Your CareFinder profile is the first thing a family sees before deciding to contact you. A complete, well-written profile doesn't just help you land more jobs — it helps you land the right jobs, with families who are a great fit. A sparse or generic profile, on the other hand, often gets skipped even if you have exactly what the family is looking for.

This guide covers every section of your CareFinder profile and how to fill it in a way that builds confidence and gets responses.

Your Profile Photo

Don't underestimate this. Families making childcare decisions are looking for someone they can trust with their most important people. A warm, genuine, well-lit photo goes a long way.

• Use a photo where you're smiling and looking at the camera
• Natural light works best — avoid dark, grainy, or heavily filtered photos
• A photo with children (your own, a sibling, or a previous child you watched) is often very effective (make sure to get parent's permission)
• Avoid party photos, group shots, or anything where families have to guess which person you are

Your Introduction

This is the most important part of your profile. Families read this to get a sense of who you are and whether they want to invite you into their home.

What to include:

• A brief, friendly opening that says who you are and why you love working with children
• Your relevant experience — childcare work, teaching, tutoring, raising younger siblings, or your own children
• Your languages and how you'd use them with children (especially important for English-speaking sitters)
• Something personal that shows your personality — a hobby, an interest, something that makes you memorable
• The age groups you're most comfortable with and any special skills or services you offer

What to avoid:

• Vague phrases like 'I love kids' without any substance behind them
• A list of bullet points with no warmth or personality
• Leaving the introduction very short — aim for at least 3–4 solid paragraphs
• Mentioning your availability or hourly rate in the intro — there are separate fields for those

Your Hourly Rate

CareFinder sitters set their own rates. Setting the right rate requires a bit of research:

• Browse similar sitters in your area on CareFinder — filter by city and language to see where comparable sitters are priced
• New sitters often start at ¥1,500–¥2,000 per hour to build reviews, then raise rates once they have a track record
• Native English speakers and Ouchi Eigo sitters should price at the higher end — this is a premium skill
• You can always adjust your rate as you gain experience and more reviews

For a full rate-setting guide, see: How to Set Your Babysitting Rate in Japan.

Your Available Services

Be thorough here. The services section tells families exactly what you can offer. Common options on CareFinder include:

• Basic childcare and babysitting
• Ouchi Eigo / home English immersion
• School pickup and dropoff
• Light housework or cooking
• Overnight sitting
• Newborn and infant care
• Tutoring or homework help

The more services you offer, the more job types you'll appear in when families search. Only offer what you're genuinely comfortable with — families will rely on your word.

Your Service Area

List the neighbourhoods, wards, or cities where you're willing to work. Be realistic about commute times — Japanese families expect their sitter to arrive on time, so only list areas you can reliably reach. In Tokyo, listing multiple wards (e.g. Minato, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Setagaya) increases your visibility significantly. For more on Tokyo demand, see: Babysitting Jobs in Tokyo for English Speakers.

Getting Your First Reviews

Your first few reviews are the hardest to get and the most important. After each sitting, you can ask the family to leave a review through CareFinder's platform. Families who had a great experience are usually happy to do so — they just sometimes need a polite reminder.

A profile with even 3–5 positive reviews is dramatically more likely to receive job responses than one with no reviews, regardless of how well-written the introduction is.