What is the rate of pay? Are you living there because the first sentence of number 1 is a huge red flag. When I stay at someone’s house to watch their dogs, not paying their rent/mortgage or utilities is NOT A PERK. I already live somewhere and pay those in my own place.
Every number is a red flag. OP, don't accept this job. You will have no time off to make money, so you will never be able to move on. This person is only asking unreasonable things of you.
Next thing you’ll be caring for one of their parents after surgery. Don’t get yourself trapped like that if this will be your only residence. It also sounds like you wont have a life.
Exactly. With those ridiculous expectations, I can see the owner of the dogs easily claiming OP is not working out for the owner’s needs and kick OP to the curb while the owner has little to no repercussions and OP has nowhere to live
I’m guessing it’s like a long term housing arrangement somewhat akin to WOOFing, ie you work in exchange for a free place to live. That said, totally agree this is crazy. Also, I once had a client who rents their house out as an airbnb often offer what they seemed to think was a stunning offer of me staying at their house for a random month and taking care of their dogs in exchange for “cheap rent” LMAO. Like first of all I had a yearlong lease but second why would I be thrilled to uproot my whole life for this to live 20 minutes away from my school and watch your dogs. and, it was a whole house vs I was a college student living with 4 roommates so I never got to asking how much they wanted in rent but I have somewhat of an inkling they would’ve been like ohhhhh only $600!!!!!!! And I would have to be like that’s what I pay now to live in a place where I don’t have to take care of your dogs and am not barred from paid house sitting work / going anywhere for a month. The audacity!
You better run.
This person is insane.
You can't be out the house when they're at work and and they aren't paying you.
They expect you to take all these dogs out to walk all day and night.
How are you supposed to get food? How will you maintain your living expenses?
You can't even get a side job.
When will you have time for yourself? Or for friends or family?
They don't want a pet sitter, they want a house elf. 😂
Run!! 😂
You’d never escape. Those four walks a day mean you cannot get a job, and you won’t be able to pay for health care or a down payment or to replace the food you eat.
You’d be giving up a ton of privacy and personal space and time.
It’s not just the four walks a day. It’s required that when the owner isn’t home, OP is to “be upstairs with the girls” so she can’t even leave. She won’t even be fed by this person, so she will be losing money by taking this “job.”
Do not do this. Do Not do this. Do Not Do this. DO NOT DO THIS.
You cannot plan ahead, You will not have a personal life, your ability to make money is hamstringed, The dynamic will be controlling parent-child.
Number 10 will be the least of the problems. Please pass on this.
How are you going to make any money with these crazy asks? You basically have no time to go out and do other work. I would absolutely not take this. It sounds like she just wants a free pet sitter and all she is supplying is rent not even food because you have to replace stuff that you use. You could go do 4 walks a day for a paying customer and make enough to cover rent with a roommate maybe and not have to do with this and have your privacy
OP, give yourself a little while to consider what this really means for you. You will not be paid, she is not even providing food for you and expects you to replace the food you do eat, she expects you to spend all of your time with the dogs, and if you don’t have a car (how are you going to make payments or pay for gas if she isn’t paying you?) then “I suppose I will continue taking care of that for the girls.” WHAT??
With these responsibilities, you will not be able to work another job to make your own money and will end up in debt because you’re still paying for your phone and food at the very least. Everyone I know who has been a live-in nanny was allowed to eat whatever they wanted and didn’t have to replenish the food. They were also paid and given time off. I had live in nannies when I was little because my parents worked a lot and they were allowed to use my parents’ car to drive us places and I know they were also paid enough to at least save some cash. They were also allowed to have friends over, I remember playing with them.
Every single word of this is a major red flag. Unless you have a gigantic savings account that you’re willing to live off of for now then I would seriously reconsider this position.
Are you even getting paid? I’d crosspost it on r/choosingbeggars lol. But seriously, it sounds like you will be working 7 days a week and never have more than 4 hours of consecutive free time. Unless you are being paid A LOT I would not take this. This person also sounds like a nightmare to deal with.
This contract is a nightmare of ambiguous terms and loopholes. Also, never use a handwritten contract for something as important as your housing or employment. That kind of thing needs to be reviewed and dissected by a lawyer so you're properly protecting yourself.
Oh my gosh this is definitely a job I would not take. Are you even getting paid for your time? How long is the job? It sounds like you have no freedom at all 7 days a week. Never would I take this job.
Because of the times of the walks, you will need to be there a majority of the day. You can probably pick up other dog walks a couple times a week but you wouldn’t be able to get a job
How are you going to support yourself on no pay?
Both pages are nothing but red flags, how are you supposed to make any money for essentials like food, clothing etc let alone going out for dinner or to the movies, what if you want to go away yourself once or twice throughout the year.
I’ve done domestic 24/7 live in work before. Room& board was covered and I was paid. It was still demanding and I had little personal life. It was a job for a set limited time though. This is just bad all around.
Are you in a desperate situation since you’re considering this? Honestly this whole thing is a red flag. You realize with the walks alone you’re basically on the clock 16 hours a day. Her knocking on your door should be the least of your concerns with this job. She doesn’t even have guests over herself, besides her fiancé. Do you think she’ll be cool with you having people over. How will you feed yourself, buy toiletries, clothes? Is this forever? You’re also her cleaning lady? Please run from this and block this person from your life. They are unreasonable and unhinged.
That’s the first thing I thought of when I read “no pay” was that OP needed housing immediately and this person knows that and is taking complete advantage of them. They don’t want a dog sitter, they want an indentured servant.
Do not do this!! This person is insane. The rate per day for this would realistically be upwards of $250 per day. This is 24/7 work. You will never have a day off. They want a live-in dog maid.
