Hey everybody!
Just wanted to pop on and say hi 
. I hail from a little town in Scotland and I am struggling to find my first sitting job. How long did it take everyone else to get their first gig?
Hope you are all well!
Nikki 
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Hi Nikki,
Welcome to THS, we live north of Glasgow so maybe we can meet up one day!
For first sit best advice is start local so you can meet HO and build up reviews. Then once you have a few under your belt can look further afield.
I’d also say your profile is key to selling yourself so make sure you have all your animal experience listed and evidence of responsibility.
Then the application itself is really important as its what the HO first reads.
Good luck, and keep applying!
Arabella & Steve
Hiya Nikkiupnorth,
I’m fairly new to THS as well (1yr officially) but I’ve only recently looked for house sits (about 4 months). I had my first sit earlier this month with a local family near my home. It was great and I was able to meet up with the HO before the sit.
HO want to know you will center your house sit around caring for their home and pets. Make sure your profile exhibits your love and passion for respecting other people’s property and you’ll go far. Best wishes in your endeavor!
Olivia
Hi Nikki,
Where in Scotland are you based? I am from Glasgow but live in Southern Scotland.
It didn’t take me long to get my first sit, but that was a few years ago now and I think things have changed since COVID. Are you searching locally or further afield? If you start close to home, you might have some luck as many HOs prefer to have someone local. Of course, it’s not a necessity, but you could meet them and their animals prior to the sit which provides reassurance.
I also think it helps to discuss in your profile (if you’ve not already done so) your experience with animals, what you do for a living, your hobbies…so the HOs can get a sense of whether you’d be the right fit for them.
Wishing you the best of luck!
Hi @NikkiUpNorth, it’s a good idea to add a link to your THS profile on the forum. You can get more specific help if members can see it. Here are instructions to walk you through that…
Welcome Nikki from Scotland! We joined THS 5 years ago and started out sitting locally within reasonable driving distance from our home in California. After earning some good reviews, we applied for sits further afield. I’d recommend having a THS staff person look over your profile and be sure to include photos of yourself with pets.
We’ll be heading to Edinburgh for a sit next month! We’re looking forward to our first visit to your fair land! After the sit, we’ll rent a car and explore Scotland. I’m wondering if we should bring winter coats for October especially in the Highlands? Good luck to you and don’t feel discouraged if your applications are denied at first- there will be many more great sits to apply for! Best of luck.
Hello, my name is Nina and I’m reaching out to other sitters based in Scotland. I’m not new as I have 9 completed sits since joining THS early in 2022. I’ve just got round to joining the forum properly and am still trying to navigate it! I have been really lucky with my sits, all positive so far. They bring me a lot of joy and have become a favourite part of my life. I’m interested to hear your experiences if like me, you only cover sits in Scotland. Also, to share any useful tips that we could use to help each other. I hope you are all enjoying your THS experiences. Forgive me if I’m slow to respond as I get to grips with the community forum. I spend a lot of my time searching for sits on the website! Best wishes, Nina
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