Hello, I am new here and I need some advice

Welcome & Getting Started
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Hello pet lovers :slight_smile: I hope you are fine

I am new here (about 1 month ago I started looking for house sits) and until now I was not successful. I am very patient but I want some piece of advice to increase my chances of being accpeted.

Please see my sitters profile in my forum profile :slight_smile:

Some things that I always do when I apply for a sit:
I send this message (I personalize the message accordingly to the name of the person, the name of the pets, among others)

"Hello (name of the person), how are you doing? I hope amazing :))

My name is Gabriel and I am planning to work while travelling in 2024 through Europe. I seen that you are looking for a sitter for your pets, and as a pet lover I would love to take care of (name of the pet) when you are outside, they will be treated like royalty.

I had 2 cats when I was a kid and I loved it, I love playing with cats. I am very passionated about them.

I am opened to have a video call with you and meet you before the sit. I read your description but I want to know more about your pets :slight_smile:

Best regards
Gabriel Gomes"

Usually I add something else, for example if its in my country I say that speaking the language is an adventage in case I need to call to a vet.

Unfortunately I just had pets as a child, currently I just dont have the possibilty to have pets. So I cant add photos in my profile with pets. Obviously I know this is a big disavantage, but still I love dogs and cats :slight_smile: I just want to make new furry friends.

I also thought about make a sit close to my place to get some internal references, but nothing appearing that I can go because its far away from my place and the days requested do not fit my agenda right now.

Sorry for the long text and thank you so much if you are reading this
Best regards
Gabriel

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Good luck, you will find you love THS. As English is not your first language, so get someone to translate your profile for you, as some of it could be improved.
Just a couple of tips:-
In your profile don’t leave pet owners with any questions in their minds.
For example, you say you are working while travelling, but you don’t say what it is you do.
A home owner is not going to reach out and ask you what you do for work, they will simply accept another sitter who did not leave any questions in their minds.
Also,
You mention you had 2 cats when you were kid, but you need to go into more detail, for example, how did the cats make you feel, did you love them, did you like them, do you miss them. It needs to be heart-felt.
Also,
Because you only mention cats and you do not mention having a love of other animals, then you will only attract cat-owners. However, on here you mention you would like to sit dogs too. So think about how you could word that better to attract dog owners too.
Also,
Take a look at other sitters profiles that have a lot of reviews, and see how they word their profile for some tips on how your own could be improved.

Good luck

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Don’t be patient with waiting for answers from HOs!

You can send several applications at the same time. As soon as you see something nice, just apply.

Now is the holiday season, there is a high demand for sitters, this is the easier time to start.

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Welcome @Gabriel you mention working while travelling are you already living in Europe with a European passport ( which gives you the right to work in Europe) or do you have other plans ?

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Are you only applying for your 2024 trip? I’d recommend doing some of the many last minute holiday sits wherever you are now (or willing to go). People are desperate and will take newbies and it’ll build some experience to make you look more appealing during your trip next year

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Thank you everyone for the replies.

I already sent some applications and all were declined, but as I know, this is normal. I am not the most experienced person as a pet sitter.

Yes, I have an European passaport. My plans are working with workaway platform, and be a pet sitter in this platform. Maybe its better change “work while travelling” to “gap year traveller”.

I did some changes in my profile :slight_smile: if anyone have more sugestions to do I am glad to read it

I consider myself a good English speaker, however sometimes I do some minor errors, if someone finds a error or something I will appreciate a lot if you can say it to me

Once again, thank you so much for your time and kindness

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Hi Gabriel,
Hopefully you will start to get some results soon. There are quite a few minor mistakes in both your application letter (eg. “passionated” instead of “passionate”, “while you are outside” instead of “while you are away”) and your profile - if I were you I would get a native English speaker to review both. I think your English is probably more than good enough to communicate clearly with owners but it is very important that owners feel confident in that, so worth putting a bit of effort in.
Pet sitting on THS is not considered work so to avoid confusion I would remove the reference to work and just say you are planning to travel.
You focus more on how being with animals would make you happy rather than how you would make them happy, and how you would deal with the more basic or unpleasant stuff. It’s not all about going for walks in the park, it can be about cleaning litterboxes, managing medication etc etc. so you need to make owners feel confident that you are not just there for the feel-good moments and that you are competent and practical. Hope this is of some help.

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I think your profile looks great! A few things here and there could be improved though.

In which countries are you applying?
There are quite a lot of Brazilians on THS, so if you find their profiles and like the pet sit, it might be an advantage if you can communicate in Portuguese. :slight_smile:

In the “about me” section, you could try to say more about animals, for example “I have always been an animal lover”, “I love travelling and animals”, etc.

In your application letter, you need to say “while you are away”. If you use the word “outside”, it sounds like they have just stepped out for a few moments.

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I think more experience with petsitting as an adult would be helpful. You have good references from your friends and it sounds like they trust you, but you don’t appear to have actually cared for their pets. Having a pet as a kid is a much different experience than taking care of a pet as an adult. I would recommend you do some actual petsitting for friends or relatives, or volunteer at a local animal shelter and then ask someone there for a reference. Showing that you know how to care for pets and have experience with dogs and cats will be helpful.

The other reason you should “practice” first at a friend or relative’s home is because even experienced sitters can experience a little anxiety on a sit if things aren’t going well – if the animal isn’t very friendly, or has some health issue. You will be more confident and comfortable if you gain a little experience first.

