how did you make a living out of your hobby ?

[Sterry 0]

Just a word of warning, turning your hobby into your job dont work, my aunt was an avid falconer and she had a "perfect" job breeding and looking after some lord's birds, she was given a house, 1000s of acres to hunt on, everything she could have wanted (sounds good dont it) but after getting up and have to fly the longwings and the broad wings and everything else caused her to loose all passion for it.

 

And pest control it not like hunting and shooting, my experience of it is standing shin deep in pigeon shit in a dark warehouse shootin feral at some 15yrds, hardly sporting or enjoyable.

[ferret boy charlie 0]

Just a word of warning, turning your hobby into your job dont work, my aunt was an avid falconer and she had a "perfect" job breeding and looking after some lord's birds, she was given a house, 1000s of acres to hunt on, everything she could have wanted (sounds good dont it) but after getting up and have to fly the longwings and the broad wings and everything else caused her to loose all passion for it.

 

And pest control it not like hunting and shooting, my experience of it is standing shin deep in pigeon shit in a dark warehouse shootin feral at some 15yrds, hardly sporting or enjoyable.

i know mate id rather have to do that then be stuck in a office allday

[comanche 3,077]

Big problem is that a lot of people think that pest control ,even rural pest control is just about guns ,ferrets ,dogs and traps and that they are going to get paid for basicly going shooting and ferreting . It's a bit like the folk who think that all Keepers do is throw corn out of landrover windows and go shooting a lot.

Pest control with ferrets is'nt just about "creaming off" big catches from easy burrows. It is about shifting buns from the places you really don't want to tackle to really knock the breeding nucleus down.

 

That sounds harsh and pessimistic but you are like it or not ,unlikely ,as has been said already, to make much of a living unless you are prepared to accept that the bulk of your work probably is'nt going to involve Traditional methods and will involve lots of training ,equipment,driving about and unless you are really into becoming a serious insect boffin a high boredom threshold. .

 

Good luck if you want to go for it though

[ChrisJones 7,975]

I disagree it's a boring job. It's poorly paid but the local authorities can be partly thanked for that as they subsidise a lot of the rodent control work, it's either free or for very small fees. Likewise the commission driven salesman tends to devalue your work in the interests of his sales targets. Rarely have I seen a salesman actually price a job for what time is involved in solving the customers problem, they want the job because they'll get a percentage of the fee and will usually try to undercut the next man.

 

Agreed though. You won't be getting paid to shoot, ferret, and course all the time. Even if you do it'll rarely be on the best of terms for you.

 

Depending on the company you start with will depend alot on the kind of work you're going to do but you'll be working long hours travelling around alot. You'll spend more time with a sprayer, and a pile of insect monitors, than you ever will with a long net. You can focus on ferreting and such but it will be in addition to a regular full time job as you won't be making your entire salary from the limited work available.

 

Don't let that put you off though. If you're interested in all kinds of pest control it's a field you can excel in simply by reading up on what you have to deal with. As your experience grows you'll learn how to price jobs to make you money instead of relying on the company salesman to take the commission and leave you scratching your head with a job created purely because you're the cheapest.

 

When you reach that stage you start looking at working on your own. You're never going to be driving around in a Bentley but likewise you'll never have two days the same and you'll never work indoors.

[moley 115]

I disagree it's a boring job. It's poorly paid but the local authorities can be partly thanked for that as they subsidise a lot of the rodent control work, it's either free or for very small fees. Likewise the commission driven salesman tends to devalue your work in the interests of his sales targets. Rarely have I seen a salesman actually price a job for what time is involved in solving the customers problem, they want the job because they'll get a percentage of the fee and will usually try to undercut the next man.

 

Agreed though. You won't be getting paid to shoot, ferret, and course all the time. Even if you do it'll rarely be on the best of terms for you.

 

Depending on the company you start with will depend alot on the kind of work you're going to do but you'll be working long hours travelling around alot. You'll spend more time with a sprayer, and a pile of insect monitors, than you ever will with a long net. You can focus on ferreting and such but it will be in addition to a regular full time job as you won't be making your entire salary from the limited work available.

 

Don't let that put you off though. If you're interested in all kinds of pest control it's a field you can excel in simply by reading up on what you have to deal with. As your experience grows you'll learn how to price jobs to make you money instead of relying on the company salesman to take the commission and leave you scratching your head with a job created purely because you're the cheapest.

 

When you reach that stage you start looking at working on your own. You're never going to be driving around in a Bentley but likewise you'll never have two days the same and you'll never work indoors.

 

well i did it , i used traditional methods on most pests exept insects, never touched them for years, but it is a job , not a hobby , big big difference , you get all the shit after the local experts have had a go for free, still do it now , but for one person and concentrate on rabbits , ferrets traps snares dogs shooting , everything but gassing, go for it ,you just might do ok

[stubby 175]

for me, it is more a case of being a pestie, with the hunting as a hobby, over time, a few of the hobby jobs, become paid jobs, but at present, I could'ent survive on paid ferreting/moles/rabbits etc, so I have to continue being a pestie for a large firm, and keep the rest hobby related

 

as in any job out there, theres always "private jobs" that come along, and put a few extra quid in your pocket, you'd be far better off, getting in with a pest control company, getting them to train you, and they therefore pay for any certification needed/BPCA etc then depending where your located, trying to build up a small private customer area, although it may not be doing what you'd class as hunting

[ChrisJones 7,975]

well i did it , i used traditional methods on most pests exept insects, never touched them for years, but it is a job , not a hobby , big big difference , you get all the shit after the local experts have had a go for free, still do it now , but for one person and concentrate on rabbits , ferrets traps snares dogs shooting , everything but gassing, go for it ,you just might do ok

I think we both know that you're one of the few. The fact that you know your craft inside and out puts you head and shoulders above your competitors. But could you do the same job in London? Or Birmingham? Manchester? Plenty of calls for cockroaches and bedbugs, but moles and rabbits?

