It is not very clear from the site what type of Reference is required. If employer ref, what if you
are retired for a number of years, your old co. has long since folded, the people who knew you
are long dead or have moved on?if a reference is from someone who knows you, is that
Supposed to be a friend(not a real ref. to my mind). Reference from a pastor?( what about an
atheist who does not do church) Credit reference check I would be very hesitant to give my
finance details to an owner. character refs. (from whom??.)
References/Reviews on owners - At present, it seems as sitters, we can only rely on reviews from
former sitters. How do sitters know that they are dealing with decent, respectful people and
not people with criminal records, part if drug cartels, child s… deviants with hidden cameras
In the bedroom, .restroom area. If owners are asking questions of a personal nature, how do we
know they are not scammers? I was one asked “Do you go to church?” I was dumbfounded but
with the benefit of hindsight, I would now respond “Does your pet go to church???”
Thank you Smiley. You have to be so careful. Just because people sound good, does not always mean they are who they say they are. Not many countries do full background checks on people when they allow them into their country.
Hi @Willexcell
References can be from anyone you choose and who of course are willing and knowledgeable about things that highlight your strengths to people reviewing your profile.
Ideally they are individuals who can attest to your character, your experience, level of responsibility and your ability to provide good pet care. If you have experience as a sitter, pet care from friends, family, volunteer services those would be great.
People have their own personal, specific things that are important to them. Trying to please everyone only works in making yourself miserable so pick people who will give insight as to who you are, not those that you think will say what others want to hear.
To add, as a sitter, I have no real guarantee of anything. I decide based on the evidence presented, what I can see in the profile and what is said by them when I speak to them. Then I trust my own feelings. There is always some type of uncertainty but I am happy to say, I am usually very pleasantly surprised.
Best wishes.
Thank Amparo, you are so helpful. I will take on board your sentence beginning
“Trying to please everyone…” . Years ago, I took some training on dementia care and it was pointed out that as we age, we get caught up in our own needs and don’t see the big picture. This is how I see the senior pet parents I have been dealing with and they only can relate to their own needs and don’t take the time to understand what is going with their pet and if the pet is in pain, they do not address it until it is almost too late.
Yes, I have to realise that not everyone will take the time to learn good behaviours with other people or their dogs. It also makes me realise the futility of relying on references if almost anyone can write them so I will take more heed of reviews that might be more independent.
I can’t wait to start pet sitting! I’ve applied for a few but not yet successful. One bit of feedback is I don’t have references so I need to somehow get the ball rolling!
Hi Katy,
i started in Mid may last year as a sitter on THS and also had no references as I didn’t want to use family. It took me 23 applications to get my first sit. Currently on my 9th sit! It was a local sit to me. I’d suggest starting with local, last minute sits or those not in popular locations to build up your feedback. Good luck.
Hi newbie @Katy. Welcome to TrustedHousesitters and our community here in the forum. I’m glad you’ve introduced yourself. Yes, references can go a long way when you’re just getting started. General rules of thumb: Get at least 3 references, and if you have lots of reviews on another platform such as airbnb, you can include a link to that profile in your TrustedHousesitters sitter page.
Hi @Katy there is also a help section on the website and the Blog has some excellent articles to help members especially new ones getting started >> this one will help explain about references
@Willexcell Hello & welcome!
When we joined in 2017 it was a requirement to get a least one reference in order for the profile to go live. We got 2 from old friends who know us 20+ years. References from previous employers or landlords are also good options. We also cut&pasted about 10 great reviews we’d got on airbnb to help get us started. Now you can add the airbnb link directly. I see many new profiles with no references or reviews yet which probably does make it a little more difficult but once you get that first sit and first 5* review the ball will start rolling!
I think the system is rather biased in favour of hosts as I don’t believe they are ID/referenced checked like sitters have to be. A lot of trust is therefore needed from the sitter side- especially solo female sitters- going into the unknown. That’s why phone/video calls are so important. To build up a connection with each other and ask/answer all the questions. And reading all previous sitter feedback/no feedback. After a while you learn to read between the lines a bit…