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Have you thought about house sitting, but you’re unsure as to how to find a house sitting gig? When travelling this big wide land of ours, it’s a given that the greatest expenses are going to be fuel and accommodation. With some caravan parks in premium spots costing up to $100/night the dollars can add up quickly. House sitting is a great way to still see the country and save money while doing so.
Our kids loved looking after a dog again!
We are currently house sitting in Darwin, in a beautiful family home with a pool minutes from the beach, great shopping and great playgrounds. It is our second sit like this, and we can’t believe our luck! House sitting in a mutually beneficial agreement though. While we enjoy this house and the neighbourhood, it’s owners are off exploring the country feeling confident that their home is safe and being looked after in our hands.
We have been asked how we have found these house sitting jobs. We are by no means experts, but here are some suggestions of how to find a house sitting job.
Join an online House Sitting Community
There are quite a few House Sitting Communities, but for travelling families we (of course) recommend Family Friendly Housesitters. For a small yearly fee you can create a House Sitter profile for yourself and also apply for house sits as they come available. The bonus with Family Friendly House Sitters is that you know that every house you apply for is more than willing to accept a family! (Many of the other sites have you applying for homes only to be knocked back because the house is unsuitable for children),
You don’t even have to limit your sights just to Australia. We talked to Karen King on our podcast who has house sat all over the world using another site Trusted Housesitters! Most sites, including Family Friendly House Sitters allow you to browse the available listings before officially joining, so that you can see if there are any in the area that you want to stay. The cost to join may seem like an expense… but you’ll seriously recoup that the first night of your first house sit.
Some examples of house sits available on Trusted Housesitters
Join Facebook Groups
Facebook! There are numerous house sitting pages. Some are Australia wide, others are for specific areas. The way we were approached for our two back to back jobs in Darwin was from a post I put on a local page. I had quite a few offers, including for the three month stint that we’re currently undertaking. We were even offered the opportunity to look after some amazing properties for long term sits in Rural Darwin.
While Facebook groups are a great way to find house sits, they don’t provide the support that house sitting membership sites provide. If you do apply for one through Facebook, make sure you and the home owner have am open line of communication to prevent any issues down the track!
An example of a post I put on a local Facebook group.
Your own network
If you are going to be in a certain area and you want to house sit, let your social network know! With the average Facebook user having around 300 ‘friends’, you should tap into it!
We have found house sitters personally by posting a status update on our personal page and were connected by a friend of a friend who was needing accommodation at that exact time. I’m sure it would work in reverse if you put out a request letting people know you’re looking to house sit. The same goes for your Facebook travel page, if you have one. People love to help!
Gumtree
Search ‘house sitter’ and see what pops up… or place an ad yourself. It’s free, so you’ve got nothing to lose!
Examples of adverts on Gumtree
HelpX
This isn’t house sitting, so much as exchanging help for board. In exchange for an agreed amount of work, often not only is accommodation covered but meals as well.
There is a huge assortment of positions all over the world, ranging from farm work to babysitting to gardening and housework. We haven’t tried this but The Great Escape – Australia have and they have enjoyed their experience working on a farm on Kangaroo Island. You can register for free, but to see you need to pay for premium access .
So there you go. Hopefully there are a few methods you haven’t considered to help you find a house sitting job. Is it something you’ve considered?