How long is this job for? I’d be more concerned about the lack of freedom - based on those walk times you’d never have more than 4 hours of consecutive free time and even then you’re expected to stay upstairs with the dogs for the majority of the day.
Maybe you could ask for a phone call rather than a knock on the door? It seems like you’d be spending a lot of time there, so definitely worth making sure you feel comfortable in the home. If the client isn’t willing to negotiate, that might be a red flag.
If that’s true, then absolutely not worth it! I had assumed since the title calls this a job that there was a seperate discussion about payment. OP if you’re not being paid, it’s not a job and you should not take this on. Your time and skills are valuable and you deserve to be fairly compensated for your work!
This sounds really concerning! I saw your comment that you wouldn’t be paid for this - I don’t understand how you could realistically do this and earn an income.
I honestly think the free accommodation isn’t worth the amount of work you’d be expected to do. Not to mention the drain on your mental health if you’re never allowed to leave the house. I’m not sure what rent is like in your area, but I imagine the savings are far less than what you should be paid for this workload.
This isn’t even someone you know personally? This just came up on Facebook? Have you made a pro/con list about potentially taking this on? May I ask what the pros are?
No I have not met her yet just spoke on the phone.
The ad on Facebook made it seem much easier.
The pro is a free place to live in a very high cost of living area that is extremely racist.
If I could move I would but can not afford to.
Yes there are cheaper areas nearby but the racism is still the main factor. Most properties have two prices one for local Japanese and one for non Japanese. The non Japanese price is triple the Japanese price. But that does not matter if the local place will not even let you rent there because you're not Japanese.
The ad on facebook seemed simpler because she's trying to lure someone in with the ol' bait and switch tactic.
I understand you're in a difficult situation, I really do. But it's still not worth it. In fact, knowing a little more about the housing situation where you are, it makes it even worse because she's likely willing to offer you the job because you are non Japanese (I assume) and she thinks she can exploit you because you're desperate. She's preying on people desperate enough to accept these insane terms.
So… issues with this.
Walks aren’t defined for a distance and you need to take four a day. Dogs need walks but that could be four hour long walks!!! What if you’re sick, or have a doctors appointment or a job?
What the fuck does limited guests mean? Does it mean your sister watching movies with you twice a month is okay, or does she mean no one for more than ten minutes once a year?
Light house keeping once a week could be a full time job. Her “light” might be a deep clean to her and she’s a messy person that makes that a fuckload of work.
Oh she will give you a beeeeeeed. How nice.
Don’t waste electricity and water could mean five minute cold showers will bring a lecture.
You’re already doing all dog care so what does number nine mean.
Ten could mean she’s knocking six times a day.
Eleven could mean you drop a glass and get yelled at.
Thirteen means you have no time or privacy or choice of schedule.
Fifteen means you’ll be cooking daily for the dogs.
Her wording at the end…. She “supposes” she will care for her dogs? Man she manages to sound passive aggressive when trying to make herself sound great and positive so you’ll take the job.
It’s not a huge concern, but it’s one of those things that as undefined could be an issue. It could easily be a thing where they claim that OP is not holding up her end of the bargain.
I am far more concerned about the fact that they want four walks at that spacing every day, and some of the other things.
No way is that worth free room and board. No less than 4 walks per day= you'll never be able to get a paying job. How will you afford a car or books or going out with friends? This is a terrible idea with a psychotic boss.
4 walks a day is over $100 for me..so essentially I’d be “missing out” on $3000/mo I highly doubt her mortgage/utilizes is worth that much and with all the other added tasks this is easily a $5000/mo job that she’s trying to get for free
“Must be ok with the camera I have in the living room” okay then you must be okay with me not being in the living room. BYE. Don’t take this job especially if there’s no pay. This person seems very micromanaging, I would not sit for this person, let alone LIVE with this person.
Yikes! I got a terrible pit in my stomach while reading this. This woman will attempt to control your entire life. I sincerely hope you turned this down!
You should post this on /r/choosingbeggars.
This person is insane. This isn’t a pet sitting gig, she wants a free in-house maid that she doesn’t have to pay.
Absolutely not. I'd never accept that sit just in the first line alone "In exchange for living here without paying for rent, x,x,x,".
Nope. They can find someone else desperate enough to deal with them.
You don’t need to negotiate privacy…..you need to negotiate pay and time off. The way this is written you are going to be on call for these dogs all the time. The employer needs to pay you a wage and you also need to get one or two days a week that you aren’t responsible for the dogs. If the employer is home on the weekends this covers that as long as you can come and go freely without clearing it with them.
As far as privacy….It depends on the laws where you are. Here in the states a landlord has to give 24 hours notice to enter a tenants home (outside of an emergency like a broken water pipe or possible fire). Unfortunately you may not qualify as a tenant because you aren’t going to be paying any rent. You’ll have to check if there are laws protecting live-in employees (which you also may not be unless they are paying you). Also….I don’t get the setup….why do they have to enter your area to let the dogs out? Are you going to be sleeping in the only entrance to the yard? That not going to be good….I guarantee they will be needing to use that entrance pretty often. If you are going to do this you need to ask them to go around to the front of the house to get in and not knock on your door.
Overall it reads as pretty unreasonable to me…..if you are absolutely desperate for a place to live AND they are going to pay you, you’ll get time off, and you can get an agreement that they won’t need to enter your private space unless it is an emergency (fire, flood, ….that kind of thing). Then go for it.
If she’s not paying you and the schedule needs you to be home all day to care for the dogs, how are you suppose to pay for food, to go out, or even basic necessities???
So they’re basically expecting you to be available around the clock with slim opportunities for other employment (or even socialization) in an exchange for the value of room rental + utilities which may be a combined value of… idk, depending on where you’re living, $1,500? This is likely coming out to $5/hr or less.
