Maybe THS should consider that not all members have English as their first language.
It took me some time to understand this.
Maybe so, but at least there is an explanation directly below which pretty much tells you what it is!
There seems to be a new breed of HO’s now with the 5 applicant rule…the fisher! They decline the first 5 automatically without message…and the same again for the next 5…and possibly the next 5…but after not finding the ‘perfect’ sitter and declining you they reach out to ask if you’re still interested in sitting!
Sorry that leaves a bad taste in my mouth and I’m not sitting for you.
1 Like
Or even British English. Americans don’t say this.
What makes you think people are doing this?
I sit full-time in the Northeastern US, mostly, and sometimes there just isn’t anything else. I have applied to all three sits available in my area, and not one has read my application.
I think THS should add an automation that reminds a HO to read and respond to an application after, say, 2-3 days. (I tried to put this into the features suggestions thread, but it appears to be closed now.)
Yes, for sure! I’ve been sitting on here for 8 years, 7 of those almost full-time, and normally, people respond in a timely fashion, thank goodness! If they didn’t, I surely wouldn’t have lasted so long on here. I only sought out a post on this topic because I suddenly have 3 Unreads for a gap in my schedule I really need to fill, and frankly, I’m nonplussed. It’s shocking to me that not one, but 3 HO’s would not even read their applications, much less respond.
1 Like
Thank you for sharing this! It’s really interesting and helpful to me as a sitter to see the HO end of things. I am happy to know THS sends these automations to HO’s. I think there are always going to be people who don’t read their emails, and what can you do?
“Keen bean sitters” 
I guessed that this was an allusion to Roald Dahl and the “human beans”, but I am not completely sure.
Because it’s happened to me 3 times recently.
I don’t know whether you’ve tried — if you want to stay local — what others have mentioned about Facebook sitting groups for certain locations. Personally, I haven’t, because sitting is only a nice-to-have for me. I don’t care to work that hard at it.
I’m based in the U.S. Northeast as well. I’ve been getting unsolicited THS sit offers there, but nothing has matched yet.
To be honest I assumed the things like ‘keen beans’ ‘don’t leave them hanging’ and ‘tick your boxes’ were Americanisims 
I knew what they meant but…
1 Like
Yes, thanks for posting this. It’s good to know THS is trying to make sure everyone understands how the pause after five works.
As for the wording and I’m American, I have never seen “bean sitter” used. When I looked up what bean means in British slang, I got money and genitalia — I don’t think that’s what THS means. I know tick the boxes means check the boxes. British put tick marks, Americans put check marks in boxes. I do enjoy the differences, but beans?
It must be “beings”.
It is what the BFG uses, Roald Dahl’s Big Friendly Giant, when he talks about human beings.
There may also be some kind of sound association between “bean sitter” and the expression “bean counter”. Or with “as keen as a bee”.
hopefully that’s not the meanings they are going for!
I know the BFG does but it’s tenuous in this situation but as good as explanation as anything.
Re Bean Counter it means some one who counts money which isn’t a great analogy for a sitter.
Re the bee it’s as busy as not as keen as
,Maybe we need to ask what on earth THS are hoping to communicate with these expressions which are confusing all nationalities and nations
We were excited when we applied and really like the idea of the location, but that feeling has all gone by the wayside.
Don’t know how I would respond if the HO ever does reach out. Wait and see how I’m feeling that day… if that day ever comes.
1 Like
I have similar experience to you John but would give longer than 48 hours for a response and continue looking meanwhile. Whatever works for you though 