Are you professional house sitters?

Dictionary.com defines occupations as a person's usual or principal work or business, especially as a means of earning a living; vocation

Wikipedia doesn't have a page for the word "Occupation", but does have this to say:
Occupation or job: one's role in society, often a regular activity performed for payment

Their definition of job is: A job, or occupation, is a person's role in society. More specifically, a job is an activity, often regular and often performed in exchange for payment ("for a living")

Lets look at a few aspects of being a professional, especially when applied to the world of house sitting.

1)   Getting paid to house sit

When we get down to specifics, a job is "often performed in exchange for payment", but this would also suggest this is not always so. The idea of being "paid" is a slippery one too. Does that just mean cash?

If a job includes a company car, the tax man sees this as a taxable benefit... a part of the salaried package - in other words, a payment. But it isn't a cash payment... it's a benefit. In the same way, surely being given free accommodation in return for pet and house sitting services rendered, is a form of benefit... or payment?

In fact all we're doing is cutting out the middleman - cash - from the equation. When we have a "proper job" (as my mum would say!) we earn money from our employer. One of the main uses of this money for most wage earners is to pay either rent or a mortgage.

So... one of the primary goals of having a job / occupation / profession, is to cover our accommodation costs !!

I think house sitting ticks this box.

2)   Specialized knowledge

I don't think this particular hoop is hard to jump through.

Dogs, cats, horses, sheep, fish and more. Swimming pools, power systems, solar and off-grid skills. Travel, visas, language barriers. Becoming a good house and pet sitter is an ever on-going process of learning and personal improvement.

So do we have specialized knowledge? Yes, I think that get's a tick.

Although house sitting is not yet at the level of "formal qualification" or "intense academic training", there are courses you can take, offered by house sitters with a wealth of practical experience gained over years of house sitting. It is a skill you can learn and develop through training.

3)   Your role in society

Under both "occupation" and "job" Wikipedia talks about one's role in society. When someone asks, "What do you do?" and your cheerful answer is "We're house sitters!" then I think this would qualify as your role in society, in the same way "I'm a dentist" or "I'm an electrician" does.

The house sitter professional approach

One final point I'd like to make in response to the "you have to be paid money to be considered a professional" argument is this:

"So if I'm not paid in cash, what would you call me... an amateur?"

Even if the very narrow "paid in cash" definition is accepted as true, then it is still quite possible to have a very professional approach to what you do as a house sitter.

And I would argue, "Who is the most dedicated to their "profession"? Someone who does it only to earn a cash income, or someone who does it for the love of the pets, the provision of a serive, and the enjoyment of a fulfilling and rewarding lifestyle?

At the end of the day, it really doesn't matter if you are paid in cash, or paid in kind (in the form of free accommodation)... if your "Number One" concern as a house sitter is to do a great job for both the home owner and for the pets, then you are a true professional.

Paid or unpaid house sitter, say it loud, say it proud...

"I'm a professional house sitter!"

Yeah! High five!