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Ever been getting ready to go on holiday on realised you haven’t sorted where the dog’s staying? Or been worried about posting photos whilst you’re away because you’re worried about getting burgled? Well having someone house sit for you is the perfect way to not have to worry about anything whilst you’re away – and Pro House Sitting is a service which has been on the up for a while.

We’ve been tracking our Pro House Sitting service since this time last year, and our findings have revealed that demand for ‘Professional House Sitters’ has increased by 340% since June 2017, and  that some Pro Sitters are currently earning more than £200 a day – just for living in other peoples’ houses.

We also found that Cheshire and London are the most in-demand places in the UK, and to meet demand we’re now looking for members of the public who’d like to become a ‘Professional House Sitter’ in order to meet demand.

If you’d like to get paid to live in other peoples’ houses, you can sign up here.

When speaking to our ‘Pro House Sitters’, we also found that more than a third (34%) said they house sit full time, and don’t have place of their own, and that more than half (57%) of our house sitters who don’t have their own place, also don’t have a job outside of Professional House Sitting.

Research from Santander Mortgages has revealed that it is now cheaper to buy a house than rent one in every area of the UK, with homeowners set to save £2,268 a year, on average*. When speaking to people who had hired a house sitter through the site, we also found that more than three quarters (77%) of respondents said that fear of burglary was their main reason for doing so.

More than half (61%) of respondents also said not wanting to take their pet out of its home environment as a reason for hiring a Pro House Sitter.

People looking to become a ‘Pro House Sitter’ will need to undergo comprehensive background checks and must not have any previous or unspent criminal convictions. The job will involve travelling around the UK, dependent on demand, and looking after peoples’ homes whilst they’re away.

Responsibilities for a ‘Pro House Sitter’ can include; feeding and taking care of pets, recording television programmes, monitoring CCTV from security cameras, and cleaning. However, because of the nature of Bark.com and how it works every job will be different and involve alternative responsibilities.

For people looking to employ a ‘Pro House Sitter’ they will need to answer a number of questions relating to their location, length of leave, and talk about any special requirements. Once a homeowner has selected a ‘Pro House Sitter’, Bark.com recommends they meet them at least once before they leave, in order to exchange keys and run through any additional details for the stay.

If you fancy trying out the service, you can hire a house sitter here.

It’s expected that ‘Pro House Sitters’ will earn upwards of £50 a day, based on our findings, however as with all Bark.com professionals, prices are up to them, and some are currently earning upwards of £200 a day.

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said,

“Housesitting tends to be something that relatives and friends do when someone’s on holiday. However, in recent years there’s been an upward trend in people looking elsewhere for the service, and for people without close family or friends, finding a house sitter can be extremely difficult.

“The housing market is ever-changing, and just recently Santander Mortgages revealed that it is actually cheaper to buy a house than rent in every area in the UK, so it’s no wonder people are looking for alternative ways to live.

“There are thousands of people in the UK who want to see more places and travel but don’t have the time or money – but hopefully our service helps fix both of those problems.”

 

We have partnered with almost 50 of our music, dance and singing tutors to offer free tuition to homeless people, so they can learn a skill and busk for money!

We have tutors signed up to the scheme from across the UK, so homeless people can learn a variety of entertainment skills that gives them the capabilities to successfully busk for money rather than beg.

You can nominate homeless people or a homeless shelter in your area who you want to learn how to busk here.

More than 300,000 people in Britain were officially recorded as homeless or living in inadequate homes in 2017 according to figures from government data and homeless charity Shelter. This is the equivalent to one in every 200th person sleeping rough or accommodated in temporary housing, bed and breakfast rooms, or hostels – an increase of 13,000 from 2016. *

We already have tutors signed up to the scheme in most of the UK’s major cities, however if you are a music teacher who wants to be part of the scheme you can sign up here.

Tutors must be willing to give up at least one hour a week of their time to teach a homeless person. In return for their time, we will give them 20 free credits to use on the site.

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said,

“The homeless crisis in Britain is a growing problem and many people feel there isn’t they can do to help stop it. We hope by bringing in this initiative we can help homeless people learn new skills so they can busk instead of beg, with the intention people will be more generous.

“We have some fantastic tutors onsite who want to gift their services to those in need. Hopefully we’ll get even more signed up, so we can help educate the growing homeless population in the UK!”

