Guest vin Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 Hello all. Do any of you make a decent living wage out of pest control ? I'm not talking 100K or anything like the southerners want to earn,But can you survive and pay the bills year round..? Whats the main bulk of work for the majority of you etc etc ? I'm not too interested in going into peoples houses doing bedbugs and cockroaches,But is that the stuff most of you have to do ? Is it possible to have a sort of half decent second income out of it on a more part-time basis along side my weekend work etc etc. Does one need to be qualified to do Wasps/Moles/Rabbits/Pigeons/Rats.. ? Quote Link to post
whippet 99 2,613 Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 it does if you got contracts with different buisnesses and public companies Quote Link to post
Dirksdonuts 79 Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 it does if you got contracts with different buisnesses and public companies And for that you need to be qualified really speaking. RSPH2 certificates and Public Liability Insurance is a must. Yes anyone can treat wasps etc but the contract work is a little different. Quote Link to post
DIDO.1 20,814 Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 3 local new companies have gone in the last year near me, they had started up and lasted 1-3 years, two were ex rentokil lads aswell. My area is over crowded with pest controllers. Quote Link to post
iwm 71 Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 Hello all. Do any of you make a decent living wage out of pest control ? I'm not talking 100K or anything like the southerners want to earn,But can you survive and pay the bills year round..? Whats the main bulk of work for the majority of you etc etc ? I'm not too interested in going into peoples houses doing bedbugs and cockroaches,But is that the stuff most of you have to do ? Is it possible to have a sort of half decent second income out of it on a more part-time basis along side my weekend work etc etc. Does one need to be qualified to do Wasps/Moles/Rabbits/Pigeons/Rats.. ? Yes its possible to make a living but be you will need to knock on doors to gain any work in the commercial world so i would start with what you know and work up to R.S.P.H.2. YOU WILL NEED THIS TO BUY ANY STOCK FROM KILLGERM ETC.!!! iwm24.com Quote Link to post
Phil Lloyd 10,736 Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 (edited) Don't do it Vin... Edited July 2, 2015 by Phil Lloyd 6 Quote Link to post
Neal 1,784 Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 This may sound off topic but...my French teacher at secondary school was an excellent watercolour landscape artist. When I asked him why he taught French instead of art he replied that he'd had two main interests (French and art) and decided that it made more sense to have the art as his hobby than French. I'd say that, for the vast majority of us, the same is true of our love of hunting/field sports/pest control/mooching about ie we'd rather enjoy it as a hobby than sicken of it as a full time job. Then again, I'm lucky as I enjoy my job too. 3 Quote Link to post
shropshire mole 190 Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 If you want full time, then be prepared to travel long distances, long hours and lots of knocking on doors getting contracts. Then you have the problem of providing a call out service if your a sole trader. For me, its part time fits around my full time job, provides a modest 2nd income, but have no contracts, no commercial properties, just jobs that may last 3-4 visits, unless its moles then may be 10 visits~++. Think the best way in is to do a training course, get a basic understanding. Advertise locally for the pests you want to cover and start small, do good job get recommended and enjoy what you do Quote Link to post
perthshire keeper 1,237 Posted June 29, 2015 Report Share Posted June 29, 2015 for the last 7 month ive lived of nothing more than mole income and its avrage atleast the same as what i was earning on farms but for a fraction of the hours! meaning i have something called spare time! fancy that!but the moles are slowing down now and the foxing has dried up...and theirs a job offer i at sellafield at just over £700 a week mmmmmmm tempting Quote Link to post
Guest vin Posted June 30, 2015 Report Share Posted June 30, 2015 Thanks for the replies chaps. I suppose I better stick with my main job as a "Porn Star". . . Its a tough job and it doesn't half take its toll on the old Bell end. . . But needs must and all that. Quote Link to post
nod 285 Posted June 30, 2015 Report Share Posted June 30, 2015 Phil is that you in your teenage years 1 Quote Link to post
perthshire keeper 1,237 Posted June 30, 2015 Report Share Posted June 30, 2015 as a side note...pest controle is IMO a all or nothing job where customers (even more so if their farmers) must come first at all times now when i was working on the farm i could only do weekends and the odd night hear and their and my "round" sufferd as did my reputation! when the chance to go for it come i made sure i had a months worth of mole work to see me thru..used my last payday to buy a cheap quad and as many traps as i could and away i went! now! being a young (almost single) mam my needs financially are small,fuel..dog food (i have a good flesh round) and gear to trap with! a bit for rent and ime away i have a LOT of farmers on the books now and their all very happy with my service so should be repeat work next year..plus new customers...well thats my thinking anyhow>all i have to do is get thru the next 5 month with my firewood rounds,net rigging. (many irons in many fires!) and farm work and what odds and ends of mole work i have..and around Christmas firewood is crazy and moles kick off again.. i believe (maybe wrongly) that ime at the age in life to try a risky venture that i can scratch by at untill it takes off if i had a wife house ect then no it would not have got past month 2 to be blunt...but i do love the fact ime "the mole man" and that ime my own boss..its a job i love and each day is a new challenge some times a good challenge and sometimes a challenge on my patience with blocked traps or stolen traps..and some characters you meet and the craic you hear my biggest broblem is the have a go heros who charge £2 a mole or some thing stupid 3 Quote Link to post
Phil Lloyd 10,736 Posted June 30, 2015 Report Share Posted June 30, 2015 (edited) Good luck to you fellah... You are now in the perfect position to succeed.. . When I first started,...my needs were small (still are).... I did all types of Pest Control,..literally, from 'Fleas to Foxes'... As the years passed by,...I started to specialise.... Stick in there, and take every penny you can,.and always keep in mind when it comes to contracts,..that 'Small is Beautiful'.... If you lose a large earner,.it can be a heartbreaker,..but a wee job is soon forgotten.... Keep on the move.... All the best , Phil. Edited June 30, 2015 by Phil Lloyd 1 Quote Link to post
air gun ant 1,666 Posted June 30, 2015 Report Share Posted June 30, 2015 for the last 7 month ive lived of nothing more than mole income and its avrage atleast the same as what i was earning on farms but for a fraction of the hours! meaning i have something called spare time! fancy that! but the moles are slowing down now and the foxing has dried up...and theirs a job offer i at sellafield at just over £700 a week mmmmmmm tempting if you get in at sellafield mate, it will be a job for life if you keep your nose clean! But then again money isn't everything and it would be like working in a prison surrounded with barbed wire and armed guards! Quote Link to post
Rowan 308 Posted June 30, 2015 Report Share Posted June 30, 2015 Yes you can make a living I started off with just mole catching and slowly more varied pest enquiries came in then I did a RSPH level 2 in pest management and a city and guilds NPTC in safe use of aluminium phosphide. I have been lucky in that I had another job I could cut down on as the pest control work increased. It may take 2 or 3 years for this to happen if you stick at it work 7 days a week when its there late nights and then nothing the next week . I have no contract / business work , but a big customer base who are always passing my name on . I find this better as I don't like all my eggs in one basket. Good luck whatever you do and if you can do it , lifes too short for what ifs and regrets. 1 Quote Link to post
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