Sometimes good things can come from bad experiences and you can look back and be grateful for what went wrong. For Nat Smith and Jodie Thompson a failed business deal in Dubai left them with two choices – head home to Australia with their tails between their legs or embark on something new. Deciding that Europe was closer than Australia they made their mind up – but with only a few hundred dollars to their name how were they going to survive?

That’s when they discovered housesitting and its ability to not only provide a free roof over your head but the opportunity to experience a community in a unique way other accommodation just couldn’t provide.

Several house sits later having enjoyed the experiences of Britain, Europe, Central and North America they found people beginning to ask them what their secret was to finding good housesits on a regular basis – and from that House Sitting World was born – their online resource which provides forums, books, magazines and online training for the new and experienced housesitter to learn and share from.

If you’re interested in housesitting then you’re going to live this interview. Nat and Jodie generously share their top 8 tips on what you need to do if you want to get into housesitting.  Check out the academy here

Here’s Nat and Jodie’s 8 Tips to Becoming an Effective Housesitter:

1. Ask yourself WHY do you want to house sit? This exercise is really important and is clearly outlined in both their book and online course - and while it may seem like a silly question… go beyond the surface of “I want to travel or I want free accommodation” 
2. Prepare your being of service mindset- house sitting is far from a ‘Free holiday’ - it comes with responsibilities, not just while on the sit, but also before and after. And ask yourself honestly - can I feel comfortable in someone else’s space and respect their rules and way of living?
3. Start gathering references asap- again, checklists & templates are in the academy, but try to get your written references stating the skill sets important to house & pet sitting
4. Brush up on your skill sets- if you haven’t cleaned a pool before, don’t have a green thumb, would feel more confident with knowing pet first aid - get some hands-on experience in the areas that can help you be a great sitter
5. Sign up to platform like House Carers or Nomadorif you are looking for international gigs. Academy members get discounts for both.  Start searching the sites that offer listings in the areas you are seeking - there are Country/region specific sites as well. Don’t fall for the marketing of the largest site (TrustedHouseSitters) thinking they are the best, while they have the biggest marketing budget, in our opinion, it’s a very overcrowded and competitive site now with many members not getting value for their membership fee and making it harder for newbies to get a look in.
6. Write a great profile/resume- keep in mind what the owner is looking for, they don’t care if you have traveled the world, they want to know that you can lovingly care for their prized possessions - pets & home.
7. SECRET TIP (no-one else ever suggests this, yet this was the first thing they took advantage of themselves) - use your current or former profession in your headline, don’t be like the thousands of ‘loving, caring, trustworthy, honest, reliable blah, blah adjectives… a trade, professional, job paints a real picture
8. Do what 90% of people don’t do - record a video & include it on your profile - it’s the key to start getting the best gigs available - guaranteed!