On this article, I’ll be outlining the perfect methods to turn out to be a house-sitter in France. Alongside my husband, Rob, I’ve been touring the world constantly for 2 years. I recurrently use house and pet-sitting sites to boost our experiences and preserve our lodging prices down.
There are a number of glorious web sites out there for home and pet-sitting. Realizing the perfect ones and the way to use them effectively will enable you to safe house-sitting jobs in France and the remainder of the world. I’ll be outlining all my experiences, good and dangerous, on this article.
I’ve accomplished over thirty housesits; starting from taking care of a small ranch in Tucson, Arizona, to caring for beach-loving canines in Santa Theresa, Costa Rica. I house-sat and pet-sat three completely different instances in France over 2 and a half months. This included taking care of 2 lovable canines, 2 cute cats, and a menagerie of birds, simply exterior of Toulouse, France.
Since I began home and pet-sitting, I’ve not solely acquired free accommodation worldwide, however I’ve discovered quite a bit and have some good tricks to go on. Home sitting is an effective way to fulfill new folks and uncover completely different components of a rustic that you simply won’t in any other case get to see. Let’s get began.
Methods to Grow to be a Home Sitter in France
There are a number of nice websites available for any burgeoning house and pet sitters. Discovering the precise one for you is the primary essential step to take. Completely different websites have completely different execs and cons, so learn on to search out out extra.
1. Trusted Housesitters
Trustedhousesitters.com is my go-to website and the one I’ve used greater than another. Their app and website-based platforms are simple to make use of and there’s at all times a ton of listings out there. I simply checked, and presently, there are 6,530 listings accepting purposes for housesits all over the world…lots of that are luxury house sitting gigs.
My favourite side of Trusted Housesitters is the flexibility to avoid wasting your searches. For instance, after I was in search of choices in France, I set my dates, my location (nation or metropolis/space), and different search standards. If you happen to don’t get any hits instantly, it can save you a search and be alerted when one matches the invoice.
Primary yearly membership begins at $95 and permits for limitless purposes and housesits. Larger-tier memberships embody completely different advantages akin to insurance coverage, vet chats, premium customer support, and a search and alert perform. The highest membership is $190 a 12 months. Goats On The Street readers obtain 20% off using this link and promo code GOATS20.
2. Home Carers
Housecarers.com is an easy-to-use website-only home and pet-sitting website. Though the variety of listings can’t compete with Trusted Housesitters, it’s a nice concept to maintain your choices open and to construct your profile. Most individuals itemizing their property solely use one web site, so the precise posting for you possibly can be ready on one other platform.
Housecarers.com doesn’t but have an app facility, so it’s important to head to the webpage to maintain up to the mark. Members obtain e mail notifications and alerts for doable housesits and when speaking with a bunch. The performance of the searches is nice and might be well-tailored to swimsuit varied preferences, areas, dates, pets, and so forth.
Housecarers.com is an inexpensive introduction to the world of housesitting. They’ve a free membership that means that you can peruse all their listings in full. To use, you’ll must turn out to be a fully-fledged paying member which at round $50/12 months is a superb deal.
If you happen to’re pondering of changing into a house-sitter in France, Housecarers.com is likely to be place to begin to get a really feel of what a housesitting web site presents and the way it all works.
☞ SEE ALSO: How to Prepare For Your House and Pet Sitting Job
3. Workaway
Workaway.info is probably higher generally known as a volunteer/cultural change web site than it’s for housesitting, however it shouldn’t be missed. I’ve used it to search out placements all around the world the place meals and lodging are exchanged for 4-5 hours of labor a day. Nevertheless, it has since turn out to be a useful device of mine for home and pet sitting.
One among their predominant search choices is house-sitting and at a fast look, there are over 500 listings searching for sitters all over the world, together with many individuals in search of a house-sitter in France. Their web site and app are simple to make use of, listings are at all times effectively introduced with loads of particulars, and communication with hosts is normally fairly environment friendly.
Membership prices round $50/12 months or $30pp/12 months when a pair indicators up with a joint membership. I’ve made some terrific connections, long-term pals, and world contacts by way of Workaway. I extremely advocate it as a string to your house-sitting bow. See Additionally:
4. Thoughts My Home
Mindmyhouse.com is among the longest-serving on-line platforms for house-sitting. It started in 2005 and has a terrific open ethos that advantages everybody concerned. They’re additionally one of many most cost-effective round at simply $29/12 months.
