Last October, I wrote a post on why we decided to caretake. Since then, I have received many an inquiry as to how we became caretakers. Most of the time it is via e-mail, so I just e-mail the person back, all the while thinking to myself that I really must blog about this as it is obviously a topic of interest. So, here goes.
When I house and pet sat full-time in my twenties, it was all by word of mouth. I am trying to remember how the first sit came about. Someone must have said to someone else who was looking for a sitter, “I bet Valynne will do it, she is single and broke, and pretty responsible for a person her age”. So, I took a long-term sit, which saved me tons of money on rent. Then, I took another. And another.
My only means of marketing myself was with a very pretty business card. I love pretty business cards, by the way. Business cards say a lot about a person/company, so try not to be too cheap here, people. And yes, I do believe that with all of our technology, a business card is still very important. I hand mine out all the time. People tell me how pretty they are. And then, they contact me. As simple and effective now as they were then.
Flash forward a decade (OK, fifteen years) and we now have the means to search for sits and sitters all over the planet via the world-wide web. Pretty amazing, really. This would be how Paul and I found our current sit. We were in the process of selling the house and pondering where our next dwelling would be. I did not want another house. The words thirty year mortgage are practically synonymous with prison term to me. So, I got online and Googled away.
There are now a variety of websites that you can subscribe to in order to find any kind of caretaking positions you can imagine. By the way, people use the term caretaking and sitting interchangeably. The main difference is that “caretaking” typically means a long-term arrangement that tends to include more responsibilities, while “sitting” is typically short-term (think two weeks spent with your neighbor’s dog, taking in the mail and watering the plants).
So, I chose two online sites for us to subscribe to. Both of these can be found to the right of this post under CARETAKING/HOUSE & PET SITTING. The Caretaker Gazette costs $30 a year, and Housecarers costs $45. Not bad, considering we are saving thousands and thousands of dollars a month! Plus, it is way more entertaining than cable, and a great way to learn your world geography : )
Once I subscribed to these sites, I searched for possible sits and marveled at the possibilities, reading the really interesting ones out loud to Paul. After the house officially sold, I began to inquire. I had compiled a list of references and written an introductory paragraph or two for our online profile (which evolved into our website). Less than two weeks later, we were headed east, for a long-term caretaking job. Pretty simple, really.
You may be saying to yourself, yeah, but…to that I say, trust me, there are all kinds of opportunities for all kinds of people in all kinds of situations. Example: You have two dogs. While it is more difficult to find sits when you have animals of your own, there are sits that allow you to bring your animals with.
You don’t have to subscribe to the sites above to get a feel for what is available. They will have sample sits as well as current sits, just without the contact details. If you are on Fb, you can also fan Caretaker Gazette. Check out the sites, and then decide whether you want to make the investment.
My bloggy friend Kim is starting a caretaking site, as well. You can access it by clicking on Caretaker International (also to the right of this post). This is brand new, so if you go on and don’t see much, stay tuned. She is featuring a free classifieds section, so you have nothing to lose by posting your own ad.
We have met other caretakers (mostly online) by commenting on their blogs, meeting them on forums, and the like. It is a pretty cool community; most of us share a love of animals, travel, living simply, etc.
I came upon my recent side sit in Cambridge via networking with other caretakers. Cool, eh? This is common for caretakers. For example, since deciding upon a long-term sit, we have had many requests to sit for others. If we are unavailable, we like to be able to refer someone who is. Someone we know and trust.
Looking back, I can see this post is a bit long and a bit rambling. I am a bit sidetracked today (more on that later) but I didn’t want any more time to go by before bringing up this topic as I have had two e-mail inquiries these past 24 hours. I am hoping this post leads to more questions, ideas, and rapport. Please share your thoughts by clicking on the comment button below.
We look forward to hearing your own caretaking success stories in the near future : )
This is so fascinating. I never knew of this and this post is both educational and enlightening. This is something that I would most definitely be interested in, maybe even as a future summer thing for while I am still in school in the fall in spring. I am sure things vary but what is a general scenario in regards to compensation? Is the “free rent” the compensation?