We’re recruiting a member of the public to put on five stone in 3 months then lose it in 3 months and we will pay you £10,000 to do it!

We’ve launched this to showcase that losing a considerable amount of weight is possible in a short space of time, after the UK was revealed as the most overweight country in Western Europe. It might seem like an unrealistic venture, but we’ve partnered with our top personal trainers to help you achieve this goal.

Candidates need to be 18 years old or older and able to attend PT sessions at least five times a week. You must be willing to do whatever it takes and capable of completing all types of activities, such as cycling, swimming and boxing.

You will be required to eat an extra 3,500 calories a day approximately in the three month ‘weight gain’ period. However, this will be dependent on your body type, height, gender and age, which will be assessed at the start. The process will be completed in a safe manner under the supervision of your GP and personal trainer.

The successful candidate will be required to have a check-up at their doctors prior to putting on weight to ensure they are healthy to do so. If your GP does not agree you are physically or emotionally fit to take on this challenge, we have the right to terminate the contract immediately.

A 5% advance of the £10,000 will be given to the selected applicant at the start of the process and will receive the remaining balance once they’ve successfully lost the weight at the end of the six months.

If you’d like the chance to take on this challenge and earn some extra cash, please tell us a little bit about yourself and why you’d like to be involved by filling in a form here.

Personal trainers who are interested in taking part in the challenge can register as a Bark.com service provider here, however their participation is dependent on the successful candidate’s location.  

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said,

“We have some incredible personal trainers onsite and we hope this project will demonstrate how attainable losing a large amount of weight is with the right help and support.

“This is a life changing opportunity for someone to gain invaluable knowledge, get fit and healthy and earn a considerable amount of extra cash!”

Want to watch all of the World Cup games, but can’t get the time off work? Well we’ve just launched the perfect service for you!

We’re giving members of the public the chance to hire freelance professionals to take over their job, whilst they watch this year’s World Cup matches. We’re launching it across the UK, and we expect professionals will be charging from around £15 an hour.

You can book your World Cup Worker here.

The service, which will be available nationwide, lets people watch matches without having to use up their precious holiday days. Workers will be available across a number of sectors, including data input and analysis, where work can be outsourced remotely.

Our ‘World Cup Worker’ service will be available from Thursday 14th June, when Russia take on Saudi Arabia in the first round of the tournament.

If you’d like to book a World Cup Worker, you’ll have to answer a few questions, such as; how many matches you want covered, what profession you work in, if the job can be done remotely, and which games you’d like to watch during the Tournament.

Pro World Cup Workers can expect to earn around £15p/h, however as with all Bark.com professionals, they can set their own rates.

Our service is primarily aimed at remote and freelance working, however it is open to all sectors and job roles.

Once a customer has selected a service provider to fulfil their duties at work, World Cup Workers will be expected to set up a physical or virtual meeting with them, to establish exactly what the work will entail and run through any additional points not mentioned in the original hiring request.

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said,

“The World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world and every four years millions of people in the UK sit down to watch it. However, for some people out there finding the time to watch the games can be almost impossible, especially when they kick off during work hours.

“On the other hand you have people who couldn’t care less about football and the World Cup. So, we thought why not combine the two groups and create a service that lets people watch matches, whilst someone else earns money doing their job.

“I think it’s going to be interesting to see what professions and trades people outsource for the tournament.”

Freelance workers looking to become a ‘World Cup Worker’ can apply here.

Despite its popularity, we know that football isn’t for everyone, and with the World Cup just around the corner some aren’t going to be as excited as others. That’s why we’re giving members of the public the chance to hire freelance professionals to take over their job, whilst they watch this year’s matches.

The service, which will be available nationwide, lets some people watch matches without having to use up their precious holiday days, and allows others to earn whilst the games are on. We’re recruiting for workers across a number of sectors where work can be outsourced remotely.

Our ‘World Cup Worker’ service will be available from Thursday 14th June, when Russia take on Saudi Arabia in the first round of the tournament.

Pro World Cup Workers can expect to earn around £15p/h, however as with all Bark.com professionals, they can set their own rates. Our service is primarily aimed at remote and freelance working, however it is open to all sectors and job roles.