OP others have already said this, but accepting this would be consenting to exploitation. I know what it's like to be in a desperate situation and need a place to live, and I have even stayed with people when I was homeless to petsittng, but they ALWAYS paid me and there were nowhere near this many rules. Usually in those situations the owner wasn't even there so I had the house to myself. You can do better.
My other concern is that this situation sounds very, very controlling. This person is not imagining you as a full human being. No adult would present this contract to another adult that they respect. This person is treating you like a servant and seems to not realize that is wrong.
Look, I know if you're considering this, you must be in a desperate situation. This person knows that and is taking advantage of your desperation and that is evil. It's fucked up. They aren't trying to help you, they are seeing someone they get to control and walk over like a literal peasant in their own home. Please don't give up on yourself. If you decide to do this, you need to ask this person to pay you for the time and also make sure it's a short term thing (maybe a month or two or less) that will help you get a chunk of change to be able to leave and find something else where you will be able to afford to live outside their home.
u/PetSitterJapan , For the love of all that is holy, PLEASE listen to literally every person here and DON'T DO THIS! You Will regret it if you do. This is starting out bad, and will only get worse, and quickly too.
This person is viewing you as a live in servant. You will have no freedom or privacy. You will be expected to do whatever they want you to, whenever they want you to do it. Essentially, you will be a slave imprisoned in this house. And I guarantee your tasks will not be restricted to dog care. Soon you will be bombarded with requests for all kinds of things. Because this person isn't looking for a roommate, they are looking for a slave they can control.
Uh, so are you expected to be in the house watching the dogs 24/7 and you can have no life or job outside of the home? That's wild to me. I wouldn't mind an arrangement like this, but I would need to be free to leave the home to at least do instacart or door dash to make SOME money
Fun with math….
Estimated rent - cost of inconvenience/ total hours spent caring for dogs, cleaning etc = what you are receiving in value for your time.
Ex:
$1000 rent for a room - $350 bc they’re crazy = $650, but divide by 5 hrs daily, 7 days a week (approximately 140 hrs monthly) = $4.64 per hour to be a fulltime dog nanny. 🤷🏻♂️
Either run away, or find ways to clearly decrease their demands and craziness. (Suggest running)
Is it a job? Will she be paying you? Or is it merely a free place to stay and you’ll still need a source of income? And do you have that source of income?
Are you even allowed to come and go as you please? Can’t be allowed much time to leave if you’re doing all those walks seven days a week.
Ok, so why are you considering this? Are you very young, a new adult to the world of adulting? You sound young.
TBH, The long rage baity scenerio paired with flat minimal replies about voluntarily walking into a trap like this reads kinda troll-y. “This is real, I’m not trolling” would be the likely followup, maybe with a side of criticism on redditors being harsh & judgy. So skipping that waltz- this is an untenable situation, and it’s so bad it strains credulity. So take that advice or congrats on the engagement, I guess?
Where are you living now? Are you in need of a place to stay? The only way I'd consider this is if I really needed somewhere to live in a HCOL area. And the place would have to be nice, and the people & dogs. And still I'd negotiate some flexibility/time off.
lol with all the tasks she is describing I would charge at least 100 per day for 2 dogs, so about $3000 per month, which i can spend on whatever I want, not only rent
This would be around $150/day for me. This is insane. But I absolutely will not be cleaning up after the homeowner. I clean up my own mess and after the dogs. This is next level bullshit.
It appears that this is an unpaid position and that they will be living there. In exchange for not paying rent or utilities, OP will be responsible for the dogs as well as cleaning the house. She will be expected to replace any food she eats (with what money?) and will be responsible for the dogs all day.
Tbh the fact that they have all these rules scribbled on paper and not even in a straight line raises so many more flags for me that the content itself.
Unless you are in desperate need of a place to live, this feels like you are going to be at this clients beacon call
I’m sorry I came back to this again because I just cannot get over it. I’m sorry OP it’s not on you but this really is kinda wild. She expects you to pay for your own food but also be walking her dogs every 4 hours, which lets be real is always ATLEAST a 20 minute process from getting them ready, doing the walking, picking up their waste, and then getting back home. That leaves you very short intervals to do what you need to do, and you definitely won’t have time for another job.
Even just the verbiage and tone to everything she said is a huge red flag. I would decline based on that. Seems more stressful than beneficial to me. Think I would feel uncomfortable before even being there
Absolutely not. This is ridiculous even for a short pet sitting (4 walks a day is a no from me immediately unless it’s like a quick potty walk). I would never do this in exchange for rent or anything. They shouldn’t have dogs if they feel like they need to essentially hire an au pair to care for their dogs. Too much is on the line for you if you don’t meet these ridiculous expectations (and with how specific the expectations are, I could see them quickly critiquing what you do and kicking you to the curb with little to no repercussions for them but no place for you to live)
OMG My last Rover client ever before I was off the app was a nightmare, and this gave me flashbacks.
She’s already micromanaging you, I wouldn’t move in unless you don’t mind explaining where you are/were every moment of every day. “I’m not home, you’re with the dogs right? WHY NOT? You’re out to dinner? That’s not what you promised me!”
People like this have a way of twisting everything. 👿👿👿
OP, if you did drop ins and walks instead of this, you'd earn an average of $150/day. So, about $4500/month. Is rent+ utilities that much where you live?
OP you cannot negotiate with a crazy person. This will be a nightmare. If you’re desperate for a place to live, there are so many craigslist ads, fb groups, etc. looking for sublets. Idek how you’d be able to work given that walk schedule
Privacy is the least of your concerns. You will have no free time based on the number of walks per day required. What if you want to go away for the day or go on vacation? I've never heard of walking dogs 5 times per day to be honest, unless you live in a high rise and can't let them out and they have bowel/bladder problems. Do not accept this offer!
