THS has gone back and forth on requiring and not requiring references for sitters, so I’d check current requirements, as @Debbie suggests.
When I joined, references were optional and I didn’t bother. I produced my profile with this focus: What would get hosts to consider you a responsible person, trustworthy enough to leave their pets and home with?
Use whatever you have. Being able to anticipate the concerns and questions that hosts will have is key.
That can mean pet experience and taking care of homes, which are obvious. You also can be more imaginative. (Savvy, open-minded hosts won’t immediately dismiss folks with limited experience, for example.)
I had limited pet experience, so I produced my profile to show a track record of heavy career responsibilities for many years, for example. But you can use other things as well. Like have you done a bunch of volunteer work (doesn’t have to be pet related), have you organized events or activities, etc.
In my case, I mentioned decades of taking good care of homes and driving safely cross country and in major cities (in case hosts were open to loaning cars), for instance. I include LinkedIn and Airbnb links.
And that sort of approach worked for me from the start of my joining — I easily started landing sits, including unsolicited invitations from hosts with easy pets and beautiful homes in great locations. I was even offered long sits in popular places, which are usually in demand.
I never had to resort to sitting locally — my first sits were across the country, in coastal and/or resort areas. (I have always sat in cities with great amenities.)
Not that you shouldn’t necessarily sit locally, but depending on your priorities and preferences, there are various ways to land great sits, even from the start. And it’s actually become easier in some ways, because there are now more sits than good sitters.
To start with, maybe avoid senior pets and ones that need medicine, so you can first learn the basics of sitting.
Most dog and cat care is not rocket science for anyone with common sense and a sense of responsibility. Not only can you google a crapload, you can also ask this forum full of experienced pet sitters. Plus, depending on your membership level, you might have access to THS vet advice. And it’s highly likely that most people have experienced pet owners in their lives.
Sitting can be very rewarding (whether via THS or otherwise) and we can all keep learning, so enjoy!
