@ziggy - that sit deserves a whole chapter when you write your memoirs.
I’ve invited sitters of all ages to sit in my home. In a previous thread, I suggested that age was never hidden because of photos and textual clues, but that I didn’t think sitter’s ages should be listed on the profile because that could foster age discrimination and would be against the law in some places. The US is one of those places where for both employment (and I get it this isn’t a job) and housing and “accomodation” (Airbnb, hotels) age-discrimination is illegal.
Second, I was today years old when I realized the phone app – not the website – but the phone app, actually has a filter where people can filter sitters by age right down to pretty short intervals. No sitter over 40? No problem! This feels just all kinds of creepy, not just discriminitory. I get that most of the time people aren’t searching for sitters this way, but I don’t understand why they would have that particular filter. Other filters have to do with actual ability to perform duties: experience with particular pets, previous reviews and references.
However people “feel” about their right to set all kinds of critieria for sitters in their home, that particular filter feels like it is skating on thin ice in the US where age discrimination is illegal.
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Interesting where the maximum age stops at 64 @Marion, thereby discriminating against many sitters who are older than this.
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Phone app. What’s being referred to is HOs can filter for sitters by age. You can say “I don’t mind” and not filter by age or you can pick a minimum age in 10 year intervals from 25 to 65+. and/or a maximum age by the same intervals. This doesn’t apply when a homeowner makes their dates “public” and any sitters can apply. It is when a HO is looking at sitters to invite privately.
I get that it is very difficult for a company like THS or AIrbnb, or Rover even to stop people from discrimining, or selecting in other ways that might not be ethical, not only on age but in other ways. However, It feels like by offering age as a filter, THS is saying “We support your right not to have a sitter over the age of 30!” Or for that matter: “We support your right not to have a sitter under 45.” You have to ask yourself for example, what good could come from someone deciding to filter specifically for sitters with a maximum age of 25? It’s strange, companies like Airbnb primarily as a result of law suits are trying to do what they can to end other forms of discrimination on their site. It is surprising to me that THS would do something to actually foster age discrimination. When you sign up as a sitter whether you are 21 or 70, you are paying the same amount of money and looking for the same opportunities. Why would THS put a thumb on the scale? I don’t know how many HOs use the filter and I can’t imagine this is something many would “demand.”
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A friendly reminder to please remain on topic and courteous.
I like how you put it @ziggy
As living in Thailand often includes many unexpected factors, some life experience is truly useful. We do consider younger sitters as well if they apply, if they have experience from living/staying long term in Asia.
The same goes to people over 65 - because of the climate. Our dog doesn’t require long walks during a sit, but the tropical climate can still be too much, if one is not used to it.
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@Marion has clearly explained where this is found @ziggy and how owners can use it to privately invite sitters.
I find that the continuation of this conversation has shown the both the good and bad of THS.
I am completely nomadic at the moment. I remain close to the city that I found my current partner at.
I am in my mid 30s and I have interviews gone sideways because of my age and questioning my being considerate to their property.
I own several properties and I do fairly well for myself. While someone may be older than I am, that does not mean my younger age does not mean I will provide worse care.
@CatsAndDog thank you for your understanding, many haven’t.
I have housesat in Bangkok before and it is one of my favourite places, even being a city! Been quite a few times now and hopefully there again in 2024. I have spent months at a time in Egypt, soul, and being a Queenslander I thrive on the heat. I could write a book (which many of my friends have suggested I do) on the situations I have been in throughout my travels and look back on them hysterically now 
I understand and agree with all you have said 
I only found about about this AGE FILTER yesterday on another thread and I find it quite strange that it exists at THS - it seems more like a dating app than a house/petsitting app requirement.
It also made me realise that on member profiles it is only the age of the SITTER that the age is mentioned, and never on the profile/listing of the OWNER.
If THS are going to use this filter, why is it not for ALL members? Perhaps there are sitters out there who do not wish to house & pet sit the home of a young owner for various reasons? Or do not wish to house sit for an elderly member? I know, it’s a bit bizarre but due to the current age filter that I only just discovered, it made me think of these questions too!
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As I was in my late 60s I said to ho would my age be a problem no she said my last sitters a couple he was in his 80 s .now im in my 70 s I hate ageism.I just look after small dogs or mostly cats im definitely the cat lady.
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@cat.tails Thank you for reconnecting with this thread, It is an interesting topic and great to hear the community’s views. I have copied all of your feedback across to the Product team 
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Age discrimination is not illegal in the US unless the individual is in a protected class. Like over 40. But to be honest you can choose someone you like without stating age as a filter and not violate anything.
OP I don’t care what the age of a sitter is. I care if they have the personality and character to take care of my house and dog. My dog is old so she doesn’t require a sitter who can run her. So age is truly not of concern.
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@anon42826925 can you support this as a universal statement, keeping in mind that TrustedHousesitters has members worldwide? Having now been on this forum for years, I find that too often members forget the reach of TrustedHousesitters and its membership. Sometimes bold statements are made without keeping this in mind. 
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@Snowbird Fixed my statement. Thanks for bringing it to my attention. People in the US do not understand the laws we have here and who is protected and who is not.
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This is true in the sense that someone could legally decide not to rent to someone who is below 40 or not to give a job to someone below 40 and that person would not have a legal case based on age discrimination. However, the average life span in the US is over 77 years, meaning that most of us will be in this “protected class” for a good long while. It’s disingenioius to simply dismiss age discrimination as though it only effects some abstract group. My point is that THS FOSTERS discrimination by offering people the opportunities to elminate sitters above or below a certain age. If in point of fact, such discrimination is only “illegal” in one direction, it’s still a form of discrimination against members who all pay the same the same amount for membership. If I was a 23 year old sitter with years of Rover experience who grew up with responsibilities for pets and was being filtered out of opportunities, I’d be just as annoyed as a 45 year old sitter who was filtered out for being “over the hill.” It’s simply wrong that THS offers discriminatory filter that is irrelevant to that sitter’s ability to responsibly carry out house/pet sitting tasks.
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I didn’t dismiss it. I simply defined it as it applies to US sitters and HOs.