I like Thoughts My Home for the close-knit really feel of the corporate. When you’ve got a difficulty, you’ll doubtless communicate on to one of many house owners of the corporate. They play an lively function within the day-to-day. The ‘About Our Members’ part of their web site is a superb characteristic. It exhibits what number of hosts and sitters are presently lively and the place they’re. Proper now, customers are at round 12,500 folks.
In my view, Thoughts My Home may simply be the precise choice to get you began when you’re missing a bit of confidence in embarking on your home and pet-sitting profession in France.
5. Nomador
Nomador.com is a superb website when you’re trying to turn out to be a pet sitter or house sitter in France. Though they do have listings all over the world, there are a ton in Europe. Their web site is similar to Trusted Housesitters, priced equally, and equally as simple to make use of.
An ideal membership possibility with Nomador is their 3-month short-term primary package deal. It permits new customers to dip their toes in and see if the housesitting sport is for them. Added advantages akin to insurance coverage, premium customer support, and early entry to new listings include larger membership costs. The highest-end package deal is round $190/12 months.
Regardless of not having an app, Nomador is a superb possibility for newcomers to accommodate and pet sitting. See Additionally: Questions to Ask a Home and Pet Owner Before Accepting a Job
Private Expertise Housesitting in France
My husband and I pet-sat in France for simply over two months. It was superb! Even in mid-November, it’s heat sufficient to drink a beer exterior within the south of the nation. Whether or not you’re in a small city out within the countryside or one of many massive cities, it’s such a stupendous vacation spot with one thing for everybody.
Given the variety of out there alternatives to be a pet sitter or home sitter in France, I didn’t battle to search out nice sits in some gorgeous areas. A countryside yoga retreat, full with a health studio and a pool most likely tops the listing – an actual ‘pinch me’ second.
Home-sits in France typically embody a pet, or pets, to take care of. In rural areas, a component of gardening and watering normally comes into the equation too. Simply housesitting listings (no pets) do come up, however for probably the most half, a pet or pets are sometimes at all times a part of the cut price. Every time I’ve been a house-sitter in France, the hosts have included a automotive too (extra on this later).
I taken care of 2 stunning largely outside cats in Bergerac, the place my largest job was sustaining the swimming pool! Then I moved additional north to Limoges and took care of a pleasant little Jack Russel terrier known as Alfie. My closing cease was simply exterior Toulouse, within the tiny however beautiful village of Cologne – 2 cats, 2 canines, and let me depend… 23 birds!
☞ SEE ALSO: 15 Pros and Cons of House and Pet Sitting
Finest Areas to Home Sit in France
As I’m initially from the UK, I’ve visited France many instances previously. There are many nice areas to go to from small cities within the countryside to very large cities. Listed here are a couple of of my high locations to think about house-sitting in France:
1. Paris
Probably the most iconic, and maybe the obvious, place to take pleasure in house-sitting in France is the French capital, Paris. It’s a really fantastic metropolis stuffed with artwork and tradition that bubbles with life and ambiance — there are countless things to see and do in Paris. World-class eating places, cool bars, and cafes that set the usual for espresso tradition worldwide are round each nook.
Home-sitting in a giant metropolis like Paris will imply extra of an city setting and the expertise will likely be akin to a metropolis break fairly than a rural retreat. Smaller metropolis homes and flats appear to dominate lots of the listings I see on the housesitting websites for Paris. This after all comes with the additional benefit of getting on a regular basis facilities in your doorstep.
I haven’t but been to Paris for a housesit, however have visited many instances for short weekend breaks. It might be an incredible place to base your self as a house-sitter in France.
Location: Paris is positioned in direction of the North of France, round 2.5 hours from the coast and three hours from neighboring Belgium. Find it here.
2. Bergerac
My first expertise as a house-sitter in France was really in Bergerac and it’s the proper place to kick issues off. The gorgeous and historic city dates back to the Middle Ages and has many well-preserved medieval buildings. It sits on the gorgeous Dordogne River and is a popular destination for tourists.