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Thank you so much for the tips

In the following days I will ask someone to review my profile.

I will also put something related with the more basic and unpleasant stuff. Should I put it where exactly?

I am also looking in other platform volunteering in dog/cat shelters.

Thank you so much for your time

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I agree with all the above, especially trying to get a last minute sit over Christmas to get that first review. Also look for sits in less desirable locations e.g. small towns if you arent doing that already. City sits get so many applications!

Definitely try and get some pictures with animals - maybe a friend can let you walk their dog?

It might take a bit of time to get going, unfortunately I think young guys travelling alone probably have a harder time getting sits because people get worried about parties in their houses. A few good reviews though and hopefully you’ll be on your way.

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@Gabriel Welcome to THS.
I would suggest you try and do some sits to get some reviews. A lot of owners won’t choose anyone that hasn’t done at least one sit or more on THS. If you are able to do some sits that are close to you even if they are short and not necessarily where you want to be it can help get the sits that are further away. Someone close may be more likely to trust you as a new sitter and if they are really close you could offer to meet them beforehand. I did several in my city and once I had a few reviews I found international owners started to respond to my applications.

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I would reword the “About Me” section, add something there about pets and remove the part about gifts. Change “wanna” to “want to”. It is a lovely profile and you should be able to get a sit over Christmas somewhere fairly local. Getting that first sit and review can be tricky but it is far easier once you have one. Good luck.

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When I started with Trusted House Sitters I looked & send applications to “last minute” sits. I think your chances are greater to receive a sit sooner because that Home Owner has likely already made travel plans & paid for it already as well. I have 15 completed sits and all of the are recurring. I hope this helps. :heart:

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One of your reviews only gave you 4 stars, I would remove that, or ask them for 5 stars.
Change the wanna, to want to. Try and get some pictures of yourself with animals. It takes a long time to get that first sit, so don’t give up, apply for short local sits to get reviews. You will get a sit eventually, Christmas is a great time to start, lots of sits around.

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Hey Gabriel, I took a look at your profile and I have some suggestions that could improve your chances of getting a first opportunity.
Are you on InstagraM? I’ll contact you there if you’d like to chat.
Me and my partner have been doing sits for 3 years now and we’ve had over 50 experiences so far, im pretty sure we can help.

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Hey there!

So for me, I think your profile tells me you’re a lovely person, but it doesn’t tell me that you’re the one I should def choose to care for my pet as it doesn’t share much about your experience with animals…I would want to see the following:

  • how good are you at following instruction and adapting to the needs of our routine?
  • do you have experience with different types of animals or more so which ones? puppies, elderly cats, administering meds and first aid, working with sensitive rabbits,…(I mean whatever it is, these are just examples)
  • you don’t have any pictures with animals
  • and agree with what others have said about your references…you’re a good person with good friends but have you had experience caring for their pets?
  • what type of work are you doing or more so, is it a job that allows you the flexibility to be available when my pets will need you and will I be able to reach you?
  • are you as adept (or close to it) at caring for the house/home and leaving it as you found it as you are about caring for my animal(s)?

RE: your letter, this would read like a canned message to me. When I read letters, I want to know:

  • you have read my profile and are looking forward to being in the place but more than anything thrilled to be staying with my pet
  • you already have clarifying questions where relevant and are digging in to learn more about the sit or (if you prefer a less direct approach) express excitement to learn about aspects of my pet’s routine
  • you call out anything relevant to your history that would be beneficial or relevant to my sit
  • if you have off-TH experience on your socials, etc. sharing links, credentials or otherwise in your letter can be helpful
  • and then in truth, I tend to just go ahead and include my alternative contact information (i.e. my number on WhatsApp) so that HOs do not have to chase me and they know I’m ready and able to chat now now about their sit…it’s one less step that they have to do)
  • You can also change the language in your letter to be more proactive. ex. “it would be great to hop a video call to discuss your sit further and answer any questions I may be able to clarify. I’m available a XYZ times but let me know what works for you.”

Personally, I don’t mind that your letter may read as though English is your second language, but that’s just me…I can understand clearly what you’re saying and there’s nothing major in terms of errors but it doesn’t hurt to make sure you’ve worked to improve fluency as best you can in your profile. That being said, thawed are a few places (as others have mentioned) where your word choice could be better and comme across less lax if updated).

This is a research-based approach but if you’re feeling studious, something else you can do is explore the forums and read about all the things HOs complain about re:HS profiles. lol…they will literally tell you exactly what they feel is missing if you’re willing to take the time to read through the threads. You can then take those insights and incorporate them into your profile and interactions.

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Thank you so much for your time and effort analyzing my profile :slight_smile:

I will improve my profile with someone experienced in the platform, and I will take some of your advices as well.

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Hey, I have but I dont use it too much… can we speak via whatsapp?

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@Gabriel … before reading your profile homeowners will look at the photos - you have no photos of you with pets / animals . Without this the HO may not even read your profile .

Add as many photos of you with a pet as you can -( I suggest at least three different pets as a minimum )

If you don’t have any ( check your phone you probably do ) ….can you volunteer at a local animal shelter or offer to take an elderly neighbours dog for a walk regularly and get some photos and references from there?

Apply for a last minute local sit to get started . You can offer to meet them in person before the sit to provide reassurance as you haven’t any reviews yet.

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