This is probably more of a question for those who know a bit more about the back end of how things work here. I was just wondering if the homeowners feed of suggested sitters include suggestions based on what searches and saved searches the sitters might have executed?
For example, if a sitter search sits in a city/country a bunch of times, do the HO’s in that city/country see that sitter higher on their search results compared to sitters that haven’t searched in that area? or is it more based on how active the sitters are on the platform?
Do HO’s have any additional search options other than ‘Dates’, ‘My Pets’ and 'Experience"? Because based on those filters alone, it seems that there will be hundreds of search results to sift through that don’t fit the requirements a HO might be searching for. Do HO’s really look through pages of sitters profiles to find suitable sitters to send invites to? It just seems like so much work
I’m not sure my reply fits your question, but i never managed to “hire” a sitter who had selected my home and pet.
Or his or her calendar did not fit, or they were not matching with some of my commitments (language spoken, references, not living overseas,)
i’m anxious about last cancellations and some sitters sound reluctant to show id and proof of their flight booking…
Yes i read many profiles ( and feedbacks and reviews)and after havind decided not to send more private invitations i publish my listing . Few sitters seem to read it totally so few can be selected…
I don’t have any answers to this, but just thought I’d add my thoughts as I’ve just tried listing my first sit as a homeowner and been thinking this EXACT same thing!
Especially as lots of sitters don’t keep their calendars up to date. Sure the calendar function is good as a starting point to remove those already booked through THS or those who DO actively edit their availability…but most people don’t seem to.
Following from that, surely it would be brilliant to filter further for things our pets/house may need?
such as filter for solo sitters, needing ONLY male OR female due to pets needs/history? Or a filter for those working remotely, OR willing to be invited to do sits longer than a set duration? No point me inviting someone to a 3-week sit who can only do weekend or 1 week max.
OR, sitters that confirm non-smokers, or following certain diets?
OR, sits suitable or not suitable physically (like maybe sitters
We’re a vegan household except for our cats food, and ideally wanted vegan sitters (or veggie would’ve been acceptable compromise). I spent DAYS wasted trawling through the UK sitters list of thousands trying to take an educated guess at who may be appropriate based on their photo, as very few put it in their bio header.
And there’s no way of knowing the details above unless you start with that mega long list, and open each profile individually, and read the whole thing. Then find out they wouldn’t be a right fit anyway! It’s exhausting. We’ve had to cancel our holiday because of this, as we simply couldn’t filter the list down enough to FIND enough of the right people appropriate to invite
Ah yes, I forgot to say location. But still, just those 4 filters seems so few. I tried a few times and there usually seems to be hundreds of results for many locations. That´s a lot of profiles to have to look through as a HO.
Hi I am new to THS as a sitter, so I am learning my way around. So sorry to hear you may have had to cancel your trip. I think from what I gather that a lot of sitters, including me that don’t use the calendar feature as it is cumbersome and not specific enough. However, I did heart your listing when I joined as travel to Sheffield 1-2 x per year as my daughter lives there. I was so tempted to apply -I am also vegetarian so it seemed like a good fit. But I live in the USA so last minute flights can be difficult to work out and complicated especially from the part I live in as there are no direct flights. It’s usually 2-3 flights for me to Manchester. I hope you don’t get discouraged I will be watching your listing for future dates though.
