Sounds like a pretty good deal, doesnt it? Too good to be true almost! That's certainly what I thought before I tried house-sitting, so much so that I wrote it off as some kind of impossible dream for ages. But no! It's totally possible and definitely worth a go.
The benefits are pretty self-explanatory: basically you get somewhere to stay, in a location of your choice, for anything from a weekend to 6 months or more (depending on what's available, of course). Sometimes you even get the use of a car! It's usually gonna be somewhere relatively pleasant, suburban, and all yours for the time you are there. What's not to like?!
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| Ok, if you get something this nice then you are VERY lucky! Photo credit: Nicole Connolly |
Before you go rushing to the nearest house-sitting website, though (I use trustedhousesitters.com but there are others), here are some things to consider:-
1. You generally have to pay a membership fee to be able to contact prospective house-sits - it's not a huge amount, but you do have to fork out before you know whether you will actually get anything out of it.
2. The location and time periods available to select from are down to the house owners. You have to fit in pretty much exactly with what they need - arriving a day later than they specify is no good if they want to meet you and show you the ropes before they jet off on their pre-booked trip to Azerbaijan. So you've gotta be able to be flexible and open to destination ideas. If you're just thinking 'Australia in September' then the chances are you'll find something that fits, but if you are looking for a place in Taipei from precisely 25 May until 9 June you may be in for a disappointment... unless you are me right now, of course! MWAHAHAHA! Ehem.
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| Photo credit: Petey Creech |
3. It may be called 'house-sitting' but really, 99% of the time it is in fact house and pet(s)-sitting which is a whole other ball game. It may sound perfectly reasonable on paper. Walking little Jasper 4 times a day? No problem! Of course darling Mittens can sleep on my pillow, I love cats! It's easy to agree to things when you are eager to get a sitting assignment. But you need to be prepared for how much of a bind daily pet care can be, especially if you're not used to it and/or are expecting a carefree holiday lifestyle. And what if Mittens is a clawing, spitting, nightmare of a cat whose freakishly long, moulting hair chokes you to death in your sleep? What if you want to take a non-doggy-friendly day trip which means you cant get back in time to walk Jasper? There is also usually a fair amount of cleaning up pee, poop and sick involved in pet care. Make sure you understand exactly what you are committing to!
4. Along similar lines, it's best to be confident that you are capable of doing what you say you can, and in the country you are going to. Can you speak the local language? What's the deal with vets there? Do you have a way to transport that giant poodle with the sensitive teeth to the animal dentist in Bangkok? What would you do if there is a sudden tropical insect infestation? (in my case, freak out and spray the hell out of those creepy little bastards with Windex, but there's probably a better way). Usually the owners will give you all the information you need, but there is also a chance that they assume you already know things you do not, or haven't thought through every eventuality themselves, so ASK QUESTIONS. Think of everything you could possibly need to know and ask the owners before they go.
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| 'Can I join in?' Photo credit: Ricky Riot |
5. Are you a reassuring, trustworthy-seeming person? As much as actually looking after the house and pets, your task will be to convince the owners that you are not going to tie their pugs to a radiator with no food or water, and then hold a 5-day crack orgy in their home. This might just involve a friendly conversation on skype, or they may also want to see your passport, CV, draw up a contract and have regular updates by phone and email. By definition these are people who care sufficiently about their pets to go to a lot of effort to avoid leaving them in kennels/make sure they have company etc. So they're pretty likely to want you to seem responsible, kind and animal-loving if nothing else. Equally, you need to feel like you can trust them, especially if you are a female travelling alone and they are male. If you feel at all unsure, it's a good idea to find out a bit about the owner and maybe meet them in a public place first, before going to the property. Always trust your instincts!
6. Are you a clean, tidy, careful person, or a clumsy, accident-prone mess? If it's the latter, get the owners to put anything they care about in a seperate area and make sure you have enough money to replace anything you break!
7. Finally, be prepared for a slightly bumpy settling-in period. If the assignment is only short, this could be the whole of your time there. It is inevitably a bit wierd being in a stranger's home without them present, especially at night, and it can take a while to get used to. If there are pets, even if you are generally accustomed to looking after animals, it can take a few days to get used to the foibles of these specific ones, and for them to be comfortable in your presence, making for some initial irritation all round! This period does pass though, and once the dust has settled things feel much more natural.
Thus far I have experienced two house-sits, one from pretty much either end of the spectrum - two cats for three months in a house in freezing Glasgow and two dogs for two weeks in a flat in boiling Taipei. The first was arranged a month in advance with super-organised and anxious owners who wanted lots of reassurance, a contract, regular updates etc, but who also wrote me a whole user manual on the house and pets and thought of EVERYTHING I could possibly need, right down to leaving me maps and instructions for resetting the boiler if it went off, which was very helpful! The second was arranged 36 hours in advance and was with a very laidback owner who basically was like 'You never looked after dogs before? Don't worry, you'll be fine! Here are the keys, I leave tomorrow' He was a real sweetheart though, and even let me use his computer for my job applications.
So, in short, house-sitting can be a bit of a responsibilty and a bind, but it is DEFINITELY worth it for the money you can save and the chance to really experience living in a place, plus some furry company.
Shhh, don't tell anyone though or they'll take all the good sits!
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