How to get an awsome house sitter job in 6 easy steps

House sitting becomes increasingly popular among budget travelers. So it is not wondering, that is also becoming more and more competitive. Even house sitting is not a job in the traditional sense, it almost works like that, when it comes to applying for a house sit. Before you even begin, you should be aware of the preconditions of any house sitting job:

1. obviously, you need to have an affection to pets

2. you have to bear the responsibly which comes by taking care of other peoples pets and their wellbeing

3. any house sitting job keeps your stationary for the time of the engagement. This need to fit your travel schedule and the pace, you are traveling.

If you say yes to all of this, here are the 6 essential tips to get an awesome house sitting job:

1. Chose the right house sitter website

Choosing the right house sitter platform is the most important decision you have to make before you start. As almost all of them charge a "member fee" for the sitters between $20 and $120 per year, it is a cost factor, you need to consider. Depending on your travel plans, you can choose different house sitting websites. For our Australia trip, we chose Aussiehousesitter.com.au and MindaHome.com.au. If you have an international plan look for a more international oriented website like trustedhousesitter.com or MindmyHome.com. If you want to plan a longer trip "on housesitting", it makes sense to sign up for more than one website. More information about different house sitter sites, you find here.

2. Create a convincing house sitting profile

The profile you put on the house sitting website is your "face" to your owners and the first impression, they get from you. You should put all your efforts into it to present yourself as the right person. While house sitting is not a paid "job", when it comes to your profile, it is quite like your resume. Our introduction is quite a bit to read, but it worked quite well; your hosts want to know as much as possible about you: more is better here. If you have an advantage, e.g. you worked in a pet sanctuary before, you should mention that. The more questions remain after a host red your profile, the more likely, they won't contact you. Upload as many photos to your profile, as the website allows. Here comes an important tip for your photos are the 3 p's: pets, professional, positive. Your future hosts are not interested in your bikini selfies and the photos from the last orgy with your buddies do not really get you a house sitting gig. You can link your profile to your social media or your website if this provides additional information for the house owners.

Remember, the house owners looking for a stranger to come into their house and they are willing to put the wellbeing of their pets in the hands of people they don't know (otherwise they probably would have asked their neighbors). To make them more confident and feel secure about you, provide a police clearance (which hopefully doesn't show a burglary record) as well a liability-insurance. Some house owners will ask about it anyway when you apply for a house sit.

3. Be active … and reply (fast)

The secret to getting a house sitting job is being active. Apply as many adverts as you can (if they fit you). Especially if you don’t have references yet, you shouldn’t be too picky. Reply to requests to your profile as soon as possible and follow up the conversation with owners closely, who are interested in you. Really awesome house sits are under high demand and they are quickly gone; being fast is key here. Tip: set up an email-alert for new posted house sits and owners messages if the website provides this functionality. Some websites even have an algorithm, which shows sitter profiles on top, which provide good profile content and actively communicate.

4. Apply as it would be a job

When you apply for a sit, write an engaging application. Remember your host probably gets tons of applications, you need to stick out and convince them with the first contact, that you are the right one for the job. Tailor your application to each advert individually; do not send out "copy and paste" applications, the owners can feel your lack of interest in their situation. If there is a particular request you have an advantage in, for example, experiences with large dogs, point it out in your application. Even your phone number is shown in your profile, send it with your application again and offer them to have a skype face-to-face interview.

5. Set your language

That might sound obvious, but using a polite and professional language can make the difference between the winning or losing. Your house owners are serious about the person they are going to hire, so they expect a kind of serious conversation style. Secondly often house owners looking for senior house sitters, so if you are in a younger age, keep your cool "rapper" style to yourself. You can try to adjust your application "tone" according to the people, you meet in the advert.

Rejections are part of the house sitting game, get used to it and keep being polite. We even send a friendly reply to house owners who rejected us, just to keep ourselves in a good memory … maybe you meet them again on your next trip (the world is small).

6. Chose the house sit that fits

Read the house owners add carefully and chose the ones, which match you best. It is a waste of time, to apply for a rural house if you don't have a car. If you are not good with dogs, choose cats instead. Of course, the house sits also need to fit your travel plan, being flexible can open more opportunities for you. Your chances also depend on the time of travel and your location. During high season and in urban areas it is much more likely to find a house sitting gig then during school time.

Insider tips:

House owners in rural areas often have a hard time to find a house sitter. If you are willing to apply to countryside places, that might be your chance in the otherwise extremely competitive urban adverts.

Most house owners put their application online way in advance to secure their vacation planning. But some adverts show up just before time, for example, their confirmed house sitter had canceled on them in the last minute. If you are flexible, you can go for these adverts others are not checking for.

Finally: get endorsements

This one is actually the result of a successful house sitting gig, but it is extremely important for your future applications. Besides a convincing profile and awesome pictures, your endorsements are the third pillar that makes your profile outstanding. Every time you delivered a great job and the house owners are satisfied, ask them to give you an endorsement letter. An awesome reference put to your profile can boost the chances to get more jobs. We always asked for it and we sent a good endorsement to the house owner as well.

After all of these effort, we got more applications from owners then we could handle at a time. We also got repeated house sits. Now it's up to you …. Good Luck!