How to become a pet sitter with no experience

Does travelling the globe and taking care of the pets in it sound like your idea of the dream adventure? Want to know how to become a pet sitter and secure your first sit? You’re in the right place, fellow pet lover. 

Naturally, if it’s your first time pet sitting, you’ll have a list of questions you’re raring to get answered ahead of applying to your first sit. 

That’s why here, we’re covering how to become a pet sitter with no experience, answering all the common questions soon-to-be sitters like you have at the start of their new chapter, and the important things to consider.

And, who better to help you on your animal-filled adventures than our pet sitters themselves? Once we’ve shared our top tips on how to start house sitting, our members Tony and Meg share their story on how pet sitting helped fuel their travels, and tips for you that’ll do the same.

How to become a pet sitter with no experience

It’s more than possible to become a house and pet sitter with TrustedHousesitters as a first-time sitter. Below, explore all the common questions our new members have before embarking on their most exciting and rewarding adventures yet.

How does house sitting work with TrustedHousesitters?

Whether you’re wondering how to become a pet sitter without experience or you’re a seasoned sitter already, you’ll need to start by becoming a member of our pet-loving community. 

Once you’ve selected your membership plan, you’ll get access to thousands of owner listings around the world - all with unique pets and homes that need looking after. 

After creating your (dazzling) sitter profile, you can then apply to sits that suit your experience and preferences, before securing your first sit. For more information on how house sitting with TrustedHousesitters works, click below.

Do I need a pet sitter resume?

No, you don’t need a pet sitter resume, (or any other pet-related resume) to become a house sitter with TrustedHousesitters. What you do have however, is your sitter profile. 

This is your opportunity to showcase your personality, skills and experience - whether that’s in pet care or not. Pet parents are looking for trustworthy individuals passionate about looking after animals first and foremost - and people who will be able to keep their pets feeling safe, secure and happy while they’re away.

Do I need pet care experience?

Many of our sitters are first timers - the most important thing is that you’re fully committed to giving pets the care they need, and ensuring they stick to those all-important routines. And if you’ve never been pet sitting before, but you’ve got friends or family with pets - mention this experience in your profile.

Do I need any qualifications to become a pet sitter?

You don't need pet care qualifications to become a pet sitter, but it can help! If you do have any pet-related qualifications like pet first aid, dog training or any equine courses, be sure to mention it in your profile. 

What qualifications do I need to look after dogs specifically?

There aren’t any specific qualifications that you’ll need to look after dogs, but any you’ve already got can help your application to stand out. If you’re applying for dog sits, be sure to mention if you’ve got experience with similar breeds, or pets with similar needs.

Does having a pet count as being a pet sitter?

While having a pet certainly isn’t the same as pet sitting, it’s well worth a mention in your pet sitter profile. Pet owners love to hear you’re passionate about animals, and owning a pet will have given you ample pet care experience with your pet’s particular breed and needs.

Tony and Meg's story: How we started house sitting

A concrete shack in Bolivia, a five-star hotel in Paris, an overnight bus in Chile, an apartment in Croatia, tents on the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru, and a red-eye flight across the Atlantic... eight months into our one year trip around the world and we have slept in a lot of different places. 

We spent most of the two years before our trip working hard in our corporate jobs to save money, but we are always working on ways to make it last longer. We have bartered free places to stay in exchange for updating a company’s non-native English website in Thailand, physical labor on an Italian Agriturismo, and for writing a review of a hostel in Berlin.

All of the different places we have slept and all of the different work we have done in exchange for a bed has finally led us to house sitting in Thailand - house sitting for one month in a beautiful villa on a Thai island while taking care of two giant German Shepherds. The only reason it took us eight months to secure a house sit is because it took us seven and a half months to get the courage to sign up to TrustedHousesitters.

Luckily, during our travels we read a lot about the basics of house sitting so we were fully prepared to give it our best shot when we signed up. As first time house sitters, we did a few things to help us stand out from some of the more experienced candidates. Maybe they will work for you as well!

Our top tips on how to become a pet sitter with no experience

1. Treat your profile like it’s your house sitter resume

Coming from an undergrad business school, we know that a common mistake people make when creating their resume is just listing every single one of their accomplishments. A resume should highlight things that are relevant to the job you want, not just the job you are doing.