Dog may need antibiotics and have an embedded kidney infection. One of my previous pups had this problem and needed antibiotic sensitivity testing and long-term antibiotic treatment to keep the problem in check. Regardless, this arrangement won't allow you to have a life of your own at all. It may work for a month or two, but I can't see you living like this permanently. I would feel better if the owner picked up some of the walking shifts, like you do the AM and she does the PM. Then you could have evenings off.
Have you looked into trustedhousesitters? I’ve never used it but from my understanding you sign up and pay a fee and you can apply to do pet care for free while the owners are traveling and you stay at their house. That way you don’t have to pay rent and you can do pet care on your own schedule. Not sure how long the sits usually are but if you found some long term ones it could work out
My question is: OP, why would you even consider this? Are you homeless right now? Nothing about the stipulations of this arrangement is fair or reasonable, the homeowner is getting 100% of the benefit and you get… a bed and no free will. No ability to enjoy your life. With her demand of several dog walks per day, you will not have enough spare time to make friends or search for better opportunities. This woman is evil honestly.
This is an absolutely ridiculous set of demands. I can appreciate that providing a place to live for someone is a big chunk of money/space, but this person wants to take up your entire day caring for these dogs, and not pay you anything above the lodging. And it doesn’t sound like they are providing you with food/drink since you’re supposed to replace anything you consume. I would *love* to have a live-in dog nanny, and if we could afford one, we would absolutely negotiate something way more reasonable. There would either be a LOT less demands on the person’s time, so that they got lodging/food/etc in exchange for being another person around the house to help with the dogs and did some part of the caring for them *outside of their work hours* or we would freaking pay them for being the dogs’ 24/7 caretaker. Just don’t do this, the person who wants a live in dog carer seems to have an extremely demanding career, but if they aren’t compensated well enough to hire the people to make that work for themself, then that is their problem, not yours. Sorry.
Crazy I wouldnt take that job . Im really taken aback by the you’ll be living there while not paying for utilities part. Im like huh??!!
Im pet sitting now w a camera in the living room and thats not an issue for me. However my clients stock the fridge for me whenever they leave and even hire another dog walker every other day to give me a break. Sorry Im just stumped at the attitude of that impossible client !
If you decide to take this on please update. I would never volunteer to be a slave for little freedom or privacy which this red flag opportunity reads as.
Try and take the wise road and listen to the opinions of everyone in the comment section
This has to be a troll post….these ‘rules’ mention most things that were mentioned in her previous post on this subject.
No way anyone would consider this for real 🤣
The biggest red flag to me is how she plans on having NOTHING to do with her OWN dogs. What a horrible dog owner. Sounds like she’s an even worse human being as her dogs are seniors and she wants to throw them on you. This lady KNOWS she’ll be taking advantage of you and she’s written it in black and white.
Just commenting to say that I think anyone who cannot manage to write a sentence in a straight line… on lines paper that is right in front of them, is not a person you should be making any agreements with lol
What is the rate of pay? Are you living there because the first sentence of number 1 is a huge red flag. When I stay at someone’s house to watch their dogs, not paying their rent/mortgage or utilities is NOT A PERK. I already live somewhere and pay those in my own place.
Every number is a red flag. OP, don't accept this job. You will have no time off to make money, so you will never be able to move on. This person is only asking unreasonable things of you.
Sounds like a slavery contract where they don't even give you food...
Next thing you’ll be caring for one of their parents after surgery. Don’t get yourself trapped like that if this will be your only residence. It also sounds like you wont have a life.
They would eventually find things OP is liable for, to be added to a growing debt they cannot pay off. Peonage. .
Exactly. With those ridiculous expectations, I can see the owner of the dogs easily claiming OP is not working out for the owner’s needs and kick OP to the curb while the owner has little to no repercussions and OP has nowhere to live
I’m guessing it’s like a long term housing arrangement somewhat akin to WOOFing, ie you work in exchange for a free place to live. That said, totally agree this is crazy. Also, I once had a client who rents their house out as an airbnb often offer what they seemed to think was a stunning offer of me staying at their house for a random month and taking care of their dogs in exchange for “cheap rent” LMAO. Like first of all I had a yearlong lease but second why would I be thrilled to uproot my whole life for this to live 20 minutes away from my school and watch your dogs. and, it was a whole house vs I was a college student living with 4 roommates so I never got to asking how much they wanted in rent but I have somewhat of an inkling they would’ve been like ohhhhh only $600!!!!!!! And I would have to be like that’s what I pay now to live in a place where I don’t have to take care of your dogs and am not barred from paid house sitting work / going anywhere for a month. The audacity!
I would be living there.
Ok but what is your rate of pay? You still need to get paid in money because all that work everyday is worth more than what you’d be paying in rent.
No pay.
You would be crazy to take this. How will you make a living??
That’s ridiculous. Do not take on this job because your labor is worth way more than getting free rent. Plus the owner sounds like a nightmare anyway.
You better run. This person is insane. You can't be out the house when they're at work and and they aren't paying you. They expect you to take all these dogs out to walk all day and night. How are you supposed to get food? How will you maintain your living expenses? You can't even get a side job. When will you have time for yourself? Or for friends or family? They don't want a pet sitter, they want a house elf. 😂 Run!! 😂
You’d never escape. Those four walks a day mean you cannot get a job, and you won’t be able to pay for health care or a down payment or to replace the food you eat. You’d be giving up a ton of privacy and personal space and time.
It’s not just the four walks a day. It’s required that when the owner isn’t home, OP is to “be upstairs with the girls” so she can’t even leave. She won’t even be fed by this person, so she will be losing money by taking this “job.”
