Housesitting Jobs

People love to travel. They want to experience other cultures. They may want to live or work in a far off place for the adventure or the money. They may have a second, or a third home that needs to be tended to. Whatever the reason, they just aren’t at their residence all the time. When they go away for long periods of time for work or play, they need someone to watch their house, lawn, mail, and pets.


This is where you can fill the ever-needed role of a housesitter.

You may housesit for a family who wants to live in the Caribbean for a few month, a professor who wants to study in England for a semester, an oil worker who will be in Saudi Arabia for a month, a couple who wants to backpack through South America for half a year, or just someone that wants their second home looked after.

As a housesitter, you’ll get to live in exotic locations across the globe. You may get to housesit for a week, a month, a semester, or a year. You may live in Greece, France, Hong Kong, Canada, the Caymans, Mexico, the States, or anywhere else you can point to on a globe. You may have views of the ocean or a river, endless acres of forests or steps to a ski resort, a big city or a small town. This whole job market is set up for people like you who want to travel the world, live in cool places, and stay in nice homes.

Housesitting is a hard market to break into. People are trusting you with their biggest asset in the world – their home. Without stellar recommendations, it’s hard to convince people that you’re the right person for the job. But once you’ve house sat a few times, you’ll find it easier to find jobs. Be sure to check out the Caretaker Gazette for lots of job opportunities. It comes out regularly, with email updates weekly. It’s a good source to start your search.

Are you wondering what the job entails? It’s easy. You get to live in someone’s home and treat it as your own, or maybe even better than your own. This means you’ll have to mow the lawn regularly, clean the dishes, check the mail, water the plants, feed the cat, walk the dog, clean the fish tank, lock the doors, rake the leaves, or anything else the home owners request of you.


And other times they may ask you to do other strange things like build a fence, paint the gazebo, organize the DVD collection, and the list goes on forever. Usually the work isn’t too hard and you have until the homeowners get back to complete it. Besides the daily grind and special requests, you’re also in charge of keeping the house secure – so no parties! Sometimes you can work another job or internship and housesit at the same time, and then you’re making money and living for free.

Housesitting pay is hard to estimate. It will likely depend on your situation, but remember you are getting a free roof over your head. Often if you get to live in a cool home in a destination that you’ve always wanted to travel to, you’ll be happy not getting dime. You may only walk away with a bottle of wine or a hearty handshake. Other times if you’re responsible for walking dogs or cleaning garages, you can expect some sort of payment. It may be $20 a day or it may be $100 a day max. Just be sure to ask up front to avoid awkward conversations when the homeowners return.

This is really one of the best ways to travel the world. You get to live a luxurious lifestyle with minimal work. The hardest part is figuring out where you want to housesit next. If you think you’re responsible and you’re ready to travel, look into housesitting.  It’s awesome.

NEXT PAGE: Personal Caregiver Jobs

Close
Close