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Pest control technician

pest controller vermin controller
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Animals, land and environment
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Career outlook for pest control technician

UK Salary Ranges

Entry-level

£22,000

Experienced

£30,000

Currently employed in Scotland

Information is unavailable

Salary information is provided by the "National Careers Service". "Oxford Economics" supplies job forecasts and employment figures. Due to COVID-19 the jobs market is constantly changing. Some of the information may not reflect the current situation.

What's it like?

You would identify, control and get rid of pests so they don’t live in people’s homes or workplaces.

You would deal with infestations of rodents or insects like:

  • Rats or mice
  • Wasps
  • Ants
  • Cockroaches

Using a range of chemicals and equipment, you’d remove infestations in homes, restaurants, sewers and other places.

You would:

  • Find out what the pests are and how they are getting in
  • Choose the best way of controlling the pests
  • Work out the right doses of chemicals to use
  • Spray chemicals to get rid of insects
  • Lay poison and traps or use weapons such as air-guns to control birds and animals
  • Collect dead animals and other samples for scientific analysis
  • Proof an area to stop pests returning
  • Give advice on stopping pests from coming back
  • Complete reports and keep records
  • Follow the correct processes for dealing with pesticides and dead or captured animals

You’d need good eyesight and a strong awareness of health and safety issues.

With experience you might specialise in dealing with one type of pest.

Working conditions

Hours

A typical working week would be Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. You may work longer hours in the summer months when there are more pests to deal with.

Environment

You could work indoors or outside, depending on the type of pest you were dealing with. You may need to crawl into confined spaces or climb ladders. The work can be unpleasant, but you would wear protective clothing such as overalls, gloves and face masks.

Travel

You would usually work alone and drive to jobs in a van with treatment equipment.

UK employment status

Full-time

33%

Part-time

51%

Self employed

17%

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  • Time management
  • Taking initiative
  • Developing a plan
  • Attention to detail
  • Resourceful
  • Problem solving
  • Evaluating

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Qualifications

Though there are no formal qualification required to enter this job though qualifications at SCQF level 4/5 may be of value.

Useful subjects

  • Maths
  • English
  • Science subjects particularly biology and chemistry

Helpful to have

Qualifications and experience that show an understanding of biology, environmental health / health & safety and customer service skills.

Most employers look for industry-related qualifications from the British Pest Control Association (BPCA) or the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH), which are usually gained once in work.