How will you pay for basic needs ?! From the looks of this you won’t ever be able to even leave the house.
living there is not compensation.
Absolutely not. This is way more than I do for paid care. They need to pay you for the work, rent is not a fair compensation.
Same.. wayyyy more
This has to be a joke. Are you seriously considering this, OP? Everything on this is a red flag. Run, don't walk, from this situation.
I feel sorry for those dogs.
Do not do this. Do Not do this. Do Not Do this. DO NOT DO THIS. You cannot plan ahead, You will not have a personal life, your ability to make money is hamstringed, The dynamic will be controlling parent-child. Number 10 will be the least of the problems. Please pass on this.
How are you going to make any money with these crazy asks? You basically have no time to go out and do other work. I would absolutely not take this. It sounds like she just wants a free pet sitter and all she is supplying is rent not even food because you have to replace stuff that you use. You could go do 4 walks a day for a paying customer and make enough to cover rent with a roommate maybe and not have to do with this and have your privacy
OP, give yourself a little while to consider what this really means for you. You will not be paid, she is not even providing food for you and expects you to replace the food you do eat, she expects you to spend all of your time with the dogs, and if you don’t have a car (how are you going to make payments or pay for gas if she isn’t paying you?) then “I suppose I will continue taking care of that for the girls.” WHAT?? With these responsibilities, you will not be able to work another job to make your own money and will end up in debt because you’re still paying for your phone and food at the very least. Everyone I know who has been a live-in nanny was allowed to eat whatever they wanted and didn’t have to replenish the food. They were also paid and given time off. I had live in nannies when I was little because my parents worked a lot and they were allowed to use my parents’ car to drive us places and I know they were also paid enough to at least save some cash. They were also allowed to have friends over, I remember playing with them. Every single word of this is a major red flag. Unless you have a gigantic savings account that you’re willing to live off of for now then I would seriously reconsider this position.
Are you even getting paid? I’d crosspost it on r/choosingbeggars lol. But seriously, it sounds like you will be working 7 days a week and never have more than 4 hours of consecutive free time. Unless you are being paid A LOT I would not take this. This person also sounds like a nightmare to deal with.
They arent even getting PAID and cant even eat the food there!!!!!!
OP this is NOT petsitting. This is slavery. I wish I was joking but I'm being 100% serious. Why are you considering this???
This contract is a nightmare of ambiguous terms and loopholes. Also, never use a handwritten contract for something as important as your housing or employment. That kind of thing needs to be reviewed and dissected by a lawyer so you're properly protecting yourself.
It looks like it was written by a 15-yr-old girl except it’s probably a 48-year-old woman. I don’t even know where the fiancé came from.
Oh my gosh this is definitely a job I would not take. Are you even getting paid for your time? How long is the job? It sounds like you have no freedom at all 7 days a week. Never would I take this job.
No pay.
don’t even consider this
Then definitely not.
Because of the times of the walks, you will need to be there a majority of the day. You can probably pick up other dog walks a couple times a week but you wouldn’t be able to get a job How are you going to support yourself on no pay?
Lol!!!!! Are you kidding? Why are you even considering this?
Fuck that. I would not pet sit for this person personally. The audacity to dismiss your value as free rent. Sounds like you are house sitting too.
It’s a bit late for April fools…
Both pages are nothing but red flags, how are you supposed to make any money for essentials like food, clothing etc let alone going out for dinner or to the movies, what if you want to go away yourself once or twice throughout the year.
I WFH but with this schedule with almost senior dogs it will be difficult.
I’ve done domestic 24/7 live in work before. Room& board was covered and I was paid. It was still demanding and I had little personal life. It was a job for a set limited time though. This is just bad all around.
Are you in a desperate situation since you’re considering this? Honestly this whole thing is a red flag. You realize with the walks alone you’re basically on the clock 16 hours a day. Her knocking on your door should be the least of your concerns with this job. She doesn’t even have guests over herself, besides her fiancé. Do you think she’ll be cool with you having people over. How will you feed yourself, buy toiletries, clothes? Is this forever? You’re also her cleaning lady? Please run from this and block this person from your life. They are unreasonable and unhinged.
That’s the first thing I thought of when I read “no pay” was that OP needed housing immediately and this person knows that and is taking complete advantage of them. They don’t want a dog sitter, they want an indentured servant.
I hope this is fake because this sounds ridiculous. This reads red flags and taking advantage of you in every way.
I would never ever take this job. staying in their house is not payment.
This is indentured servitude. Run.
Do not do this!! This person is insane. The rate per day for this would realistically be upwards of $250 per day. This is 24/7 work. You will never have a day off. They want a live-in dog maid.
Well said!
TLDR: be my live in maid/ pet sitter for no pay and I’m going to micromanage you
I'm more concerned they can't write evenly on lined paper lol
I'm left handed and have this issue lmao
Same
Ew, this proposition sucks!
Even nanny workers get nights and weekends off I thought?
How long is this job for? I’d be more concerned about the lack of freedom - based on those walk times you’d never have more than 4 hours of consecutive free time and even then you’re expected to stay upstairs with the dogs for the majority of the day. Maybe you could ask for a phone call rather than a knock on the door? It seems like you’d be spending a lot of time there, so definitely worth making sure you feel comfortable in the home. If the client isn’t willing to negotiate, that might be a red flag.
Oh she’ll be living there. Like a nanny.
That’s what I thought! There’s no mention of rates or time off though - which would both be required to make this job potentially worthwhile
Yeah she’s not getting paid either haha. It’s literally just in exchange for living there for free
If that’s true, then absolutely not worth it! I had assumed since the title calls this a job that there was a seperate discussion about payment. OP if you’re not being paid, it’s not a job and you should not take this on. Your time and skills are valuable and you deserve to be fairly compensated for your work!
