Hello everyone, it’s nice to be here!
We, Anna and Phillip, are brand new to TrustedHousesitters and completed our profile last week, with all the necessary recommendations, photos, references. We have been on an open-ended world tour since October and are currently in Sri Lanka.
We have applied for four sits since last week (two in Singapore and two in Kuala Lumpur) and have not yet received any feedback on any application, not even a short note that the application has been received and is being reviewed or anything like that.
We know that it probably takes a lot of time for the first sit and that these are cities to which many people apply who have more experience.
But maybe you have an idea what we can do, should we ask the HO again, for example?
Attached is the link to our profile (hopefully it works), maybe there is room for improvement from your point of view.
Thank you very much and best regards from Sri Lanka
I am not a sitter but I would move on, withdraw my application and apply for other sits. If owners don’t answer at all they can’t be that serious about finding a good sitter.
Maybe next time they will be faster with replying…lesson learnt?
I think, as newbies, you should apply for sits in less popular places to get started . Singapore is very popular. One of your references is in German, not everyone speaks German, if I were a HO, I probably wouldn’t bother trying to translate it. Keep applying for sits, you will get one eventually.
Some prospective sitters nudge hosts when they don’t get responses. Like something in a neutral or friendly tone, I imagine. And they say they get results sometimes that way.
Personally, I don’t nudge in such cases. The only nudging I’ve done is for an agreed-on sit. And in that case, because I needed info to book travel, I did it in a friendly way, like, checking in and it’s fine if you’ve changed your plans, in which case, I’ll pursue other possibilities during that time. That got an immediate response and the sit turned out fine.
With applications that go unanswered or unacknowledged, I usually withdraw in say a couple of days. That’s because I prefer to deal with folks who’ve got it together and are considerate. There are legit reasons (versus being impolite) why some hosts can’t reply promptly, but that’s not something that sitters automatically have to accommodate. With a dynamic such as THS, each of us — sitters and hosts — get to decide for ourselves what we’re open to accepting.
Often, you’ll hear sitters say that the more experience and reviews they gain, the less they’ll put up with. That’s partly because sitters with good track records are in demand and partly because some sitters have learned that dealing with hosts who are disorganized and/or entitled or rude isn’t worth it. There are so many sits available, to me, it’s never been worthwhile to deal with such folks.
As a homeowner I answer any application, no matter if the sitters are new on THS or experienced.
Not doing so is impolite and they probably do this to „older“ applicants as well.
Hi @AnnaandPhillip we are full time sitters in south east Asia ourselves - I think you’ve just run into some rude HOs. Just keep applying.
Singapore is full of sits and there’s always an abundance of dates on offer. We got our first sit in singapore there is a big shortage of sitters especially around Xmas and new year.
Wow, thank you so much for your quick and detailed feedback and input. This is super helpful.
We have asked our friends to translate the recommendation into English again.
We totally understand that without a first sit and a good review, we’re not that attractive yet, but we have to start somewhere.
But it’s a bit rude if no one responds at all. Three of the four are currently reviewing the applications and the other has had no more than four applications for days (and the sit starts on December 5th) and no news at all.
We are continuing to search and apply and are keeping our fingers crossed. And believe @Enjaybee that something will open up over Christmas and New Year’s Eve.
It can feel rude to not get a response, but if I really want a sit, I do follow up. Just a quick message like “Hi, was just wondering if you’re still in need of a sitter, would love to chat if you’re free,” and see what happens.
One tip I’ll share is that when I apply for sits in other countries, I mention if I already have plane tickets. This lets them know I’m coming to their town no matter what, which may give some peace of mind.
Also, I’ve had a look at your profile and while it looks fine, you could add a little bit more to the animal experience section only because it’s the first section homeowner’s see. Maybe add more about your love for walking dogs or your experience looking after horses (for example) as that will draw in the reader and help them get to know you.
If it’s helpful, you’re welcome to DM me your general first message that you send to HOs if you want feedback.
The Asia FB sites are good for house sits if there don’t seem to be enough for Asia on THS. Also, there are three active ones in Sri Lanka that you might get if you want to stay plus quite a big expat community in Galle & Mirissa so you could try that too. We’ve just finished (2 days to go) 7 months of sitting in SE Asia and Sri Lanka and has been fine securing them albeit we have lots of reviews. Keep going & am sure you’ll get one soon. Wouldn’t wait around for non responsive HOs Al th ouch do send them a follow up message if you’re keen, can’t hurt. As @Enjaybee says there are loads in Singapore and Christmas time always needs more sitters as so many sits on offer
@Enjaybee and @Cuttlefish what sites are you using to find these sits in SE Asia if I may ask?? I am darned if I can find any, any advice would be appreciated
@ziggy something I have found is if you use the web and search for the country (eg vietnam, Thailand etc) instead of searching ANYWHERE one tends to get more options for the selected country. I have reported this to THS in a support stream a few months ago and provided proof of this. I was told that this happens.
The MAP feature also gives a somewhat different result from the ANYWHERE search. Sometimes!
@prholst I was wondering if that may have been the case! You have confirmed my thoughts I always have ANYWHERE as my search and check the map but shall now try searching by country. Thank you for that, so helpful
As hosts we always reply promptly to every application. (Only exception is a sitter who applies every time with a message that only says “Yes, I like that sit” and has nothing relevant in their profile. After 2 polite rejections we stopped spending time.) If we’re asking for a sitter the least we can do is thank people for their effort to write an application and if we don’t choose them, tell them why.
We always read the entire profile of an applicant. Of course good reviews help, but the most important is that the profile gives a good feeling. We were happy to have @Cuttlefish here for 3 weeks. They have 31 5 star reviews, but I’m aware that one of these 31 had been their very first one.
Well, that won’t be of much help to @AnnaandPhillip, but maybe it convinces other hosts to look further than just to reviews.
Hi. You will run into all sorts of pet parents. When I first started applying I used to be really patient and waited a long time. Now if they don’t acknowledge my application, I withdraw after a couple of days
Welcome @AnnaandPhillip
Just to give you some context when I first joined it took 23 applications to get my first (local) sit. To be honest you are best applying for local and last minute sits to build your reviews. Without reviews and applying for popular locations I fear you’ll be overlooked as HO’s when given a choice.
Make sure your profile is fully filled out. Visit THS site often as you can and keep applying for as many local and last minute sits.
I always have ANYWHERE as my search and check the map but shall now try searching by country. Thank you for that, so helpful