Thanks for actually making this a blog post, I am really intrigued.
Every sit varies. I have friends that charge the homeowner/s a certain amount of money per animal or hour worked per day (this usually includes landscaping, pool maintenance, house cleaning,and the like) and I have friends that prefer to trade services for a nice place to stay.
Traditionally, I have not charged for long term sits unless there is a lot of labor involved. This seems fair to me as I have been able to live in some lovely places and meet some great people/pets while saving a lot of $.
This subject is a hot topic on the forums as of late. Some sitters feel that the responsibility is such that payment is always in order, while some homeowners feel that the sitters are getting a great deal and should at least pay for the utilities.
I think it depends on what each particular sit entails, as well as the location of the sit. Dog walkers in SF, Cambridge, NYC, etc. typically charge a minimum of $35 per walk. I would not charge that as a sitter because, unlike them, I am not having to pay rent to live in these great cities.
If you are just starting out, I suggest offering to sit for friends who need someone for a few days here and there in exchange for references. You may find that you love it…there are professional caretakers that earn upwards of 50g + benefits. It is indeed intriguing, simply pondering the possibilities : )
So being that you are moving around a lot, how do you support yourself while sitting?
We aren’t moving around too much – yet. We are currently on a long term (one to two years) sit.
Paul is very fortunate in that he works “from home” for a software company. He basically needs a wireless connection, laptop, and a chair. You would be surprised at how many employers are choosing to go this route.
The original plan was for me to continue on with my natural bath and body products business while we sat from State to State…but my beloved biz is currently up for sale (longish story).
Our plan is to do a side sit while in Europe and visit friends in Colorado throughout the month of August, so I will most likely wait until September to find a more stable means of income. Meantime, I can make do with side sits and temp jobs.
I would not be so blase about this if there was a mortgage or car payments involved. We have made a conscious effort to simplify our lives this past year. Still, I have debts and am brainstorming unconventional ways of earning an income (my human services background has not helped me to get ahead financially).
When I was your age, I found plenty of sits within an hour or so of each other that allowed for me to take my classes and hold down a full-time job. The sit we are on now requires more time spent on the property. Remember, all sits vary…you can focus on those that make sense for you in your current situation, financial or otherwise, and ignore the rest.
Very very interesting. Well good luck with it all!
I just applied for a two week sit in Paris in August…fingers crossed!
Omg good luck! This is all so surreal! haha
This is a great post and thank you for your generosity in sharing all the information. I have a dream of spending winters in Key West, rent free and you have me now spinning the dream. Woohoo!!!! I thought that it was an impossible dream but now I can almost touch the possibilities.
You are doing an excellent job of caretaking your blog readers too.
Thanks, Joyce! This could soo be a reality for you! You are not going to find as many Key West sits in winter, but they are out there.
Our friends are currently researching potential home exchanges; you may want to check out this site as your home is in an equally desirable location:
http://www.homeexchange.com
I don’t know much about this as we no longer have a home to exchange, but I can ask our friends for feedback if you would like…
haha – I LOVE your version of a 30 year mortgage “prison sentence” – totally agree!!
; )
My Facebook friend Tonya wants to know, “What do you do in between sitting jobs, and do you drive to the various destinations within the states?”.
Caretaking is a new thing for us as a couple. In years past, I have had situations where I sat for professors and business travelers and the like, and was able to rent a room from them (or they would let me stay rent-free in exchange for the sitting) when they were home.
This worked out well as I was single and would find plenty to do to stay out of their hair (and the houses I sat in in CA were typically BIG).
Because this sit is long term, it has saved us a lot of money, so if we end up with a couple of weeks between sits it won’t be a big deal for us as to stay somewhere (B&B, most likely).
If it were just me, I would most likely take the opportunity to toodle around the States, crashing at this house and that. That isn’t really Paul’s style, though : )
Our plan is to drive to the various destinations. Even with the 2,000 mile journey here, we have driven less miles than we had the year prior so it all evens out (this house is 2 miles from town vs our last house, which was 12, and we are both working from home).
We went down to a one car couple at least two years ago, which feels great. I loved not needing a car in Cambridge…here we have relied on it for important stuff like getting the dogs to the Vet and the like.