An ideal profit to house-sitting in Bergerac is that lots of people communicate English. That is as a result of quantity of British vacationers and expats that dwell within the area. I ordered a spherical of drinks in my finest dangerous French, and the waitress responded in a thick London accent, “We could discuss in English as a substitute?”.
There are a great deal of cute cities located close by akin to Pereguex and Riberac, and Bordeaux is simply over an hour away. Good transport hyperlinks make getting out and about simple. It’s normally fairly low cost too. I used BlaBlaCar a number of instances, which is a superb ride-sharing app unique to Europe and really low cost.
Location: Bergerac is positioned in direction of the southeast of France, round an hour east of Bordeaux and 6 hours south of Paris. Find it here on the map.
3. Toulouse
I house-sat and pet-sat simply exterior Toulouse for a couple of month. My location was fairly a small city simply exterior of town however it was very easy to get to central Toulouse. Fortunately, the hosts left their automotive behind to be used throughout our keep. There’s an categorical train into Toulouse that I traveled on quite a bit, which at sure instances of the day prices round $1.
Toulouse is named ‘The Pink City’. That is as a result of variety of terracotta brick buildings that give it a heat and rosy glow. The Canal du Midi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, runs via Toulouse, with many nice spots for leisurely strolls, boat rides, or just stress-free.
Toulouse has a bustling vibe, with full of life markets, cafes, and a thriving restaurant and nightlife scene. A visit to the Convent des Jacobins is an incredible expertise. Drinks beside the Garonne River and Pont Neuf are additionally a should. Home-sitting on this area can be supreme for anybody searching for quiet retreats on the outskirts, barely exterior of a extra fast-paced metropolis expertise.
Location: Toulouse is positioned within the southern a part of France, round 105 miles (170 km) from the border of Andorra and 155 miles (250 km) from Spain. Paris is round 420 miles (678 km) to the north.
4. Montpellier
Montpellier was the primary metropolis I visited in France and it presents a novel expertise for anybody contemplating changing into a house-sitter in France. One among my favourite issues about being a short lived native isn’t just visiting however actually residing someplace. Think about waking up in a centuries-old house with slender medieval streets simply exterior the doorstep – that’s Montpellier!
An ideal perk of housesitting in Montpellier is indulging within the many culinary treats. Recent produce is offered day by day at native markets and there are a number of excellent eating places and cafes all around the metropolis. Montpellier can be identified for its full of life ambiance due partially to it being house to considered one of Europe’s oldest universities.
Past town, housesitting within the Montpellier space may even embody seashore stays alongside the Mediterranean coast or extra rural properties surrounded by the pure fantastic thing about the area. Situating your self right here would provide the freedom to discover the seashores, spend time in nature, and embrace a vibrant metropolis as a house-sitter in France.
Location: Montpellier is positioned on the Mediterranean coast within the south of France. It’s round 2.5 hours east of Toulouse, 3.5 hours west of Good, and 280 miles (450 km) to the Italian border. Click here to find Montpellier on the map.
5. Limoges
Limoges was a brand new metropolis for me. I knew it was a fairly centrally positioned, massive metropolis, with a college, and that it had good direct practice hyperlinks to my subsequent already-confirmed placement in Toulouse.
I’m glad I opted to go to Limoges. It’s a metropolis steeped in historical past and it exudes an old-world allure, with its cobblestone streets and half-timbered homes. Though my house-sit was a reasonably trendy condominium, house-sitting alternatives right here could possibly be for centuries-old properties. What an expertise that will be!
There are some nice museums, an impressive cathedral, and a few fascinating historic websites that can delight fellow historical past buffs like me. As a college city, there are many cool bars and nice locations to eat to swimsuit each funds, and there’s at all times tons occurring. My husband and I spent his birthday in Limoges and it was an awesome day of meals, drink, and cultural sightseeing.
Location: Limoges is positioned pretty centrally in France, edging in direction of the south. It’s round 4 hours south of Paris and three hours north of Toulouse. Find it here on the map.
Is France Secure?
I discovered France to be a safe place to go to, and it’s thought-about a protected vacation spot for vacationers. Like every nation, it’s essential to stay vigilant, particularly in crowded vacationer areas the place petty theft can happen. Train frequent sense, akin to maintaining a tally of private belongings and staying conscious of your environment.
