What does a pest control technician do?

Posted June 18, 2022 by Sarah Malone
Category: Advice

Whether you’re exploring possible career options or you’re thinking of hiring a technician to treat your property, you’ll want to know exactly what a pest control professional does. As you might expect, the main role of a pest control technician is to prevent or identify and treat pest infestations. However, there’s a lot more to the job than you might imagine.

Common Pest Qualification

In NSW you need to complete a Certificate III in Urban Pest Management for all common pests except for Termites. After completion of the course you’ll be able to apply to Service NSW for a licence. The course is thorough and ensures all technicians learn how to use pesticides safely and effectively. 

Termite Qualification

To be able to deal with termites in NSW you’ll need these two extra qualifications: “CPPUPM3008 Inspect and report on timber pests” and “CPPUPM3010 Control timber pests”. Pest Control is a practical job, and while the theory in courses is sound, nothing beats real life experience and passed down techniques.

Training

As well as formal study requirements, pest control technicians typically undertake practical on the job training too. This often involves working alongside an experienced technician to gain additional skills and knowledge. By learning from another professional, trainee technicians can apply their knowledge to real-life situations and gain invaluable skills. Pest Alert is owned by a third generation pest control family who pass on an absolute wealth of information onto their technicians and expect a high standard from them. None of which can be taught in a classroom.

What Does an Average Day Involve?

For a pest control technician, no two days are the same. In the morning they could be laying down a termite barrier on a new construction slab, then spraying a house for spiders around lunch, then installation termite baiting stations around a home in the afternoon.