I saw someone post a comment that made me wonder - sitters - do you sometimes apply for more than one sit with similar overlapping dates? If so, how do you handle the process? We did it once when we had applied for a sit and after 4-5 days, had had no response at all so we applied for another sit that came up. When we were accepted for the 2nd sit right away, we cancelled our application for the first with a message saying we had just accepted another sit.
As had been mentioned before, some HO donāt respond right away and we donāt have the luxury of waiting a couple of weeks between each application. Iām wondering what the proper etiquette is?
Yes indeed if I find 2 or more that interest me, but I always commit to the first one who makes an offer following the normal communication process.
I donāt think I have ever had a situation where this has disappointed a HO as most have other suitable applicants in line, it seems that most HO create a shortlist of maybe 2 or 3 applicants to invite. Others sometimes make their decisions straight away during a videochat.
Also, I always take notes during the video chat. I have the word āyesā and ānoā and "maybe) written on a piece of paper that hubby and I can both see. During the interview, we will point to one of the words to see if weāre on the same page in case we get invited right at the moment.
If we are undecided (so far never), we will tell them we will talk and get back to them in a few hours.
Understandably, the HO looking for a sitter for the first time are generally the ones that need a bit of hand holding and guidance through the process, I always allow extra time for them to respond.
I have had some first timers immediately ask me to sit, in those cases I accept the offer but encourage them to have a cool off for 24/48 hours and if they still feel the same then great, if they change their mind after its no problem for me - none have done that so far Iām happy to say
I wish we had that luxury. But when it can sometimes be a two week wait from application date to acceptance, we canāt afford the time. We donāt like to book our flights until we have our sits nailed down and we are usually attempting to line up 2-3 sits in a row.
That being said, we have yet to leave any house sit in the lurch with our application. Only once, early on, we didnāt cancel an application (not realizing we could) and a home owner contacted us 3 weeks later to see if we were interested and we had to tell her weād just accepted another sit.
When the button to accept a sitter first came in, it didnāt have an option for the sitter to accept first and we we once awoke to find we had a sit in Italy all lined up without ever having even talked to the woman. We declined it.
We apply to everything that sounds interesting even if the dates overlap. We proceed according to the motto first come, first served. But we also communicate this in every application. Those who do not read applications or donāt respond within a reasonable time are just out of luck. We do not waste our chances to wait for someone who maybe will not react. The HOs that take care of their applicants donāt have a problem with that either. We do not write an application every day. So there is always enough time for the HO to decide. But if a HO needs weeks to choose, he/she should not be surprised if someone else snatches the sitter away. Some HO forgets that it is a two-way give and take and have to learn the hard way.
I do apply for multiple sits at the same time - and sometimes I have to make a tough decision.
Earlier this week I had applications in for close and overlapping dates in the San Juan Islands of Washington and in wine country of Calif. Both responded while I was flying to my current sit in Los Angeles. I agreed to talk with both, explaining that I would have to make a decision and asking for a day. Both were fine with that, I expect because they each had multiple applicants.
If HOs can consider multiple applicants, than sitters should be able to consider multiple invites.
Ok so pet sitters how long do you wait for any kind of communication from a HO before applying for a different sit over the same dates?
Home owners, do you expect pet sitters to only apply for your sit at one time or multiple?
I tried my best to be respectful & committed once I submit an application that Iāve put myself forward but thereās far more sitters to sits down just wonder how others did things?
JayneH
Kind of talked about in other posts.
I do have multiple applications out for sits at the same time. Once I get a firm offer I withdraw the applications for the others. Sometimes Iāll get responses from more than one sit at the same time and might talk to all, explaining that Iām trying to decide which to take.
No one has seemed bothered by that - the same as being told āwe are talking with several applicants and will decide.ā
Without a permanent base in the UK, I aim to lock sits in back to back so I am very active checking the THS site regularly. If I dont hear back from an application in the first few days, I archive it with a āpossibleā marker and then I put it out of my mind. I dont labour over rejections and non replies as that is energy we can be putting to better use looking for a definite sit. I do have some parameters for what I will apply for and have learnt that big strong dogs that pull on the lead are not for me nor is spending all day mucking out stables. I look at the photos of the dogs; the type of breed tells me something about what the sit might involve and I never take on more than two small to medium dogs or more than three catsā¦a house where eight Toms have been fighting for dominance and spraying everything in sight makes for a unpleasant stay in my experience! I do repeat sits if I have connected with the animals and HO and if there is always something new to do in the area, thats an added bonus but at the end of the day my priority is to put a roof over my head while hopefully seeing some interesting places with good animal company. I have stayed in humble run down homes and had a better experience there than sometimes staying in mansions where the dogs are not toilet trained and never exercised! I would say dont wait for a HO to get back to you as they might never do so but be proactive and keep checking the THS listings! Good luck!
Hi @Michelle welcome to our community forum and to TrustedHousesitters, if you are talking about posting to the forum yes, if using TrustedHousesitters as a sitter member, you have come to the right place for help and advice from other members.
There are new and experienced sitter & owner members and everything in between.
You can apply for more than one sit at a time but you only ever accept one and if you have an invitation from an owner and accept and have other offers the best practice is to let other owners know that you wonāt be available.
Before applying for sits spend as much time as you can crafting your profile. Be sure to add up to date references as well, after reading your application, owner members use your profile in the selection process.
If you are traveling with children itās really worth looking at asking a teacher, coach or leader to say a few words about them, after all parents are biased, having an unbiased āreferenceā adds really does help give an owner insights and include pictures of the children with animals.
Communication ,is key to success as a TrustedHousesitters member, whether pre, on or post sit clear and accurate communication is so important.
@Michelle - clarification, @Angela_L means one for the same time period. You can book as many sits as your calendar can handle. Enjoy this new lifestyle for you - it can be oh so rewarding
@Michelle as @Snowbird says you can book in advance. There are many sitters with sits booked months in ahead, especially those who sit full time. The only caveat to that is once sits are confirmed they should never be cancelled, except in extreme circumstances and so itās important to plan accordingly.
