Newbie Sitter here…
I’ve set up my profile and made my first sit offer. It has been three days.
Do you apply for one at a time or multiple?
If one at a time, how long do you wait before giving up?
If the HO selects someone else, does my “open” request go away?
Right now, nothing is happening. I can see the HO read my email. His sit still shows up.
Thank you for your assistance.
This has been asked an answered many times, so people may be slow to reply. But…
Short answer, apply to multiple sits even with overlapping dates. Desirable sits may get many applicants. (Even with the 5 applicant rule, hosts can decline applicants to see more.) Hosts get to choose from appicants so your odds of getting any particular sit are low. There is also a process as this is a matching site so there may be things the homeowner lets you know after the initial applicaiton that may bear on whether or not you decide to take the sit. Maybe the homeowner is super slow to get back to you and that doesn’t sit well? Maybe there’s a mention in a message back about the relative who may be dropping by in the middle of the sit to stay in the guest room? Maybe you are invited for a chat and there are too many awkward silences or something doesn’t sit right in your gut?
In my case, we only do a few sits a year, often around certain important personal dates, so we might look for great sits around those dates in different places and apply to several. Sometimes it works and we get our “1st choice” but usually there is no first choice, just the first one that works out and we are actually offered the sit.
Welcom @KDdid
You can apply for as many as you like
There are many threads on the Forum about how long Home Owners take to reply - use the magnifying glass and search for “How long” etc
You will receive an automated message advising you that you have not been sucessfull . Sometimes the pet owner will write you a personal message. Your application will be cancelled
In your present application the HO may wait until he/she receives more applications or may simply be busy
Good luck
Thank you for your informative reply!
I have only applied to two overlapping sits once. I am not a digital nomad, so when I look for sits it’s for an affordable and homey way to travel and snuggle with pets. I recently applied to two sits that just happened to have the exact same dates. They were in different U.S. states equidistant from my home by car and similar in many ways, including easygoing cats and HOs, quiet woodsy locations with charming towns nearby, etc. So I applied to both, thinking I might get one offer, if any. They both wanted me, and it was such a hard decision to choose! I almost had to flip a coin but ultimately went with the sit that was less likely to get many applicants because of its remoteness from any major city. The host I turned down seemed hurt. It was tough! I hope in the future that if I’m drawn to two sits with overlapping dates and apply it will be easier to pick if they both choose me. Not a bad problem to have, but still it was tough!
It can take a host up to a week to get back to a sitter if they’ve received multiple applicants who they are screening via video chat.
It costs you nothing to leave the application there, you can apply for other sits, and if the host chooses another sitter, your application is canceled and you receive an automated message that you were not selected.
As a new sitter it may be a challenge to get your first few sits because hosts prefer sitters with established history for obvious reasons.
Don’t set your heart on any particular sit, you only have a 20% chance of getting it, just apply to all that are suitable. Read the forum for tips and screen carefully. We got very lucky with our first sit, great experienced HO’s but that is not the case for everyone and the forum can help you know what to look for. Apparently there are some unreasonable people out there 
I once applied for 2 sits on roughly same dates.
After the pre meet with one of them, I knew I could not possibly sit for her, and would go with the others, unless they screwed up. The reasons I wouldn’t do the first one were multiple,
she could not control her dog on our joint walk, it nearly pulled her over as we entered a field,
at end of walk (off lead) when she called dog back it went a different direction, she just shrugged and said, ok, we will just go that way,
she carried home made Liver biscuits in her pocket as treats for this dog (who didn’t deserve any treats), yuk, no way I was carrying smelly stuff in my pocket
and when I said I was doing a pre meet with another person for same week and then would decide, she tried to bribe me by offering me equivalent rates as on Rover ! Underhand and not in the spirit of THS.
I can’t be bought, but my decision to decline was made with all these things taken into consideration.
I took the other sit, 4 dogs, and have done repeat sits there twice now, with one booked for next summer, it will be my 4th sit there.
An application is just letting the hosts know that you’re interested and available. Since there’s no guarantee that you are going to be chosen, a sitter has nothing to loose and everything to gain by applying to all the listings that appeal to let the hosts know that you are interested and available.
THS suggests that sitters apply for multiple sits.
If you apply for only one at a time , whilst waiting for a response you could miss out on applying for a sit that would be a good match for you .
Welcome @KDdid. Apply to as many sits as you want to with overlapping dates. When offered, always have a video chat BEFORE confirming to ask questions and understand fully all that is required of the sit. Both owner and sitter have to agree via the website in the inbox for a sit to be confirmed.