I know you don’t have a car by choice and think that is great. There are many locations in the States that have sufficient public transport (that is one of the things I love about NYC). Most of the homeowners have left me keys to their cars as well, but I don’t like driving other peoples cars and can’t remember ever having to.
I bet you can still get to most sits via Greyhound (great place to gather writing material too, by the way!). Train would be ideal for me, but they seem to be disappearing. And then, there is Craigslist. Every so often I see someone looking for someone to share the expense of a cross country road trip.
You also may want to negotiate something with the homeowner so you aren’t burdened with the transportation expense. As a homeowner, I would find this a small price to pay for a reliable sitter.
Thanks V for answering those questions for me. If I decide to do this I will purchase another car, but for cash to make that a little easier for sure. I also live in Los Angeles and can probably find plenty of things in the area. Thanks again for sharing.
I am sure you would be in demand once you got started. I sat in Westlake Village, Simi Valley, Thousand Oaks, Newbury Park, Agoura, Oxnard Shores, Camarillo, etc. without ever placing an ad!
I’m a 53 y/o man that was fortunate enough to retire at 42. I live in a small town in AL but am centrally located to Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, Knoxville, Atlanta, Birmingham, all within a 3-4 drive or 30-45 min flight. I would be very interested in sitting internationally for short periods (3-4 weeks) because I have a disabled parent that I provide care for, but she isn’t totally disabled so I would like to take her to some jobs, is it unusual to have someone with you, as with you and your husband? We now live in my third home (almost paid for) and really no debt to worry about, so I’m quite experienced at caring for a property. Depending on the location, would it be reasonable to charge at least travel expenses? I’m also a member of the ASPCA, just to put those with pets at ease. I’ve had “friends” housesit for me to come home to find our “baby” (a peek-a-pom) that was part of our family for 16 years, but we lost her on Christmas morning! We came home to find her matted so bad she couldn’t even go to the bathroom! So much for depending on friends! One more question (other than asking for travel reimbursment, did you have an atty write a contract that you use with the people you provide a service to? I feel that would be most important to have a document stating what they expect you to do and where your responsibiity ends and their plumber, electrician, etc. should be called in, especially if there is any financial compensation involved. I think I would also talk to my insurance agent about getting bonded. I’d hate to get sued for a $50K vase that their pet broke! Love your website, very informative and welcoming. Most people don’t want to share opportunities they’ve found such as this. Thanks again, have a wonderful day, Kevin.
Hi Kevin,
Thank you for your comment, and congrats on retiring at 42. Regarding having someone with you on sits…each sit is different. Some homeowners prefer a singleton, and others want at least two people. Some are OK with entire families and even provide separate housing; it is all very random from sit to sit.
As for travel expenses, it is reasonable to charge in most cases. We did not charge because our goal was to travel across the country, we had no mortgage/utilities to pay, and we chose to sit only in places we were interested in getting to know better. Now we are nice and cozy here in Portland (and paying rent/utilities) so we will be factoring in travel expenses from now on.
That is awful to hear that your friend took such poor care of your “baby”! I think a lot of friends/neighbors sit out of guilt/a sense of obligation, etc. and those are NOT the people I want watching over my nearest and dearest.
We have not had an attorney write up a contract, but we have been on sits where the homeowners have had their attorney write up a contract, and we have read over and signed said contract (be sure to read over whatever it is you are signing, of course).
There are forms you can purchase specifically related to house and pet sitting for a lot less than what you would pay an attorney (for example http://www.sixfigurepetsittingacademy.com/petsitter_products.html). You are right, having a document stating expectations on both sides is of utmost importance.
I also suggest you get bonded and insured. It is much less expensive to do this through an association like http://www.petsitters.org/ than it is to go through your personal insurance agent, who may or may not even be able to insure you as a sitter.
Best of luck, Kevin, and thank you for the compliment regarding this site. I love meeting and brainstorming with other sitters or those who are considering sitting and feel that there are plenty of opportunities all over the world for people like us (i.e. no need to be greedy). Please stay in touch,
Valynne