Caretakers are responsible for looking after assets, individuals, or properties at the request of an employer. They care for buildings and grounds of specific properties and usually live on the premises in order to provide better surveillance. These professionals may work at schools, ranches, private residences, farms, hotels, churches, bed and breakfast inns, among other buildings. They work for long or short terms according to specific needs of their clients.

Caretakers usually perform many of the following tasks:
• Maintaining properties.
• Supervising caretaking staff.
• Operating machinery for their duties.
• Communicating with clients on a daily base.
• Removing garbage and snow.

• Having problem-solving abilities.
• Being emotionally stable.
• Having good communication skills.
• Being flexible.
• Having high attention to details.
• Being trustworthy.
• Having interpersonal skills.
• Being able to work alone or with a team.
• Having multitasking skills.
• Being able to work for extended periods of time.

Caretaker job requirements vary according to special needs of property or animals that are required to care. Some employers demand applicants having a background in building or home maintenance. A general minimum requirement for candidates is having a High School Diploma including relevant work experience for this area. There are homeowners that may decide to run a criminal background and a credit check for this type of job. Professionals that specialize in animal caretaking are required to have a Bachelor´s Degree in Animal Science or Biology if they want to work at Zoos. Useful experience for this specific field is working in a pet shop or volunteering at an animal shelter.