House sitter to companion
A house sitter already meets 17% of what the companion role asks for. The move turns on 13 required skills not yet in the profile.
77/ 100
1 How much of what a companion is expected to do is already part of a house sitter’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the companion role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A companion role treats 2 of its required skills as things a house sitter already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- clean rooms
- clean surfaces
What stands in the way is 13 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 6 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A companion role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a house sitter background worth leading with.
- already held provide dog walking services handling and moving
- already held feed pets handling and moving
- already held use gardening equipment handling and moving
- already held clean rooms handling and moving
- already held clean surfaces handling and moving
- already held drive vehicles working with machinery and specialised equipment
All 6 carried skills, including the 2 the companion role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 22 missing skills fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn accompany people required
- still to learn prepare ready-made dishes required
- still to learn prepare sandwiches required
- still to learn use cooking techniques required
- still to learn use food preparation techniques required
- still to learn empathise with the healthcare user required
- still to learn keep company required
- still to learn relate empathetically required
- optional, not held give advice on personal matters optional
- optional, not held support individuals to adjust to physical disability optional
- optional, not held provide first aid optional
- still to learn make the beds required
- still to learn wash the laundry required
- still to learn iron textiles required
- optional, not held remove dust optional
- optional, not held wash vehicles optional
- still to learn communicate with customers required
- still to learn listen actively required
- optional, not held buy groceries optional
- optional, not held assist clients with special needs optional
- optional, not held support nurses optional
- optional, not held administer appointments optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a companion role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 accompany people practise this
- 02 make the beds practise this
- 03 prepare ready-made dishes practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 6 skills that carry over
- already held clean rooms skill
- already held clean surfaces skill
- already held drive vehicles skill
- already held feed pets skill
- already held provide dog walking services skill
- already held use gardening equipment skill
9 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held buy groceries optional
- optional, not held give advice on personal matters optional
- optional, not held remove dust optional
- optional, not held support individuals to adjust to physical disability optional
- optional, not held wash vehicles optional
- optional, not held administer appointments optional
- optional, not held assist clients with special needs optional
- optional, not held provide first aid optional
- optional, not held support nurses optional
20 held skills the companion role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply company policies skill
- not needed by the target role collect mail skill
- not needed by the target role communicate by telephone skill
- not needed by the target role comply with legal regulations skill
- not needed by the target role credit card payments knowledge
- not needed by the target role disseminate messages to people skill
- not needed by the target role ensure private property security skill
- not needed by the target role execute inspection walkway skill
- not needed by the target role follow verbal instructions skill
- not needed by the target role follow written instructions skill
- not needed by the target role handle veterinary emergencies skill
- not needed by the target role maintain pool cleanliness skill
- not needed by the target role monitor building security skill
- not needed by the target role nurse plants skill
- not needed by the target role park vehicles skill
- not needed by the target role promote human rights skill
- not needed by the target role provide home pet sitting services skill
- not needed by the target role register information on arrivals and departures skill
- not needed by the target role stay alert skill
- not needed by the target role vacuum surfaces skill
Other moves recorded from house sitter
Common questions about this move
Can a house sitter become a companion?
Yes, and it is a career change move. A house sitter already covers 17% of what a companion is expected to do: 6 skills carry over, 2 of which the companion role treats as required.
What skills does a house sitter need to become a companion?
13 required skills are missing, plus 9 optional ones. They fall into 4 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by assisting and caring. The single most important is accompany people.
How hard is the move from house sitter to companion?
Its learning distance is 77 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.