Hi, all. I have accepted a new 9-5 in a town 200 miles from home. (San Diego). I love all the animals, and miss mine when I’m away from home during the week.
Would it be appropriate to sign up for sitting people’s homes/pets if I could only be there in the mornings/evenings, and not during the day?
If you mean to have a sit there and go to work during the day, I can’t see why not as long as you are transparent. Many sitters will explore the area in the same kind of hours while sitting.
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Welcome @Katwrench good question .
There are sits (usually for cats or small animal like rabbits , birds or reptiles) where the owners usually work full time and are out during the day . If that is the usual set up then it would work for a sitter too .
We have done a few sits like this when we were attending a specific event and would be out during the day .
You can filter your sit search for just cats or small animals etc. Which may help you to find a suitable sit.
State in your profile and application that you will be out at work during the day .
Be sure to have a discussion with the owners before agreeing to a sit so that they understand this .
It could also work out as a regular arrangement if the owners also have to work away in the week and need a sitter regularly but not for the weekends.
There’s nothing to lose by joining up as
you can cancel your membership and receive your money back if you have been unsuccessful in confirming a sit within 14 days of making your 5th application. (This applies to your first years membership only)
Have you looked to see if there are even sits in the town where you’ll be? You have to keep in mind that sits aren’t like hotels. You can’t just check in/out on the days you want. Many sits will cover a weekend so you’d need to stay over probably 2 weekends to care for the pets. Is that something you’d be willing to do?
Sitters only apply to sits which match their needs and availability.
@Katwrench, welcome to the forum. You ask a very direct question that only you can answer but you have already got very good advice.
@CreatureCuddler is right, this is not like a hotel or even an AIrbnb (though some people on this forum tend to compare it) it comes with responsibilities that you should be aware of, so it would be worth reading the terms and conditions before you sign up.
@Silversitters has given excellent advice and has mentioned most sits that could be suitable for you. You could also check some small dogs sits. I’ve done a couple of sits where they were used to being alone when the owners went to work.
I don’t think THS would cover all your needs of accommodation unless you are prepared to do very long sits and even so you would need another source of accommodation but it could be very nice to do some sits and come “home” to the company and love of pets.
Good luck in your job and in THS, I think you will join and you’ll love it.
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Sitters should only do that. But many new people come in thinking that they can set the dates of the sit, and they need to be realistic. Someone who wants to go home every weekend is unlikely to find many sits that only last M-F. They may get lucky but the reality is that it’s unlikely to be common.
Just a couple days ago a new member was asking how to talk to HOs about sitting on different dates than those listed so that the sits better meet the sitter’s needs.
But there have also been owners saying they want sitters mid week only and will be back every weekend .
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Sure. And the OP may get lucky. But sits like that are the drastic minority, not the majority. So the odds of a HO like that being in the town where OP works is very minimal. Nothing is impossible but pretending that OP is going to have tons of opportunities that meet her very limiting requirements is setting them up for disappointment.
The reality is that most sitters need to have some level of flexibility to work around HO schedules and it sounds like OP doesn’t really have that as she’s tied to fixed dates and a fixed location.
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@Katwrench only mentions their concern about being
We know nothing about their expectations.
If I were in their shoes, I would find it very comforting to do some short sits and get pets’ company after coming from work. But of course, as I said, only @Katwrench can decide that.
Sitters do not really need to be flexible in their dates, only to filter the sits they apply for carefully and be completely honest about their availability.
@Katwrench, it is worth noting @CreatureCuddler’s advice about searching for availability of sits in your area if you still haven’t done that. I wouldn’t use the date filter so that you can get a better idea of what comes up over a long period of time. Maybe there are some recurrent sits that you could apply for. You can also get a very good idea of how competitive the area is. You may see sits disappearing in minutes. If that is the case, you would need to start with low application, local and/or last minute sits to improve your chances of getting the sits. You mention you have animals that will help you get started.
They also said
Which would indicate that they’re only available to sit during weekdays as they go home at the weekend. Knowing people who have had similar schedules, they arrive from home on monday for work and leave after work on Friday. If OP follows a similar pattern, they’d need a sit that starts monday evening and ends friday morning. I suspect those are few and far between. Add in that they’re tied to one location and need pets that can be left alone all day (and HOs who are ok with that since most HOs want a sitter to actually spend time with their pets) I expect options are limited.