Hi, looking for advice or tips for getting your first sit? tia
The Forum is a great resource for finding that sort of information.
Different sitters have different circumstances so one size does not fit all.
Use the spyglass at the top of the page to search for topics.
Apply for last-minute sits. Even if they are a bit short, and uninteresting for travel.
My first sit was a Christmas sit, when there is more demand than supply. After the first review, it became much easier to get sits.
Apply for short local sits thatās what Iāve done and itās working out really well.
You can also add your TSH profile āintoā your forum profile and ask for feedback- I edited my own profile a dozen times to get it right.
Take time to read many of the useful blogs under Help on the website to learn about what you have actually signed up for, especially the Terms of Service and Code of Contact which you have agreed to by joining.
Be patient and apply to lots of Sits! One thing that was not intuitive for meāgive lots of information in your application message (and obviously personalize your message with names of pets, etc). Apparently Owners do NOT prefer to have to GO to your profile to read all about you!
There is a great post by @Colin that suggests a foolproof way to create your application message!
Weāre sitting for a very new HO at the moment and she had two of her 5 applicants write āIām interested, please see my profileā & she deleted them on principle. If thatās as little effort as someone wants to make itās unlikely to work out well @Rosemary1 Be personal & craft your response & include a whatās app number too if youāre comfortable to speed things up and show open comms. #toptip
I am now looking on some other sites, and there I write that kind of applications. On those other sites, it can be unclear how old the listing is and if they still want applications. Listings may have very little information and few (if any) photos, so that I donāt even know how interested I am.
I may be back on THS soon
If itās MMH @pietkuip most of them are a complete waste of time! They sit there for months unanswered & rotting IMHO #timewasters
Right now I am mainly looking on the Dutch site (free), which is almost silly.
I am also looking on the French site (the free option for now). I will test a 3-months subscription when there is something that I really want to apply to. The listings there are often extremely last-minute.
Now I understand how little competition THS really has.
I struggled to get my first sit so I then followed the advice on the forum to apply for a less-attractive local one, and I was snapped up. It was fine after that.
The general feeling on the forum seems to be that there are more sits than sitters at the moment - I can see tons of low applications ones, so it might be an easier time to join.
I found it! @Colin advice here (was not intuitive for me to make the ācover letterā so long):