Before accepting a job: how to assess a family you don't know

There's always talk of how much a family should check a sitter. Fair enough - but the reverse is true too: you're walking into strangers' homes, often alone. It's normal to want to understand who you're dealing with before saying yes.

Before saying yes

• Look at the reviews they've received - when you open a conversation on AlpenSitter, if the family has already received public reviews from other sitters, you'll find them at the top of the chat. No reviews doesn't mean anything negative (maybe they're new), but if there are some, read them
• Ask a few questions before accepting - how many children, what age, exactly what's needed, for how many hours. Anyone who won't answer simple questions before even meeting you is already telling you something
• A video call or phone call before the first meeting is never out of place. It's normal to ask for one, and anyone organising a serious family will find it normal too

The first meeting

• The first meeting, if possible, with the parents present - not alone with the child the very first time, if you can avoid it
• Tell someone where you're going - address, expected start and end time. Someone knowing where you are is the simplest protection there is
• Share your location from the chat - inside the conversation with the family there's a button to share your live location while you're there. You stop it whenever you want, and it stays only between you and them
• Don't hand over sensitive data early - your home address, documents, bank details aren't needed before a first job. If they're asked for early and without reason, it's fair to be wary

If something doesn't convince you

You can always turn down a job, even after already exchanging a few messages: you don't owe anyone an explanation. If during a conversation you receive requests that make you uncomfortable, you can report the profile to the site's owner, who reviews it by hand.

After the job

Leave a review for the family too, with facts and dates: it helps the next sitter exactly as reviews of sitters help families. Same principle, applied both ways.