French authorities take safety severely, and main vacationer websites are sometimes well-monitored. As a house-sitter in France, do your finest to remain knowledgeable about any advisory warnings, and in case of any emergency, dial 112 the European emergency quantity. Having an insurance coverage coverage to cowl issues akin to private damage, lack of belongings, and theft is at all times extremely advisable.
If it’s your first time as a house-sitter in France and you propose to drive, it’s at all times a good suggestion to familiarize your self with local driving regulations forward of time. Don’t be taught issues the laborious approach, particularly when you’re renting a car or utilizing the house owners’ automobile. Even skilled drivers will profit from a fast read-through of one other nation’s driving customs.
Execs and Cons of Being a Home Sitter in France
There are execs and cons to staying anyplace. Listed here are a couple of of the important thing factors which have cropped up throughout my time as a house-sitter in France:
Execs of Dwelling in France
- High quality of Life: France persistently ranks high for quality of life. It has a powerful healthcare system, glorious public companies, and give attention to work-life steadiness.
- Culinary Paradise: Famend for its gastronomy, France has a various and beautiful tradition with meals that’s deeply ingrained in its tradition and historical past. As a house-sitter in France, you’ll be spoilt for alternative!
- Public Transportation: Environment friendly and in depth public transportation networks make commuting and journey inside France handy and eco-friendly.
- Cultural Richness: France’s wealthy artwork, literature, and structure historical past is unparalleled.
- Scenic Landscapes: From the picturesque countryside to the gorgeous Mediterranean coast, France is house to many breathtaking landscapes.
- Unimaginable Wine: France is well-known for making a number of the finest wine on the planet. Good bottles of wine can be found in supermarkets for as little as $2.
Cons of Dwelling in France
- Paperwork: France is understood for bureaucratic processes that may typically be advanced and time-consuming.
- Language Barrier: The language barrier might be difficult for a house-sitter in France who isn’t fluent in French. Although many French folks communicate English, many additionally don’t.
- Strikes and Protests: France has a historical past of strikes and protests, which might often disrupt public companies and transportation.
- Value of Dwelling: The price of residing in sure areas, particularly in main cities like Paris, might be comparatively excessive in comparison with different nations.
- Climate Variability: Whereas France typically has a nice local weather, climate circumstances can range, and a few areas expertise excessive temperatures and climate occasions.
- Critically Rural Areas: If you happen to like having facilities in your doorstep 24/7, a few of France’s extra rural areas will not be for you as they lack on a regular basis conveniences. Many small cities and villages require a drive into greater cities for companies.
- Weekend Hunters: Looking with weapons or packs of canines is a well-liked pastime in lots of areas of France particularly on weekends. If you happen to’re pet-sitting or planning to turn out to be a house-sitter in France take additional precautions and search recommendation out of your hosts about the place to go and when.
Ideas for Home Sitting in France
With a lot to think about earlier than taking over an inventory, I’ve put collectively a couple of of my high ideas for house-sitting in France:
- Know your location: France has some very rural areas and housesits could also be approach out within the countryside unsupported by public transportation. Be totally conscious of the precise space you’re heading to and the way simple it’s to get to grocery shops, cafes, and so forth.
- Ask a couple of automotive: If the folks you’re housesitting for are leaving the nation they might be leaving their automotive behind. Generally, the insurance coverage in France covers anybody with a legitimate license to drive a correctly insured automobile – excellent for a house-sitter in France!
- Study the market schedule: Weekly markets are nonetheless a very fashionable factor in France, it’s how loads of locals get most of their produce. You’ll discover every part from garments and quick meals to recent and inexpensive groceries at a city market.
- Carry some money: Most locations, even the markets, settle for card funds however not all. If you happen to’re staying exterior of a giant metropolis discovering a cashpoint that doesn’t cost a hefty payment could be a actual ache. Seize an inexpensive money float when you may.
- Put together for spotty WiFi: Most hosts will likely be clear and upfront concerning the WiFi state of affairs. We’ve had a couple of connection points in rural France so I like to recommend having a pay-as-you-go SIM for information as a backup.