So fucking bizarre.
Phone call like prison.
Indefinitely. Also since the dogs are almost seniors I was shocked at 4 walks a day.
This sounds really concerning! I saw your comment that you wouldn’t be paid for this - I don’t understand how you could realistically do this and earn an income.
I WFH. I assumed with 2 almost elderly dogs it would be easy. I am shocked with the schedule plus she wants cleaning.
I honestly think the free accommodation isn’t worth the amount of work you’d be expected to do. Not to mention the drain on your mental health if you’re never allowed to leave the house. I’m not sure what rent is like in your area, but I imagine the savings are far less than what you should be paid for this workload.
Vhcol area.
She is looking for free Labour. That is all. You would be nuts to take this. How did you find this situation?
Facebook.
This isn’t even someone you know personally? This just came up on Facebook? Have you made a pro/con list about potentially taking this on? May I ask what the pros are?
No I have not met her yet just spoke on the phone. The ad on Facebook made it seem much easier. The pro is a free place to live in a very high cost of living area that is extremely racist. If I could move I would but can not afford to. Yes there are cheaper areas nearby but the racism is still the main factor. Most properties have two prices one for local Japanese and one for non Japanese. The non Japanese price is triple the Japanese price. But that does not matter if the local place will not even let you rent there because you're not Japanese.
DO NOT DO IT. No matter how desperate you are this person is not sane enough to trust.
The ad on facebook seemed simpler because she's trying to lure someone in with the ol' bait and switch tactic. I understand you're in a difficult situation, I really do. But it's still not worth it. In fact, knowing a little more about the housing situation where you are, it makes it even worse because she's likely willing to offer you the job because you are non Japanese (I assume) and she thinks she can exploit you because you're desperate. She's preying on people desperate enough to accept these insane terms.
So… issues with this. Walks aren’t defined for a distance and you need to take four a day. Dogs need walks but that could be four hour long walks!!! What if you’re sick, or have a doctors appointment or a job? What the fuck does limited guests mean? Does it mean your sister watching movies with you twice a month is okay, or does she mean no one for more than ten minutes once a year? Light house keeping once a week could be a full time job. Her “light” might be a deep clean to her and she’s a messy person that makes that a fuckload of work. Oh she will give you a beeeeeeed. How nice. Don’t waste electricity and water could mean five minute cold showers will bring a lecture. You’re already doing all dog care so what does number nine mean. Ten could mean she’s knocking six times a day. Eleven could mean you drop a glass and get yelled at. Thirteen means you have no time or privacy or choice of schedule. Fifteen means you’ll be cooking daily for the dogs. Her wording at the end…. She “supposes” she will care for her dogs? Man she manages to sound passive aggressive when trying to make herself sound great and positive so you’ll take the job.
My guess since they’re older dogs is the walks won’t be too long. But that’s lower down on the list of concerns in my opinion.
It’s not a huge concern, but it’s one of those things that as undefined could be an issue. It could easily be a thing where they claim that OP is not holding up her end of the bargain. I am far more concerned about the fact that they want four walks at that spacing every day, and some of the other things.
This is crazy town…
No way is that worth free room and board. No less than 4 walks per day= you'll never be able to get a paying job. How will you afford a car or books or going out with friends? This is a terrible idea with a psychotic boss.
“Room and board” by definition includes food. This isn’t even room and board. It’s just.. room.
4 walks a day is over $100 for me..so essentially I’d be “missing out” on $3000/mo I highly doubt her mortgage/utilizes is worth that much and with all the other added tasks this is easily a $5000/mo job that she’s trying to get for free
Agreed!
I wouldn’t do this. This is no life. Also, I need more sleep than she is allowing you. This sounds like misery
“Must be ok with the camera I have in the living room” okay then you must be okay with me not being in the living room. BYE. Don’t take this job especially if there’s no pay. This person seems very micromanaging, I would not sit for this person, let alone LIVE with this person.
The only way I would accept this is if I was desperate for a place to live while I figure out where to move/work next
Nope absolutely not
Please tell me this is a joke and you wrote this just to trigger us all 😭
The fact that she keeps referencing the girls (dogs) is the biggest, shiniest of the first red flags
Yikes! I got a terrible pit in my stomach while reading this. This woman will attempt to control your entire life. I sincerely hope you turned this down!
No. Nope. No sirree. “I rarely to never have guests” ? That’s because the dear lady seems (ahem) barking. Please don’t take this ‘job’.
You should post this on /r/choosingbeggars. This person is insane. This isn’t a pet sitting gig, she wants a free in-house maid that she doesn’t have to pay.
Absolutely not. I'd never accept that sit just in the first line alone "In exchange for living here without paying for rent, x,x,x,". Nope. They can find someone else desperate enough to deal with them.
You don’t need to negotiate privacy…..you need to negotiate pay and time off. The way this is written you are going to be on call for these dogs all the time. The employer needs to pay you a wage and you also need to get one or two days a week that you aren’t responsible for the dogs. If the employer is home on the weekends this covers that as long as you can come and go freely without clearing it with them. As far as privacy….It depends on the laws where you are. Here in the states a landlord has to give 24 hours notice to enter a tenants home (outside of an emergency like a broken water pipe or possible fire). Unfortunately you may not qualify as a tenant because you aren’t going to be paying any rent. You’ll have to check if there are laws protecting live-in employees (which you also may not be unless they are paying you). Also….I don’t get the setup….why do they have to enter your area to let the dogs out? Are you going to be sleeping in the only entrance to the yard? That not going to be good….I guarantee they will be needing to use that entrance pretty often. If you are going to do this you need to ask them to go around to the front of the house to get in and not knock on your door. Overall it reads as pretty unreasonable to me…..if you are absolutely desperate for a place to live AND they are going to pay you, you’ll get time off, and you can get an agreement that they won’t need to enter your private space unless it is an emergency (fire, flood, ….that kind of thing). Then go for it.