Have you sourced external references from people who perhaps you have sat for informally or ones who can give you a character reference (family member not always a good choice) so that owners can tell you have pet and house experience?
Take time to read similar threads on the forum plus there are excellent blogs on the website to help new members understand the process and the responsibilities involved.
Remember to thoroughly read the Code of Conduct and Terms of Service as you have agreed to them when joining plus you will then be aware of some of the issues owners want you to deal with on a sit that go against these e.g a third party being present during the sit.
Hi @KDdid and welcome to the forum.
We’re currently taking a break, after 2.5 years of virtually back-to-back sitting.
We always apply for more than one sit for any given period, since the application is just the first step in the process and there’s no guarantee that you’ll be invited to sit (or that you’ll actually want to). Remember that an application is just an expression of interest and not necessarily an offer to sit.
Nowadays, we generally will withdraw our application if there’s no response within 48 hours (our best sits have been where HOs have responded quickly, demonstrating they are decisive and have good communication skills - a quality we look for in hosts). We can all claim to have busy lives, but if someone lists a sit, it’s surely reasonable to expect they will invest some time and attention in responding promptly to sitters who have similarly invested their own time and attention in crafting applications.
Sometimes, a sit posting can appear desirable but subsequent interactions - commencing with time taken to respond, tone of messaging, or issues which arise during the video chat - can raise red flags, so listen to your inner voice and walk away if you feel it’s not a good match. There are always good sits available, and sometimes it’s those we encounter on the rebound, which prove to be the best.
Once a sitter is confirmed, other applicants will receive a message to that effect (and good HOs will also send a personal note).
My advice is to not focus too much on a single sit, but spread your net a bit wider and get some experience, possibly with shorter sits, initially.
Enjoy!
Agree with not getting wedded to any listings and applying for as many sits as you like, regardless of overlaps. You can always decide which one to accept as things unfold. No one is committed without mutual confirmation, which you and a host must toggle to accept on THS’s platform.
I also suggest screening listings and reviews for a welcoming tone and for a sense of reciprocity from the host. (Like does the listing just focus on their needs and their pets’ needs, without a sense of hospitality or consideration for the sitter? If so, skip, skip, skip.) Also look for what’s said and unsaid. Like if reviews mention the pets, but not how great the hosts are, run away. (Note: The app — not the website — shows which hosts are missing sitter reviews, which can sometimes be red flags.)
I withdraw within 48 hours if the host doesn’t reply to coordinate a video chat, so we can figure out whether there’s a mutual fit. I’ve found that prompt hosts tend to also send welcome guide info well ahead of sits and to review quickly without nudging. I figure that’s because people who have their act together tend to be consistent. (I’ve observed that in workplaces, too, over decades.)
Personally, I also avoid sits where sitters’ reviews haven’t specified cleanliness in writing (not just in stars). That’s because I live clean and want to sit only for clean hosts.
It’s etiquette to respond with 72 hours, but we usually here back within an hour of applying, but it’s totally different when you’ve got reviews behind you.
As you are new, take it as a good thing that they haven’t rejected you yet. The likelihood is they may be keeping you as a backup plan if they can’t find someone with THS reviews.
You just need to be abit more patient for the meantime, everything changed for us once we had just 3 reviews under our belts. That’s all it took.
In the beginning, we only applied for one at a time to help keep track of things easily, but it’s totally up to you. Apply for multiple if you can deal with potentially multiple conversations, just for me, the platform was new, the process was new, we hadn’t pet sat for strangers before, etc, so it just seemed easier to keep it simple and do 1 at a time. But everyone’s different, so if you’re considering applying for more, then just do it, that’s what feels natural to you.
The quote is @idocsteve 's personal opinion based on what he potentially does as an owner. @KDdid that’s the great thing about the forum, it’s real people and their real experiences.
But factually, it’s etiquette to respond within 72 hours. For us we usually hear back within an hour, and everything is agreed within 24 hours start to finish. But it’s not like that until you get some THS reviews.
When we had zero reviews, it was typically about 24 hours later when we’d hear something, but that depends on your profile. Hope that helps.
We also have found that we typically hear back and have a video call and the sit confirmed by both parties within 1-2 hours of applying . That includes the first four sits we were accepted for when we had no reviews yet .
Keep applying for all that seem a good match for you -
What practical advice. Thank you.