- Plan your buying: Many supermarkets, even the actually massive ones will shut round midday on Sundays. So plan your buying accordingly.
- Put together to make fires: I discovered that many rural homes in France have been heated nearly completely by a fire. Hosts ought to at all times go away you ample provides of wooden and present you the way to function them, however constructing good fires is a necessity out within the French countryside.
Home Sitting in France: FAQs
Listed here are some solutions to probably the most generally requested questions on house-sitting in France:
It’s not obligatory to have any insurance coverage however it’s extremely advisable to take out some type of insurance coverage when house-sitting in France. Home and pet-sitting web sites provide insurance coverage choices to cowl cancelations by a bunch. For medical, journey, private damage, and theft, it will be very clever to take out your individual coverage.
If you want to turn out to be a pet or house-sitter in France, step one can be to join a pet-sitting web site. There are numerous nice ones out there akin to Trusted Housesitters, Mind My House, and Nomador. Most websites mean you can both be part of without cost, enabling you to have go searching, or pay a small premium to see if it’s the precise one for you.
I personally love Trusted Housesitters, it’s been my go-to website for years now and I exploit it nearly completely. When you’ve signed up, construct a full and glowing profile and begin planning the way to rack up the 5-star evaluations.
No, being a house-sitter in France received’t generate a direct earnings stream. Typically, the home and pet-sitting websites which might be out there don’t embody any sort of fee. Fee is within the type of a normally fantastic home, in an incredible a part of the world. It might be doable to receives a commission to be a house-sitter in France, however I haven’t come throughout this selection but.
Sure, there are listings for house-sitting in France with out pets, they’re fairly uncommon however they definitely do come up on occasion. Nevertheless, the vast majority of placements in France do contain pets.
Home sitting in France long run is definitely doable however it relies upon completely on the place you’re from and what size of visa you’re allowed. You’ll want to test and abide by these rules completely. Lengthy-term sits in France recurrently seem on varied house-sitting web sites.
Home-sitting in France is a superb expertise. With a combination of gorgeous countryside and a few breathtaking and vibrant cities, France presents a little bit of every part for anybody planning a placement there. Simple and inexpensive public transportation makes it simple to get round from metropolis to metropolis. The individuals are pleasant, heat, and welcoming.
A automotive is just not at all times included with a house-sit in France, or anyplace else on the planet for that matter. Nevertheless, it’s included with many home and pet-sits. Hosts are typically upfront about the usage of their automobiles, which is useful. If it doesn’t point out something a couple of automotive within the itemizing, it by no means hurts to ask.
A automotive is a necessity for a lot of placements and having one could possibly be the distinction between making use of and never. For probably the most half, automotive insurance coverage in France covers the automotive for anybody to drive it with a legitimate license, so the potential for being loaned one is significantly elevated.
You need to write an trustworthy, personalised, and pleasant software when making use of for a home or pet-sit in France. Learn the itemizing completely and consult with factors the host has particularly talked about i.e. ‘Rex loves 3 lengthy walks a day’. Referencing the (right!) pet names is a good suggestion too.
Be open to a video chat, additional correspondence, and any questions they might have. Be clear in your journey plans too. For instance don’t say “I suppose I could possibly be there round 1st Might”, be extra assertive – “I land in Paris on 1st Might, your dates work completely for me’.
Although it’s uncommon, home and pet-sits might be modified or canceled on the final minute. This could be a drawback in case your journey plans have already been organized. Nevertheless, many housesitting websites provide membership choices that cowl this. I might advocate choosing membership tiers or choices that cowl you for this when you’re planning to house-sit long-term.
In Conclusion
I hope this text has helped with some concepts on the way to turn out to be a housesitter in France. It actually is a superb nation and one which I really feel everybody ought to expertise in some unspecified time in the future of their lives.
Home and pet sitting gives an incredible alternative to journey extra cost-effectively. For me, it additionally heightens the expertise of each journey. I’ve made some lifelong pals alongside the way in which, with each the folks I’ve sat for and their pals and neighbors.
I rave about home and pet-sitting to anybody who will pay attention. It’s one thing that’s modified my life and has opened up so many home windows of alternative for journey that I by no means thought doable.
Good luck!