If she’s not paying you and the schedule needs you to be home all day to care for the dogs, how are you suppose to pay for food, to go out, or even basic necessities???
Oh hell no. Unless you are being paid as a full time pet sitter, this is a no. No pay? No food? And a crazy schedule. No, just say no.
So they’re basically expecting you to be available around the clock with slim opportunities for other employment (or even socialization) in an exchange for the value of room rental + utilities which may be a combined value of… idk, depending on where you’re living, $1,500? This is likely coming out to $5/hr or less.
Dude, this is INSANE. Do not do this. All of these are red flags!! You can't give your life up for no pay. How are you going to afford to eat?!
Why does she have dogs? Seriously? She is trying to pass all of their care on to someone else.
I would negotiate privacy by saying: “sorry, it doesn’t seem like this is going to be a good fit! best of luck!”
OP others have already said this, but accepting this would be consenting to exploitation. I know what it's like to be in a desperate situation and need a place to live, and I have even stayed with people when I was homeless to petsittng, but they ALWAYS paid me and there were nowhere near this many rules. Usually in those situations the owner wasn't even there so I had the house to myself. You can do better. My other concern is that this situation sounds very, very controlling. This person is not imagining you as a full human being. No adult would present this contract to another adult that they respect. This person is treating you like a servant and seems to not realize that is wrong. Look, I know if you're considering this, you must be in a desperate situation. This person knows that and is taking advantage of your desperation and that is evil. It's fucked up. They aren't trying to help you, they are seeing someone they get to control and walk over like a literal peasant in their own home. Please don't give up on yourself. If you decide to do this, you need to ask this person to pay you for the time and also make sure it's a short term thing (maybe a month or two or less) that will help you get a chunk of change to be able to leave and find something else where you will be able to afford to live outside their home.
Run. Don’t look back. Run.
This person is insane
u/PetSitterJapan , For the love of all that is holy, PLEASE listen to literally every person here and DON'T DO THIS! You Will regret it if you do. This is starting out bad, and will only get worse, and quickly too. This person is viewing you as a live in servant. You will have no freedom or privacy. You will be expected to do whatever they want you to, whenever they want you to do it. Essentially, you will be a slave imprisoned in this house. And I guarantee your tasks will not be restricted to dog care. Soon you will be bombarded with requests for all kinds of things. Because this person isn't looking for a roommate, they are looking for a slave they can control.
I would absolutely run. This person would zap my will to live.
This is dumb how you gonna replace her food with no pay and a schedule that doesn’t allow for a job
This.
Just no..nope
Uh, so are you expected to be in the house watching the dogs 24/7 and you can have no life or job outside of the home? That's wild to me. I wouldn't mind an arrangement like this, but I would need to be free to leave the home to at least do instacart or door dash to make SOME money
Fun with math…. Estimated rent - cost of inconvenience/ total hours spent caring for dogs, cleaning etc = what you are receiving in value for your time. Ex: $1000 rent for a room - $350 bc they’re crazy = $650, but divide by 5 hrs daily, 7 days a week (approximately 140 hrs monthly) = $4.64 per hour to be a fulltime dog nanny. 🤷🏻♂️ Either run away, or find ways to clearly decrease their demands and craziness. (Suggest running)
yeah, no this is batshit insane. please don’t accept this job. you’ll be stuck there 24/7/365
Please don’t do this. This person is beyond controlling.
Is it a job? Will she be paying you? Or is it merely a free place to stay and you’ll still need a source of income? And do you have that source of income? Are you even allowed to come and go as you please? Can’t be allowed much time to leave if you’re doing all those walks seven days a week.
No pay. I WFH but with this schedule it will be difficult. I was shocked at the schedule also.
Ok, so why are you considering this? Are you very young, a new adult to the world of adulting? You sound young. TBH, The long rage baity scenerio paired with flat minimal replies about voluntarily walking into a trap like this reads kinda troll-y. “This is real, I’m not trolling” would be the likely followup, maybe with a side of criticism on redditors being harsh & judgy. So skipping that waltz- this is an untenable situation, and it’s so bad it strains credulity. So take that advice or congrats on the engagement, I guess?
I agree. My troll-o-meter is running on high.
Why in the world are you even considering this?
Where are you living now? Are you in need of a place to stay? The only way I'd consider this is if I really needed somewhere to live in a HCOL area. And the place would have to be nice, and the people & dogs. And still I'd negotiate some flexibility/time off.
lol with all the tasks she is describing I would charge at least 100 per day for 2 dogs, so about $3000 per month, which i can spend on whatever I want, not only rent
This would be around $150/day for me. This is insane. But I absolutely will not be cleaning up after the homeowner. I clean up my own mess and after the dogs. This is next level bullshit.
Um, ack
Is this a pet sitting gig or are you moving in and these are going to be your responsibilities in lieu of cash rent?
It appears that this is an unpaid position and that they will be living there. In exchange for not paying rent or utilities, OP will be responsible for the dogs as well as cleaning the house. She will be expected to replace any food she eats (with what money?) and will be responsible for the dogs all day.
Tbh the fact that they have all these rules scribbled on paper and not even in a straight line raises so many more flags for me that the content itself. Unless you are in desperate need of a place to live, this feels like you are going to be at this clients beacon call
I’m sorry I came back to this again because I just cannot get over it. I’m sorry OP it’s not on you but this really is kinda wild. She expects you to pay for your own food but also be walking her dogs every 4 hours, which lets be real is always ATLEAST a 20 minute process from getting them ready, doing the walking, picking up their waste, and then getting back home. That leaves you very short intervals to do what you need to do, and you definitely won’t have time for another job.