Once a customer has selected a service provider to fulfil their duties at work, World Cup Workers will be expected to set up a physical or virtual meeting with them, to establish exactly what the work will entail and run through any additional points not mentioned in the original hiring request.

To be eligible as a ‘World Cup Worker’ you’ll be required to provide proof of your profession, as well as any relevant experience. Customers may ask you for additional evidence, such as qualification certificates and work history. You must also be willing to have a full background check, state any current or previous criminal convictions and be able to work remotely.

As a World Cup Worker, you’ll need to fill in at work for a member of the public, for up to 105 minutes of each chosen football match to cover both halves of the game and half time. We recommend that the service is primarily aimed at remote and freelance working, however it is open to all sectors and job roles.

If you think this sounds like the job for you, please sign up here.

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said,

“The World Cup is one of the biggest sporting events in the world and every four years millions of people in the UK sit down to watch it. However, for some people out there finding the time to watch the games can be almost impossible, especially when they kick off during work hours.

“On the other hand you have people who couldn’t care less about football and the World Cup. So, we thought why not combine the two groups and create a service that lets people watch matches, whilst someone else earns money doing their job.

“I think it’s going to be interesting to see what professions and trades people outsource for the tournament.”

Members of the public can request a professional ‘World Cup Worker’ here.

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is the biggest gardening event in the UK, some might even say the world and attracts thousands of visitors every year, even royalty.

The show has been the highlight of the gardening industry since 1912 and runs for five days every May, with the 2018 show kicking off yesterday till Saturday 26th May.

This annual showcase of the world’s best gardening talent, cutting edge designs and latest trends has coincided with an increase in demand for gardening professionals on Bark.com – it seems that the show has inspired the public to improve their outdoor space!

To get more specific, there’s been a:

• 37% spike in requests for gardeners
• 25% increase for landscape designers
• 18% increase for fence and gate installers

Overall, service requests are up 38% on this time last year.

If you’re looking for a gardening pro, you can place your own Bark here.

Turfing requests were the most popular from consumers, followed by fence installation, patio laying and pond installation. Our data also shows that consumers in the West Midlands are the most keen to improve their gardens, with 11% of job requests across all services being made in that region. Where as homeowners in the South East are wanting fence and gate installations, and account for 7% of the job requests in that field.

We decided to do some investigating, and spoke to our network of UK gardening professionals about why they thought demand for their services has increased so dramatically. More than two fifths (42%) said that the RHS Chelsea Flower Show inspires people to improve their outdoor space and a third (33%) said the hot weather, a quarter (25%) answered they didn’t know.

If you have been inspired to reinvent your garden, you can hire professionals in your local area on Bark.com that can help with:

• Landscape Design
• Lawn/Grass Cutting
• Hedge Cutting/Trimming
• Planting and Seeding
• Gate and Fence Installation
• Gardeners
• Patio Laying
• Pond Installation

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said,

“I’m not the least bit surprised that gardening professionals have been experiencing a surge in demand for their services. The weather is better earlier this year, summer is around the corner and people want to spend more time outside.

“The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is an incredibly popular event, which has been around for more than 100 years, so it makes sense that it would have a lot of influence over consumer buying habits. I think it’s great that our gardening pros across the UK are experiencing a positive effect from it.”

Are you a Star Wars super fan? Have you been counting down the days to May 25th, when ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ hits cinemas? Then we’ve got some good news for you! We’ve just launched the UK’s first professional Jedi training, to celebrate the release of the next instalment in the Star Wars franchise!

So, do you fancy yourself a Star Wars pro? Have you memorised the ways of the Jedi and scrutinised every detail of the films? Do you have experience in martial arts or other forms of combat? Well, we are now offering you the chance to teach others the ways of the Jedi, just in time for the release of the next film at the end of the month.

When running Jedi training sessions, you’ll be expected to cover four main subjects; physical conditioning, basic Jedi history, mental strength, and lightsaber combat. It’s expected that one-on-one sessions will start at around £150 per person, with group training at £100 per person for up to six people, however prices are subject to availability and as with all Bark.com services you can charge what you’d like!

As a Star Wars expert, you’ll also be expected to offer stand-alone lightsaber training, which focuses solely on the fighting aspect of Jedi training. Classes will be taught in groups of no more than eight people, with prices starting at £45pp for one hour.

