Hi Reader

Whether you joined us last week or you’ve been reading for years – thank you for being here :)

If you’ve downloaded our free guide to getting clear before a house sit, there’s one section that tends to make people pause: cameras. (If you haven’t, there’s a link further down.)

It’s a question that comes up again and again in house sitting circles. A sitter accepts a lovely sit. Then, on the walk-through, the homeowner mentions – almost in passing – the camera in the kitchen. “Just so I can see the dog.”

Nobody’s done anything wrong. But now everyone feels slightly awkward.

As always, there’s more than one side to it.

Plenty of homeowners use indoor cameras for the simplest reason: they miss their pets. A quick look at the dog asleep on the sofa is reassuring when you’re a long way from home.

Lots of sitters say that’s fair enough – in the kitchen or living room, as long as they know about it.

Others feel very differently. To them, an indoor camera says “we don’t quite trust you”, and some won’t take a sit that has one.

Almost everyone agrees on two things. A doorbell or outdoor camera for security is fine. A camera you only discover halfway through a sit is not.

What struck us wasn’t the cameras.

It was the timing.

The same camera can feel perfectly reasonable when it’s mentioned before you say yes, and quite unsettling when you spot it on day three.

1. Homeowners: mention every camera before the sit is agreed

Inside and out – where it is and what it’s for. Bedrooms and bathrooms are off-limits, full stop.

2. Sitters: ask, even if it feels awkward

“Are there any cameras in the home?” is a perfectly normal question. A reader told us last week that she always has a phone call before she even meets a homeowner – that’s the ideal moment to ask.

3. Agree a “privacy mode”

Some homeowners are happy to switch indoor cameras off while the sitter is home, and back on when they’re out with the dog. A small compromise that keeps everyone comfortable.

A camera you were told about is security. A camera you found is a problem.

Most sitters don’t mind being seen. They mind not being told. And one honest sentence before the sit sorts that out.

Would you accept a sit with an indoor camera? And homeowners – do you use one while you’re away? Hit reply – I read every one :)

🚆 YouTube Pick

Is Pet Sitting Safe? (What They Don't Tell You)

And talking of feeling safe on a sit…

If you missed this one, it's our short video on the safety side of pet sitting – the bits that don't always get talked about, and the questions worth asking before you say yes.

It's under four minutes, so it'll be done before your tea's gone cold.

Watch it with a cuppa here 👇🏼

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Got any questions or comments? Reply to this email - we read each response and are happy to help.

New to our YouTube channel? Watch our latest videos here.

💡 One Useful Thing

Your free guide: Section 2 and the checklist

Already downloaded it? Section 2 covers cameras and privacy, and the checklist at the back turns everything above into tick-boxes for your next pre-sit call.

It also covers the things people tend to forget, like where the water shut-off is and what happens if the sitter needs to leave early.

If it's buried somewhere in your downloads, here it is again.

💻Remote Work Corner

How to Build a Remote Work Career Teaching Online From Europe

Teaching English online is one of the few remote careers you can enter without prior remote experience – the qualification is the entry ticket, and nobody asks whether you have worked from home before.

​Take me to the full article on Remote Work Europe​

That's it for this week. Happy travels, Sarah & Cooper :)

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The Residence, Wimbledon, England SW19
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