The same is true with house sitting. Think hard about what the owner of your ideal house sit would be looking for from a house sitter and you’ll be one step closer to landing your first house sit. 

2. Give examples of when you have cared for someone’s home

Reference good reviews on Airbnb and other apartment rental services. Have you ever house sat for a friend? Ask them for a reference! Get creative!

Don't just tell people that you are responsible... show them. Many house sitting opportunities also come with responsibilities for taking care of pets. Read on, we’ll expand on that next.

3. Highlight times where you have taken care of animals

If you’ve ever looked after your friend's cat or dog, mention it and show how much you loved it.

Did you always have pets growing up? Share that bit of information too. When you’re looking for your first house sitting experience, the more information you can share, the better. 

For us, we referenced our time spent on an Italian Agriturismo dog sitting and looking after chickens, and cats to show our experience taking care of someone else’s animals. But we also made sure to mention our childhoods growing up with Labs and Retrievers and our desire to get a dog once we returned to the States.

4. Show your personality

As a first-time house sitter, inject some personality into your profile. Let people know what you are passionate about and why you are genuinely interested in looking after pets. Even better? Offer to have a video call at any time they wish.

This is a great way to seem transparent to the homeowner and a great way to showcase your personality if you can connect on a call. You also get to see the homeowner and if you'd like to sit for them (it needs to be a good fit for you both).

5. Be flexible

If you want to get that dream first house sit right, you need to plan to adjust to the needs of the owner, their home, and pets. Just remember, never agree to a sit where you’re not comfortable you can meet all the home and pet care needs.

6. Sign up to TrustedHousesitters!

We talked for months before our big trip started and talked for months during our travels about house sitting... and did nothing. For some reason, we always felt like house sitting was for other people. Something that, while ridiculously awesome, was unattainable. And then we signed up for TrustedHousesitters, and within two weeks had secured an incredible house sit on our first application.

7. Make your photos shine

Photos are an important part of your profile. They’ll definitely help you stand out and will help you connect with owners. For that reason, here are a few tips to pick the right photos for your profile as a first-time house sitter: 

• Show your face - and smile! Try not to obscure your face with hats, sunglasses or shades 
• Include photos of you with animals you’ve looked after or your own pets
• Show your hobbies and interests
• If you regularly sit with others (such as a partner or friend), make sure they're included in the photo with you, too

8. Write an amazing profile

Put some time in and craft a wonderful house sitter profile that helps you connect with owners.

What should your profile cover: 

• Who you are
• Why you want to house sit
• Why you’d be a great house sitter
• Any previous experience
• Your hobbies and interests
• Everything else: What are you good at? Are you neat and tidy? Do you love playing with pets? Can you garden? Are you fluent in any other languages? 

If you’re a digital nomad and work remotely, it’s also good to include some information about your online work so that owners will know you’ll be 100% at home with their pets, that you’ll have plenty to keep you busy in rural areas and that you need a decent internet connection. 

9. Complete your ID verifications

For extra trust and reassurance, you’ll also need to apply for your free ID verifications. And if you’re based in the US, you’ll also need to apply for a free TrustedHousesitters’ background check.

10. Ask for references

We know it can be intimidating to create a profile as a first-time house sitter when there are so many people with five-star reviews competing for a sit. But the truth is, we all need to start somewhere and it’s never too late to give house sitting a go. 

Reviews are important but if you don’t have them because you’re a newbie, you can also request character references. 

In the ‘References’ section of your profile, request a character reference from a previous employer, landlord or a member of your community. This will then be visible for pet parents to see.

11. Set up saved searches

Did you know you can set up a saved search and get alerted when new house sits are available with the preferences you’ve shared? Take advantage of this feature and apply to sits that suit your experience levels and location preferences.

12. Apply to sits

You’ve done all the other steps, now it’s the time to dive in. Start applying, write a wonderful application message that highlights why you’re a great suit for the owner’s pets and home, and respond quickly.

Want more house sitting tips?

We’d like to thank Tony and Meg for sharing their story, and hope their top tips help you kick-start your very own house sitting adventure. If you’d like to find even more great advice, be sure to explore our blog and community forum.

Helpful resources

• How to become a dog sitter - local and international
• 10 tips on how to become a house sitter
• House sitting etiquette - a guide for sitters