Find out why house sitting has become so popular. Discover why people prefer to use house sitters rather than leave the homes vacant and their pets in catteries or kennels.

Discover whether you are suited to house sitting. Find out why it might not be the right choice for you.

Should you choose a short term or a long term house sit? This lesson will help you decide which term will be best for you, and how that might change over time.

This lesson tells you where in the world you will find house sitting opportunities and reveals the up and coming locations.

Find out whether you are likely to receive payment for your service and why this could limit your opportunities.

Discover just how at home you can make yourself in your temporary home.

Learn the first steps you'll need to take to becoming a successful house sitter.

It isn't essential to have house sitting experience. We all have to start somewhere, but there are some basic considerations that will help you secure your first assignments. Here you'll learn what they are.

Gain valuable experience by house sitting for family and friends. Learn why this is important and how simple it is to achieve.

There are many house sitting websites to choose from. Find out which can offer you the best service and how much you can expect to pay. Take a guided tour of the top international sites.

Downloadable Resource:

• House Sitting Websites Compared - website links to all of the top house sitting companies

Learn what to look for in a good house sitting website - pick only the best to showcase your profile.

Learn how your own website or blog can benefit you when applying for assignments.

Learn why your credibility is key to you becoming a successful house sitter. Find out how to get references even if you are a newcomer to house sitting.

Another way to enhance your credibility is to obtain a police check from your national or local police authority. Not all countries can provide police checks but the download gives the information we have found.

Help us keep this up-to-date by posting any new information on this topic as it becomes available!

Downloadable Resource:

• Website Links for Police Check Information

Social media sites are a great way to spread the word about your house sitting availability. However, you do need to be careful about what information you make available to potential home owners, for obvious reasons. Here we look at how to make sure your Facebook page in particular, can be customised to only show acceptable posts!

When you've decided which house sitting website(s) you want to register with, you'll need to create a great compelling profile. Here you'll learn why it's so important.

In this lesson you will learn how to best use photos to enhance your online profiles. Discover which images work best to attract people to your profile information.

Your profile title is of equal importance to your photograph. It should sum you up and show what you're offering. It's at this point the home owner will make the decision to click and find out more information about you. You need to make this count! Find out how in this lesson.

So what else do you need to include in your profile. How you portray yourself could make a big difference to your success, so give this plenty of thought.

Here we give you more tips to market yourself more creatively in your profile. The way you write makes a difference to how people will interact with your profile.

When you finally get to the point of registering, you'll be asked some other standard information - in this lesson we look at what other details you will need to have ready.

Here you can also find a sample of our own profile from which you can take ideas and inspiration.

Downloadable Resource:

• Sample Profile with picture

A recap on references and their importance to your success as a house sitter.

Here we go through a typical registration with UK Housesitters and look at our profile to see all the options you can utilise and amend online.

Downloadable Resource:

• Sample Profile with picture

Once you've registered with the house sitting site of your choice and uploaded your profile, you can start looking at assignments. Here we'll look together at some of the house sitting options available.

Searching online might uncover a few good sits, but the best assignments are usually snapped up in the first few days. Find out why using email alerts is so important.

Downloadable Resource

• Template Letter: rejecting an assignment
  

There are many things to think about when traveling overseas, especially when house sitting and even more so if you're thinking about taking on a long term assignment. Let's take a look at some of the issues you'll need to think about in this lesson.

Downloadable Resource

• World Travel - Checklist of things to consider

So you've found some house sits that look interesting and you'd like to apply. Your profile is on the website and you're good to go. Now you will learn how to compose an application letter that is as compelling as your profile.

Downloadable Resource

• Email Template - sample application letter

If after a couple of days you haven't heard anything back then a reminder email can prompt a response.

Downloadable Resource

• Template Email: following up an application
  

At the end of the day, even with all the preparation in the world, you could still get rejected. There are many reasons why this might be and here we look at some of them. Find out how to turn rejection into a positive situation.

Downloadable Resource

• Template Email: Thank you for considering us

An interview is important for both the home owner and the potential house sitter. There'll be lots of questions you'll want to ask each other. This lesson prepares you for this important conversation.

SKYPE offers a great method of conducting an interview with video facilities, as long as you have access to the internet. Discover more about this FREE online service.

For pet sitting assignments, you'll want to divide your questions into four categories. This lesson teaches you what they are and what types of questions you should be asking. There's also a useful download of questions you may be asked by the home owner.

Downloadable resources:

1. Checklist Questions - for you to ask in an interview
2. Checklist Questions - you may be asked by the home owner
   

So you've completed your interview and found out everything you need to know about the assignment. You and the homeowners are both happy and you're keen to go ahead. Now you can start planning - but what exactly does that involve? You can find out in this lesson.

Downloadable resource:

• Checklist - Start planning your house sit

It's becoming more and more common for a house sitting agreement to be used. In this lesson we look at the pros and cons of having this paperwork in place.

Downloadable resources:

1. Sample House Sitting Agreement 

So you have your first house sit confirmed. If you are planning to house sit long term, this is only the start. In this lesson you'll learn how to manage your ongoing assignments.

So handover day finally arrives and you want to create a great first impression. In this lesson you will find out exactly how to do just that.

Downloadable resource

• Checklist - things to discuss at handover

Once the owners have left the property, you can start to make yourself at home and really get to know the pets. But what else is expected of you during the house sit - find out in this lesson.

Keep in touch with the owners at the agreed intervals and by the agreed method. But how often do you really need to report - what's too little and what's too much? Find out in this lesson.

At some point your house sitting experience will come to an end and there are a few things you can do to further impress your home owners, and secure that great reference you want to help you get future assignments.This lesson discusses what you should do.

At the end of your house sit, don't forget to broach the subject of a reference, especially if they're happy with your services. There's really no time like the present. Here's the best way to ask ......

• Sample references

You shouldn't only update your profiles with new references. Keep profiles periodically updated with any new skills, relevant information, and a selection of new pictures. Find out what else you can do to keep your "sales brochure" fresh and enticing here in this lesson.