that here — https://readmedium.com/travelling-with-free-accomadation-at-your-fingertips-1-of-2-549a8ee8f82e
Here, I will discuss how you can get started as a house sitter and list some tips to help you succeed.
Getting started as a house/ pet sitter
The first thing you need to do to become a house sitter is to set up a profile on one of the specialized websites that connect homeowners with house sitters. Some of the most popular websites are: TrustedHousesitters, Nomador and MindMyHouse.
You then need to populate your profile with all your relevant skills and experience. I personally find including photos of yourself with different types of animals to be a great addition to your profile because it shows that you’re comfortable around pets, which in most circumstances are the homeowner’s pride and joy. They are looking for something they can trust. If you have any house-sitting references or testimonials, those will also make your profile shine early on.
Next, you need to secure your first house sitting gig! Be flexible and try to secure placements in your home country at first to build up your reputation and your list of reviews. The more positive reviews you have on your profile, the more likely you’ll be accepted for house sitting positions in the future.
In your initial message to homeowners, make sure you come across warm and friendly.
Over time, your reputation as a house sitter will grow, as will your list of glowing reviews.
Being a great house/ pet sitter
How can you make sure you do the best job you can and not receive a negative review that could muddy your profile?
Good attitude — Be positive, happy, and respectful!
Be prepared — Make sure you have all the right documents and clothing needed. For example — if you’re going to be looking after a Labrador in Scotland during the winter months, you can expect a lot of muddy walks, so pack walking shoes and waterproof jackets. If the homeowner requires ID for insurance purposes, make sure you bring your passport or driving license.
Be flexible — Be open to various locations and timeframes as many housesitting positions require some degree of flexibility.
Be professional — Treat house sitting like any other job. Be punctual, don’t take too long to respond to messages, and aways respect the homeowners property and rules.
Go above and beyond — Tell your house sitter how much you enjoyed your stay and add some personal stories about the pets you took care of. These little comments go a long way.
So, there you have it! Have you ever house sat? Is it something you’d want to do in the future?
