Hi @Rob and welcome to the community forum - we hope you enjoy your time here connecting with members and contributing to the conversations. I think you are right, that when the borders were closed or with restrictions, people were preferring to take local sitters to guard against as much disruption as possible. I know we’ve been contacted over and over for sits in France where the owners have wanted someone in the country. As things open up I think confidence will be regained in using international sitters. See this recent post… Are homeowners happy to accept foreign sitters yet?
You’ll see as you explore the forum that encouraging the best communication possible between members is something TrustedHousesitters are focusing on with messaging, blogs and emails, but with all the will in the world, it would be impossible to “mentor” every new member whether owner or sitter given the many thousands who have joined.
As long term full time sitters, (sitter hat on now) one thing we’ve learned is not to take anything personally and just work on the positive exchanges that have the uplifting outcomes that make our lifestyle so fulfilling. We don’t see a lack of response as a reflection of our experience, just human nature 
And sometimes owners need some help to understand best practices when the process is working in action, despite reading guidelines, especially if they are new or only use the service occasionally.
The good thing about the forum is that it raises awareness of these issues for both owners and sitters so hopefully we all better understand how we can help and improve these situations.
Thanks for sharing your feedback and we look forward to following your journey!