Sometimes less is more……
Jason sent me a text today about taking my bike overseas as we will have so much more opportunity to ride. This led me to continue my research into house sitting as an expat.
Choosing the route of being an expat that housesits doesn’t lend itself to taking a lot of stuff or shipping a container over with a few of my favorite things that I don’t want to live without. This is the life that you have a couple suitcases and you are willing to live as a hard core minimalist for extended periods of time in someone else’s house.
Let that sink in for a minute.
So really, my clothes and electronics will be with me, right? I can’t imagine lugging much more with me even though I would love to. I am a hobbyist in many areas and the one thing seems to be a match for me will be knitting while I housesit. Takes time and a lot of patience and will take up little room. Not sure what Jason will do at this point though as sitting in front of a computer as a hobby just won’t work long term. Something to think about for that one.
The draw for us is we would be able to temporarily live in multiple places for little money. So we aren’t 100% sure this is the route yet but we are exploring the options to do this full time for a year or too or even part time for a year. We are also thinking big bang for your buck as well.
What is house sitting?
Housesitting is the rage all over the world and is just getting more and more popular. The owner of a house would like someone to stay there (just as the name implies) while they are out of town. Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, a lot of times it is. The owners usually have a reason they need someone to stay in their house-either it be pets to take care of or a garden to tend to. Generally, you shouldn’t think of this as simply free night time lodging while you explore parts of Europe. The homeowner is giving you free lodging in return for a little bit of work ie taking care of their dogs or weeding their garden. You are usually able to explore the area a bit but during the interview you will get a clear picture of expectations of the position.
Where to find a housesitting job?
I have been researching this for a couple weeks now and have found that there are a couple main reputable sites that everyone agrees upon. Not saying there aren’t outliers out there but here are the main ones:
https://www.trustedhousesitters.com/us/
https://www.mindmyhouse.com/
https://www.housesittersamerica.com/
https://www.rover.com/house-sitting/
How to land your first house sitting job?
First start thinking of your profile and creating a resume of who you are and what you bring to the table. Remember, this is still a job. You are trying to sell yourself in return for payment (the free housing) so put your best foot forward. What do you bring to the table to offer them? Think of why should they choose you? Owners will receive dozens of responses within hours of posting and you will want your profile to shine.
As you approach the interview stage, think about the potential questions they will ask you. Why do you want to housesit? How do you feel about dogs? Have you ever housesat before? Do you have references? Why should I choose you? For example, Jason hopes to house sit for a family with a garden. He loves playing with the dirt and seeing the results of his labor. He treats his plants like his babies. Because he wants to help with the garden and it won’t necessarily be a chore for him, he may win over someone else with experience just simply because his love for gardening may speak to the owner. Be yourself and know that it’s not personal if you are not chosen. Move on and try again. Once you get a couple under your belt, the references from previous owners will also help you out.
How to housesit with no experience?
The easiest thing to do is to try to see if there are local or something relatively close to you to pick up and try it out. Maybe it’s just a 3 day one an hour away that you can try out and see if you even like it before you make the big jump of flying overseas for 3 weeks to find out you hate it and are stuck! The people will be able to interview you locally and you can meet and have a better shot at getting the position. Do a couple of those and you can quickly be on your way as you now have experience! Try to think of it as unpaid internships! Put in a little bit of time to get the end result you are shooting for.