@fledermaus people use THS very differently. Some hosts take only one trip a year but still find the cost of membership much cheaper than using kennels etc. Some sitters only sit occasionally but still find that membership is covered after the first couple of sit nights- depending on what accomodation costs are where they stay. Other hosts take multiple trips a year, making maximum use of their membership. And there are sitters like us who’ve made housesitting a fulltime lifestyle and find it great value for money. Basically the membership fee unlocks the door to 365 days of opportunity to sit or have sitters- anywhere in the world! Whether you use it or not -being a member always gives you amazing opportunities you would not otherwise have.
In your case you work 6 months but you still have 6 months of the year you ARE able to sit! Even one interesting weekend or week long sit could still make your membership worthwhile. We have the basic/cheapest level & its more than enough for our needs
We are sitters and when we confirmed just one week sit in luxury home in a popular holiday location in the U.K. we felt that the annual fee was well worth it for us . As Premium members we also got free airport lounge passes which we used when we went on a non- housesitting holiday . Any other sits through the year are a bonus .
Even if we were not looking for a sit at renewal time , but knew we would be later in the year we would pay for another year’s membership since you never know when a great sit will be listed .
We’ve applied to sits that are short notice <one month ahead and another one that was 11 months ahead . It is for a location that we have always wanted to visit - during a month when we will be celebrating an anniversary in a fantastic home and location and once again the membership fee more than covers it for us just for that week .
Thank you for offering to look at my profile…I hope you can see it! I did have 1 applicant finally (same couple that I was about to “invite” anyway 
and I’ve since met with them in person, being local. Fabulous couple! It was a lot of frustration and disappointment inviting almost a dozen people (and having as many declines), but I am learning more about this platform with each new opportunity, and diving into the forums helps. Maybe it has to do with timing (start of summer) and also location (we are not set in the mountains, like Boulder).
I appreciate your time and offering to help me out! 
@fledermaus I agree with the points made by @Silversitters and @Lokstar .
I work in a school so am unavailable to sit on weekdays for 38 weeks of the year. We sit in school holidays and weekends.
Since the beginning of the year we have done 3 weekend sits and 2 sits that were a week long. One of the longer sits was in a very popular seaside location. We have already more than covered our membership fee without taking into account the 4 sits confirmed so far during the remainder of the year ranging from a weekend to almost 2 weeks.
Hello. You seem like totally lovely people. U can completely understand no pets and would probably have that rule if we put our house on the platform (which we might someday). However, I agree that is limiting. The prior meet would also be a problem for those of us traveling long distances. The problem with no pets is that you want animal lovers with no pets. 
I totally get it though. It’s difficult when like our pets would be afraid of another pet. Kinda just have to talk to people and find what works. But that’s great that you finally found someone – enjoy your time away!
@Hallt64 , good points and a fair question. There are reasons why I’d rather not use my accrued Leave for sits, for example that I work unsocial hours and it’s the only time I get to spend with my partner and friends.
The reason I only work six months is that my job is “seasonal”. i.e My employer has decided I’m only needed in summer. Which means, sadly, that all my sits have been in grim winter months… 
What I do with the rest of the time is a sore point! I try to do as many sits as possible. But that’s becoming unfeasible unless I can also earn. I’ve actually wondered about posting here, asking what “remote workers” actually do, because I’m desperate to find a way of bringing in some moolah without having to surrender my carcase to a certain building. But I guess that would be asking people to reveal trade secrets…
Not sure if any are available, but maybe search for sites where you pay monthly?
Great question and there are already a couple of threads where it’s been discussed.
I’ll reveal some trade secrets on earning moolah (great word) @fledermaus. Graphic designer, web designer, bookkeeper, marketing consultant, telecommuter, sales helpline, SEO analyst, stocks investment, proof reader, copywriter, auditor and so on. If you search on the forum there was a great post ages ago with 50 remote working ideas so that should help you too. Then you can head to balmy Thailand and sit there whilst working on a laptop in these grim winter months. #nowyouretalking
You could for sure start a thread to discuss this! It’s a space that’s in flux at the moment in a post-covid world, but there are lots of opportunities and also things to be aware of (time zone differences, visas and work rights, tax implications) that people could point you in the direction of, depending on your circumstances.
Hi @Hallt64
May I kindly suggest that you use the reply arrow at the bottom of people’s comments so that it’s easier to follow whom your comment is intended for? 
I do, but if you reply to the post above, it doesn’t reference them , unlike replying to additional comments.
Strange but true , every day is a school day
But on some occasions, that doesn’t work. Another glitch in THS. This was was directed at yourself, as was the previous, not sure if it will state that 
Look at that! I had never noticed this. True, learnt somenthing new today too, and it’s only the morning! 
Never noticed before, but just had a look and that appears to be what’s happening. Solved!
@Hallt64 if you want to be certain the person you are addressing knows its a message for them then just tag them at the beginning as I have done for you
@Lokstar
I’m not sure that bothered if I’m brutally honest
In our case, THS doesn’t directly save us money because of the travel costs and when we pet sit, I always look for interesting opportunities in the sitting area such as theatre, places to visit as well as meals out. Of course if we compared it to Airbnb fees, we are saving money but we wouldn’t be