A direct request is when a parent selects one or several specific sitters to send their request to exclusively. The first sitter to accept the request will be confirmed on the booking. These appear in the Direct section at the very top of your list of available requests on the homepage.
For standard job posts, parents post their requirements to sitters in the local area, who then get notified and are able to apply for the job. The parent is then the one who confirms the booking with the sitter they want to book. You may be a handpicked sitter on one of these, which means a parent has loved your profile and definitely wants you to apply but has let others do so also. You'll see handpicked requests in their dedicated section on the homepage.
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