Hi everyone - it’s great to have joined THS - we’re experienced house sitters (20+ years) and have looked after many pets on the way. Based in Edinburgh, we’re hoping that THS will give us some great times with people’s pets and also the chance to see some blue skies - which are often in short supply in Scotland!
I’d be really interested to hear from anyone on tips to find the right house sitting experience, how much work needs to go into generating interest etc. Any insights would be super helpful to have. Also if anyone has any thoughts on our profile - any obvious areas we’re missing that would be fab too!
Looks like a great community forum and it’s good to be ‘on board’!!!
Hi @henders.on
A very warm welcome to the forum and we are so pleased you have found us.
I would like to suggest you add your profile to your forum profile so that all our members here can officially ‘meet’ you as well as give you the advice that you are looking for.
Thanks so much - i think i’ve linked my profile to the forum. Also popped in some location preferences and I’ll do the same with pet preferences. All great feedback and much appreciated!
Hi henders.on: I’ve been a sitter with THS for eight years and have done many sits and have 35 reviews. I looked at your profile which looks great with terrific pics of you both with pets. The only thing I didn’t see in your profile was reviews. Would probably be a good idea to get some personal references to add to your profile.
Hi @henders.on - Welcome to THS. You can often find useful information by searching past threads. You can do this by clicking on the spyglass icon on the top right-hand corner of the page and typing in key words.
Welcome, @henders.on/Catherine! I see you now have 2 external references, so it seems you’re on a good path.
Generating interest: You mean, how to get chosen when you apply?
Look at the profiles of other sitters. You’re sure to get ideas for different ways of presenting yourself.
The first sit is the hardest to get, because you have no TH reviews. Perhaps look for a local sit for your first time. It’ll also help you get used to any TH quirks.
example quirk: confirming a sit is a little more involved than if you’re used to, say, Airbnb.
example 2: a listing can generally have max 5 applicants before it gets paused and moved to “reviewing applications.”
Or even how to get invited to sit privately?
Favorite any sits you like. If the PP’s membership is anything but basic, I think they get a message when someone favorites them.
Many sitters change their profile location to where they want to sit. (While explaining in their profile.) That way, a PP doing a local search might find you.
There are multiple sources of help: these forums, the TH site’s Help section, and the TH blog. Search all three.
Hi - quick question - when i’m reading comments from members and i click on their icon it doesn’t seem to go through to their member profile - is there another way to do this?
Thanks so much - really appreciate the response. I’ve now got a couple of reviews, and am speaking to a local person looking for a short term sit next month - which might get us started. Will be good to get an actual THS review posted.
As a sitter, I found it best in the beginning to do a number of short local sits to start getting reviews under my belt. Then I was more “competitive” for other sits. Also look for local “last minute” sits when people are in a bind and you can rescue them. This is a quick way to build reviews and gain popularity.
As a host, I am clear what I am looking for: someone(s) with cat sit reviews on this site. And I follow up with all applicants. That’s just me. I would love for more hosts to be clear about some criteria as they look for what they need.
Hi @henders.on
Once you have clicked on the icon, click on their name, and it will bring up the link to their profile for you to click. If they are a very new forum member, and their profile link is not clickable, you would copy and paste it. The more posts these new members read and interact with, their link will then become clickable.
Hello @henders.on and welcome to TrustedHousesitters and the Community Forum
I had a peruse of your profile, it looks very good, I see you have two references now and hopefully very soon you will find your first sit and start to build reviews.
Hi Andrew,
Keep trying. I have had many first timers over the years but like a lot of people I have preferences. I love internationals and am inclined to give them preference (i’m in Australia). I usually ask for older sitters as my cats seem to settle better with older people. I don’t get many single men applying and unfortunately had to cancel with 2 when covid hit. Once you have that first one it will probably all start happening for you. Possibly there is a lot of competition where are looking.
I am new here too but have found three sits. Also applied for many more though. One tip is to apply for a sit even if the dates don’t suit you because pet owners often need a back up and they will keep your details. That is, if the dates are still viewable.
For those losing heart because applying within minutes often just reads “reviewing applications” it could just be that new comers are testing out the site.
It would be nice if the app still showed the dates application when the owner is reviewing applications. A little less disappointing maybe in knowing some dates wouldn’t have worked for you anyway. Best of luck further.
Great profile and references already! I bet you have amazing stories of house swaps!
I encourage new people to try short local sits first to build up THS references, especially posts that are last minute. I love second_star’s advice on the application info—spot on. As a HO, I appreciate an applicant that comments on my pet and home first before blasting into cut/pasted accolades. On interview calls I notice if a potential sitter adores my kitty or not. As a sitter, I do the same in my application and take the time to make my application genuine and personal.