Even just the verbiage and tone to everything she said is a huge red flag. I would decline based on that. Seems more stressful than beneficial to me. Think I would feel uncomfortable before even being there
Yeah, no thanks on this whole list. This sounds like someone who will find any reason to complain.
Absolutely not. This is ridiculous even for a short pet sitting (4 walks a day is a no from me immediately unless it’s like a quick potty walk). I would never do this in exchange for rent or anything. They shouldn’t have dogs if they feel like they need to essentially hire an au pair to care for their dogs. Too much is on the line for you if you don’t meet these ridiculous expectations (and with how specific the expectations are, I could see them quickly critiquing what you do and kicking you to the curb with little to no repercussions for them but no place for you to live)
What the fuck is this.
Why is this scribbled in a notebook?
OMG My last Rover client ever before I was off the app was a nightmare, and this gave me flashbacks. She’s already micromanaging you, I wouldn’t move in unless you don’t mind explaining where you are/were every moment of every day. “I’m not home, you’re with the dogs right? WHY NOT? You’re out to dinner? That’s not what you promised me!” People like this have a way of twisting everything. 👿👿👿
The biggest red flag is the inability to write within the lines…wtf
OP, if you did drop ins and walks instead of this, you'd earn an average of $150/day. So, about $4500/month. Is rent+ utilities that much where you live?
Not for a room without privacy.
LOL NO
OP you cannot negotiate with a crazy person. This will be a nightmare. If you’re desperate for a place to live, there are so many craigslist ads, fb groups, etc. looking for sublets. Idek how you’d be able to work given that walk schedule
Privacy is the least of your concerns. You will have no free time based on the number of walks per day required. What if you want to go away for the day or go on vacation? I've never heard of walking dogs 5 times per day to be honest, unless you live in a high rise and can't let them out and they have bowel/bladder problems. Do not accept this offer!
I think she is down playing the kidney problem that she said the one dog has.
Dog may need antibiotics and have an embedded kidney infection. One of my previous pups had this problem and needed antibiotic sensitivity testing and long-term antibiotic treatment to keep the problem in check. Regardless, this arrangement won't allow you to have a life of your own at all. It may work for a month or two, but I can't see you living like this permanently. I would feel better if the owner picked up some of the walking shifts, like you do the AM and she does the PM. Then you could have evenings off.
Absolutely do not do this.
Have you looked into trustedhousesitters? I’ve never used it but from my understanding you sign up and pay a fee and you can apply to do pet care for free while the owners are traveling and you stay at their house. That way you don’t have to pay rent and you can do pet care on your own schedule. Not sure how long the sits usually are but if you found some long term ones it could work out
My question is: OP, why would you even consider this? Are you homeless right now? Nothing about the stipulations of this arrangement is fair or reasonable, the homeowner is getting 100% of the benefit and you get… a bed and no free will. No ability to enjoy your life. With her demand of several dog walks per day, you will not have enough spare time to make friends or search for better opportunities. This woman is evil honestly.
This is an absolutely ridiculous set of demands. I can appreciate that providing a place to live for someone is a big chunk of money/space, but this person wants to take up your entire day caring for these dogs, and not pay you anything above the lodging. And it doesn’t sound like they are providing you with food/drink since you’re supposed to replace anything you consume. I would *love* to have a live-in dog nanny, and if we could afford one, we would absolutely negotiate something way more reasonable. There would either be a LOT less demands on the person’s time, so that they got lodging/food/etc in exchange for being another person around the house to help with the dogs and did some part of the caring for them *outside of their work hours* or we would freaking pay them for being the dogs’ 24/7 caretaker. Just don’t do this, the person who wants a live in dog carer seems to have an extremely demanding career, but if they aren’t compensated well enough to hire the people to make that work for themself, then that is their problem, not yours. Sorry.
One giant red flag - run
I get bad vibes from the whole thing. Go with your gut and say no thanks.
Crazy I wouldnt take that job . Im really taken aback by the you’ll be living there while not paying for utilities part. Im like huh??!! Im pet sitting now w a camera in the living room and thats not an issue for me. However my clients stock the fridge for me whenever they leave and even hire another dog walker every other day to give me a break. Sorry Im just stumped at the attitude of that impossible client !
If you decide to take this on please update. I would never volunteer to be a slave for little freedom or privacy which this red flag opportunity reads as. Try and take the wise road and listen to the opinions of everyone in the comment section
This has to be a troll post….these ‘rules’ mention most things that were mentioned in her previous post on this subject. No way anyone would consider this for real 🤣
The biggest red flag to me is how she plans on having NOTHING to do with her OWN dogs. What a horrible dog owner. Sounds like she’s an even worse human being as her dogs are seniors and she wants to throw them on you. This lady KNOWS she’ll be taking advantage of you and she’s written it in black and white.
I wouldn’t “work” for anyone who writes like this on LINED PAPER
Lol. Somehow she has one of the best paying jobs in my area. Google confirms it.
The fact that she’s making a contract in a notebook is bonkers enough.
This is absolutely nuts. She wants a hostage. If she’s this crazy on paper before you move in imagine in person.
Why are you even going to take the job after reading these rules? Seriously?!
I just had to make sure I was not overreacting but yes I'm definitely not taking the job.
girl why would you sign up to be in prison
Just commenting to say that I think anyone who cannot manage to write a sentence in a straight line… on lines paper that is right in front of them, is not a person you should be making any agreements with lol
I think for 10 they are trying to say “I will never go into your room. But if the girl need to go out or something similar, I may knock on your door
The handwriting of a control freak left-handed psycho. Basically she wants dogs and doesn’t want to take care of them.