So, do you think you have what it takes to become a pro-Jedi trainer? If you think so you can apply to be a pro here:

Become Jedi Trainer now

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said:

“Star Wars is not just one of the biggest film franchises of all time, it’s one of the biggest cultural phenomena of the 21st century – which was proven last year when The Last Jedi took nearly $220m on its opening weekend. Star Wars was a huge part of growing up for so many people around the world, and I’m sure most of them wanted to be a Jedi.

“I think it’s going to be interesting to see how many more Star Wars super fans we get signing up to become pro trainers. We can’t wait for the service to launch fully, and for Solo: A Star Wars Story to hit cinemas!”

If you’d like to hire a Jedi trainer click here.

 

Star Wars super fan? Already booked tickets to see ‘Solo: A Star Wars Story’ when it opens? Then we’ve got some very exciting news for you. We’ve just launched the UK’s first professional Jedi training, to celebrate the release of the next instalment of the Star Wars franchise!

We are now offering you the chance to learn the ways of the Jedi professionally in time for the release of the latest film in the franchise at the end of the month. If you’re lost at this point (if you are where’ve you been for the last 30 years?), the Jedi are an ancient organisation from the fictional Star Wars universe. Jedi masters include Luke Skywalker, Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Jedi training sessions will cover four main subjects; physical conditioning, basic Jedi history, mental strength, and lightsaber practice. It’s expected that one-on-one sessions will start at around £150 per person, with group training at £100 per person for up to six people, however prices are subject to availability and will vary by teacher.

Our Star Wars experts will also be offering stand-alone lightsaber training, which focuses solely on the fighting aspect of Jedi training. Classes will be taught in groups of no more than eight people, with prices starting at £45pp for one hour.

You can register your interest to hire a Jedi trainer here:

Find a Jedi trainer now

Kai Feller, co-founder of Bark.com, said:

“Star Wars is not just one of the biggest film franchises of all time, it’s one of the biggest cultural phenomena of the 21st century – which was proven last year when The Last Jedi took nearly $220m on its opening weekend. Star Wars was a huge part of growing up for so many people around the world, and I’m sure most of them wanted to be a Jedi.

“I think it’s going to be interesting to see how many more Star Wars super fans we get signing up to become pro trainers. We can’t wait for the service to launch fully, and for Solo: A Star Wars Story to hit cinemas!”

We’re also on the lookout for more Jedi trainers, so if you’re a super fan skilled in martial arts, you can register to become a Jedi trainer here.

Do you love weddings, organising, and earning money? If you answered yes, then we’ve got the job for you! Introducing our new service – Pro Bridesmaids and Groomsmen!

Pro Bridesmaids and Groomsmen are not just for Brides and Grooms looking to increase the size of their wedding party. They give engaged couples that all-important piece of mind, ensuring their big day runs smoothly and it truly is the best day of their lives.

Using our new professional Bridesmaids and Groomsmen service will alleviate stress leading up to the big day, so couples can enjoy their time being engaged.

The service is already an established profession in the US, and given its increasing popularity with Brides and Grooms, we realised its potential in the UK.

Pro Bridesmaid and Groomsman duties can include anything from being present as part of the ceremony to running errands and dealing with difficult suppliers and guests.

Sound right up your ‘aisle’?

Sign up as Pro Bridesmaid or Groomsman now

Couples looking to hire professional Bridesmaids or Groomsmen can book one here.

Recently engaged? Congratulations! You will no doubt have started planning your big day and realising how stressful planning a wedding can be.

If you’ve not picked your wedding party yet, be sure to choose carefully. If in doubt, hire a professional Bridesmaids and Groomsmen with our new service!

You might be looking to increase the size of your wedding party, or perhaps you’re worried the friends and relatives you’ve asked will be less than useless.  Whatever the reason, a Pro Bridesmaid or Groomsman will ensure your wedding day is truly the best day of your life.

Duties can include anything from being present as part of the ceremony to running errands and dealing with difficult suppliers and guests. It’s entirely up to you!

When hiring, you’ll be asked specific questions about your Pro Bridesmaid or Groomsman, such as the number of days you would like them to work and what jobs you are looking for them to carry out.

People looking for a Pro Bridesmaid or Groomsman to join their wedding party can hire one here:

Hire Pro Bridesmaid or Groomsman now

If you’d like to become a Pro Bridesmaid/Groomsman, check out how to sign up here.