How becoming a homesitter in 2024 can boost retirement adventures

Posted on 1 January, 2024

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

As the New Year kicks off it’s often a time for reflection and embracing change. For some, 2024 will also mark the start of a completely new chapter as they look forward to retiring. This can be an exciting yet daunting prospect as people worry about how they will adapt.

But retiring isn’t just about sitting back and doing nothing, many decide to take on a fresh challenge or change of career at this stage in their lives. For those looking for something new to keep them active and busy in retirement, then becoming a home and pet sitter could be the ideal choice.

It’s a role that is among the most sought after UK jobs according to research by Adzuna[i] for people of all ages. For retirees it can give them a renewed sense of purpose after working full time all their lives and is also a fantastic way to supplement their pension income.

It’s a part-time role that as the title suggests involves staying in people’s homes when they go on holiday, taking care of the home and any pets. It’s flexible and can fit around other commitments such as travelling, hobbies or spending time with family.

It’s an opportunity to have lots of new adventures and explore different parts of the UK, staying for free. For animal lovers who may not want the commitment of pets, it’s also a novel way to spend time with them, enjoying the companionship of a pet without actually owning one.

Most assignments include looking after dogs or cats, but our homesitters could be tasked with looking after any kind of pet from a pot-bellied pig to a llama! For active retirees having the chance to take a dog for a walk and enjoy the countryside is a huge bonus. But caring for any animal is rewarding and brings many of our homesitters a great deal of joy.

As well as being an incredibly rewarding role, our homesitters also enjoy making a bit of extra money. Homesitters receive a modest remuneration, plus they are reimbursed for mileage when they travel to and from an assignment, and they receive a daily food allowance. They make savings on their energy bills too especially during the winter months as they are away from home.

With the cost of living crisis a worry for people, for those heading into retirement it can be a relief to know they can still earn some money on a regular basis. Home and pet sitters can choose to do as many assignments as they want each year to fit around their lifestyle.

We have homesitters that choose to spend the winter month’s home and pet sitting, as they spend summers abroad. Or vice versa, some homesitters love to explore the UK during the warmer months and enjoy taking on assignments so they can see different parts the UK.

One of our homesitters is 60-year-old Julie Wade from Kent who decided to join us after finding that retirement didn’t completely suit her. Previously she had enjoyed a fast-paced career as a senior manager at John Lewis, but after retiring felt that she had lost her purpose in life.

She thought that becoming a homesitter would not only keep her busy but enable her to combine her two passions of animals and travelling. Julie says: “I’ve always loved to travel and when I turned 40, I made a promise to myself to visit a new country every year.

“As a homesitter, I still get to travel around the UK visiting lots of new places and different counties rather than different countries, having adventures and meeting new people and their pets.”

Whilst homesitting is paid; Julie is very much focused on doing it for the experiences of staying new places and being around animals. She says: “It feels good to be out of the rat race and finally have time to do all the things that life gets too busy for.”

Julie describes home and pet sitting as ‘the perfect job’ and says: ‘I’m so pleased I’ve finally found a job which allows me to have it all; time with my family, free time to go to new places and have adventures, and a great way to stay active and fit.”

So, for those contemplating semi-retirement in 2024 and looking for a flexible, fulfilling and rewarding role, homesitting may be just the job!

For more information on becoming and homesitter, click here.


[i] https://employeebenefits.co.uk/pet-sitter-jobs-highly-sought-after-in-the-uk/

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