Hello from Slough, UK!

Hello there everyone! My name is Aysha and I have recently created an account on here as house sitting is something that I have been wanting to do for the longest time, I adore cats and I love to travel so I thought why not try and do both together! I am thinking about finally taking the leap for a membership with TH as I have recently changed work to a fully remote role which will give me the freedom to do this! I am curious however on how how easy it is to get sits when you are just starting out? As obviously you wont have any sitting history on your profile yet?

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Hi @Aysh
A warm warm welcome to the forum.

Your thinking is spot on and many of our members are here for all the same reasons. It becomes a win win for everyone. You will draw lots of inspiration from our many members here.

Do link your profile to your forum profile as soon as you have done it.

https://forum.trustedhousesitters.com/t/how-to-add-a-listing-or-profile-link-to-your-forum-profile

Enjoy your time here.
Best Wishes
Therese and the forum team.

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We’ve only just joined and have got two sits already. I’ve read on here that it helps if you do a few local ones first to build up your reviews . Our first is local but not the second one. We’ve just been lucky but I think our love for cockers has helped I think as both sittings are for spaniels.

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Thank you Therese! :slight_smile:

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@Aysh I second what @Therese Therese has said but I was also suggest you look for local sits to get started. This is a great way to build your reviews and it’s easy and much less stressful to begin. Also, now is the time to look for any last minute sits as folks are more likely to consider your application, even without reviews. Once you get a few of those reviews under your belt, it will be smooth sailing from then on out.

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Thank you Debbie! That sounds great! :slight_smile:

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Hi there! Oh thats amazing congratulations! Yes that was my plan, to do a few local ones, then broaden out in the UK before trying abroad :slight_smile:

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Welcome @Aysh . I joined THS in mid May of this year and have done 6 sits (including sits in Denmark, Italy and recently Greece) since with 3 more confirmed till mid January.
It took me 23 applications to get my first sit. I’d say persistence, applying for local sits to begin with and those less popular helps. Make sure your profile is fully filled out.
Good luck.

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Hi @Aysh - getting your first sit is always the tricky one but don’t worry - every single one of us were in your position when we started . There are lots of great tips in this thread that may be of interest to you
Good Luck!

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Hi Colin, thank you so much! So much kindness and positive advice from everyone, it honestly seems like such a fab community and its making me even more keen to join and start! :smiley:

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Hello richen! Oh wow thats amazing! Hope you had the best time in those beautiful cities! Haha looks like perseverance is key here! Thanks for the advice

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@Aysh Hi Aysha & welcome!
Many people suggest applying for local short sits to get your review status off to a good start. But…there are other options too.
If you are interested in a Christmas Sit then this is a great time to join and get your first Sit! There are always a huge number of Christmas Sits so you have a better chance than usual of nabbing one!
Our very first sit- 4 years ago was in Perth Australia- a month by the sea with 2 cats! (Right up your street!) We applied from Bali (but we are UK/German) so our first Sit was not only long, but over Christmas & international! Not the usual first sit experience! We were immediately hooked! Since then we’ve done another 55 sits and will soon be heading to Singapore for a Christmas sit. Last Christmas we sat in Spain! So many adventures to be had! Have fun!:blush:
Oh and its good to get a few references from friends/colleagues etc. We also added a few airbnb reviews into our profile. Now you can actually add your airbnb link. It all helps!
Good luck getting that first Sit!

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Hi Lokstar and thank you! Oh my goodness WOW! How absolutely incredible! SO many adventures! Congrats on such an incredible experience on here, well that’s definitely given me the motivation boost I needed! Thank you ever so much!

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@Aysh Aaw…I love that enthuasiastic response! Its great to share experiences and sometimes I spend far too long on here just reading other peoples adventures!:rofl: Its certainly motivating too. This forum is also very helpful- You can literally ask anything housesitting-related and someone will have an idea or a tip!

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I did thanks especially after the last 2 years and living in a studio flat that you can almost swing a mouse in!!

@Bookworm @Colin @richten1 @Lokstar @Debbie-L @Therese Hi everyone! Thank you again for all your help and advice! Happy to report I have my first house sit booked! I lovely little cottage over the Xmas break with three lovely cats! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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@Aysh How absolutely wonderful. Enjoy your Xmas time with three precious cats for company. :cat: :cat: :cat:

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@Aysh Yay!! Congratulations on getting your first sit!! It sounds lovely! May this be the first of many wonderful housesitting adventures!!

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@Aysh - That is fantastic- congratulations and thank you for letting us all know your good news!

I am sure this will be your first of many great sits. It sounds like you will have a very Merry Christmas this year :christmas_tree:

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