Congrats @Sarah80 Yah!! We will enjoy sharing in both you and @Nana’s THS journey
BTW Is that a Kune Kune pig you are “snuggling” up to? (profile pic) …
Introducing George … along with his two “girls” they were the first pig family we looked after. George made his dinner entrance in the kitchen at 6.00 pm every evening, the girls ate in their own “kitchen” in their compound. George had the run of the house, fortunately he couldn’t get upstairs into the bedroom, sleeping on the bed may have caused a bit of a comfort and space problem, for him of course
@Sarah80@Nana That’s wonderful, persistence pays off!
I wanted to add that the UK is probably a good destination to start, because there is a huge number of listings from there and not all of them can be filled. Especially destinations off the main tourist routes! One of the first sits I got accepted for was in Nottingham.
My start here was pretty easy, I guess I was lucky to start at a good time last year. I live in Ireland and applied for sits nearby, and it didn’t take me very long to get a sit.
There are so many factors involved though, this is just my own experience.
I’d love to hear more about everyone’s adventures!
Thanks a lot Oh my goodness, George looks amazing I love that he’s allowed in the house! It’s crazy how they have an inner clock - at the pig sanctuary where I volunteered they would start to scream 5 minutes before feeding time! They’re such funny creatures. There were so many different breeds that I’m not sure about Penelope - but those two do have very similar facial features!
@andrealovesanimals I got the same impression, there’s a lot to choose from in the UK. Unfortunately a lot of listings require a car, but even then there’s still a lot of different options!
Well done Sarah. If you’re ever in the North East and are looking for a house sit, contact me. I’ll always find an excuse to go on a trip! And you know, we don’t mind if you’re going to be a tourist. In fact, why on earth would you be house sitting anyway. Although we have cats so there’s the difference. They can be left all day can’t they. Enjoy London. X
Hello, @Elsa1 it is great that you are connecting with other members about housesitting, remember that you can use private messages to ask these questions. If you need any help do not hesitate to let me know.
Hi Nana. Welcome to TH. The first thing I did when I signed up as a petsitter was to have four friends/acquaintances do external reviews/character references. I included one from a local dog rescue where I had fostered a pup. That seemed to help me get started.
Getting started with a few somewhat local sits can really add to your TH experience quickly.
Hi Sarah,
I also loved the pig picture! We (the dog and I) are in Luxembourg and would love to help you kick things off, if we can plan it to suit all. I will send a message to your profile page.
Kate
I’m Vancouver, BC born and raised. I took a job in Yellowknife. I’m coming back this summer for 2 months and leave this Saturday on a flight. I was excited by this concept of housesitting and caring for animals while on my vacation. Potentially, worldwide if I can get my foot in the door with this site.
I’ve sent quite a few applications and some have been declined and others still being reviewed.
I asked for feedback by someone who declined my application. He mentioned that he got many applications and he picks the ones who have reviews on THS. This is out of my control as a newbie. I understand the logic as pets are like children and as a mom and pet mom I understand. Plus, back in January, I went to Orlando and hired a house sitter locally. He trashed the place- and we knew the guy as an acquaintance never mind online.
I take responsibilities seriously, I’m a quiet, clean, and caring person. I just want a chance to prove myself. I have reviews and links to my bnb and LinkedIn account to my profile. I just need my foot in the door.
Totally bummed and wonder if I shouldn’t have joined.
Welcome to the forum @Lovewins . We all have to start somewhere. Here are a few ideas that will get you the all important first review on THS and open up the door to more opportunities.
*Apply for a local sit so the HO can meet you in person first.
*Apply for a last minute sit - HO will be really grateful for your application.
*Look for sits labelled “low applications “
*Apply to a HO who is also a “Newbie” -they also have no feedback yet .
Don’t give up - we joined THS 6 months ago - we started with applying for local sits for HOs who were also “Newbies” . That worked and got our first two confirmed sits and two reviews.
Omgosh what great tips. Thank you. I live in an isolated place so there’s no sits locally but the other tips I’ll try. I’ll try not to get too discouraged and negative outlook on the declined applications. Thanks a bunch for your answer.
I think I copied the link correctly. I wasn’t sure to copy it to this comment.
Thank you. Hopefully I can make it appealing. Also I followed the previous posters advice and applied to last minute ads.
Your link unfortunately does not work, and I did needed to remove it from the thread as this needs to appear on your forum profile only. Please could you kindly DM me the email address attached to your THS membership so I can help you.
Don’t get discouraged! The thing is, you only have a 1 in 5 chance at best (if you are applying to places that are popular). The person who makes the listing receives 5 applications. They can then decline applications and receive more.
As a “house owner”, I typically go by who contacted me first. If the first person is suitable and I don’t like the ones that come after more I pick the first one.
so, when you see a listing you like, maybe write them a quick message before going into too much detail. That way you are more likely to be the first one to apply. And you can still go through the listing and write a longer text to say what you like and why you think you would be a good fit.
Also, don’t write too much. When I get 5 applications to choose from, I don’t want to read a lot. I just want to get an impression of you and why you would like to come to my place.
I had one applicant who referenced everything I wrote in the listing. Maybe that’s just me but I didn’t like that. The text seemed like the person had asked ChatGPT to write an application for the listing instead of writing something herself.
Oh my goodness, George looks amazing 
I love that he’s allowed in the house! It’s crazy how they have an inner clock - at the pig sanctuary where I volunteered they would start to scream 5 minutes before feeding time! They’re such funny creatures. There were so many different breeds that I’m not sure about Penelope - but those two do have very similar facial features!