 

I accept you did it, and did it well, but you're in the minority of people that have been able to do it that way. It's a nice ambition but the reality is one of driving a Transit Connect and arguing with salesmen. Unless you're good.

 

for me, it is more a case of being a pestie, with the hunting as a hobby, over time, a few of the hobby jobs, become paid jobs, but at present, I could'ent survive on paid ferreting/moles/rabbits etc, so I have to continue being a pestie for a large firm, and keep the rest hobby related

 

as in any job out there, theres always "private jobs" that come along, and put a few extra quid in your pocket, you'd be far better off, getting in with a pest control company, getting them to train you, and they therefore pay for any certification needed/BPCA etc then depending where your located, trying to build up a small private customer area, although it may not be doing what you'd class as hunting

Depends how you look at it, Stubs. You're still hunting but the quarry is different. They have different tracks and signs but they still need seeking and destroying!

[moley 115]

I think we both know that you're one of the few. The fact that you know your craft inside and out puts you head and shoulders above your competitors. But could you do the same job in London? Or Birmingham? Manchester? Plenty of calls for cockroaches and bedbugs, but moles and rabbits?

 

I accept you did it, and did it well, but you're in the minority of people that have been able to do it that way. It's a nice ambition but the reality is one of driving a Transit Connect and arguing with salesmen. Unless you're good.

 

i think would struggle to trap moles and rabbits in london, , living in a village most of my life helped , but spending time outside doing your thing and practicing and practicing and getting good at what you do is the only way to get good enuff to start charging for your services , i trapped and snared for years for free before i thought i was good enuff to charge

i can see where your comming from , sometimes, (most times) you gotta make things happen,if working for a big company takes you nearer your goal , then thats the route to take

[Brimmer 220]

Be sure to keep with the times if you do chose it as a career. It's an ever-changing situation, like with most lines of work, and health and safety.

Just knowing the job is not enough in todays climate. Proving that you have been on a course, with the certificates to prove it carry's more weight. (And constantly updating them.)

Bureaucracy rules in this land at the moment, and don't be surprised if your whole career is just turned over in a second by some goverment group.

A firm may give you a start in this, learn how all this works before going the whole hog!

[ChrisJones 7,975]

i think would struggle to trap moles and rabbits in london, , living in a village most of my life helped , but spending time outside doing your thing and practicing and practicing and getting good at what you do is the only way to get good enuff to start charging for your services , i trapped and snared for years for free before i thought i was good enuff to charge

i can see where your comming from , sometimes, (most times) you gotta make things happen,if working for a big company takes you nearer your goal , then thats the route to take

Definitely! If you're serious about your craft, and are prepared to take the journey of near perfection, then you're one of the few. Most don't have the time nor the inclination to do it so seeing some of the posts about professional rabbiting 24/7 I can't help but feel as though it's Dreamland.

 

I started off as a sportsman. Ferreting, airgunning etc. I'd even considered paying for permission, in my youth. I was alright at it but I really wanted to work in the industry. So I got a job with a firm and reality set in. Rats and mice, in the winter, wasps and ants in the summer.

 

After a few years in the business, I realised that I actually enjoy the insect work. I really like solving the problems that people have. So I began to learn more about my target species practiced, practiced and practiced to the point where I'm pretty good at it, even if I do say so myself. I can't be that bad judging by the referrals.

 

When it comes to traditional methods. I can hold my own. But I'm a product of the environment and my niche is insect control. I take on jobs where others have either tried and failed, or are scratching their heads. People think it's easy. You just turn up. Lash chemicals around and take the cash.

 

But how many times have we both seen the messers and chancers in our own individual fields? We're both still in regular work so we must be doing something right!

 

Be sure to keep with the times if you do chose it as a career. It's an ever-changing situation, like with most lines of work, and health and safety.

Just knowing the job is not enough in todays climate. Proving that you have been on a course, with the certificates to prove it carry's more weight. (And constantly updating them.)

Bureaucracy rules in this land at the moment, and don't be surprised if your whole career is just turned over in a second by some goverment group.

A firm may give you a start in this, learn how all this works before going the whole hog!

Very true. It's one of those jobs where you never stop learning. Infact the moment you decide that you know it all is the moment you begin to lose your edge. Courses and certificates will become necessity but experience can only be gained by experience.

 

Companies will train their technicians but the level of training depends on the level of training of the guy that trains you! If they think they know it all it's time to find a new mentor!

[ferret boy charlie 0]

chrisjones you have made me really inspired im gonna ferret\trap\shoot\snare every single minute of spare time im gonna learn about pesticides and different insects and im gonna really work on mole\rat\rabbit trapping and im also gonna start practising all methods so by the time im oldenugh im gonna be well setup ......hopefully

[ChrisJones 7,975]

That's the spirit!

 

This is my career. I took a big salary drop to get into it. I never regretted it.

 

Learn everything you can. The environment is always changing. Both the natural environment and legal/bureaucratic environment. It shifts all the time and today's legal methods are tomorrow's no no's.

 

You need to adapt to it. If you can do that then there is no reason why you can't succeed.

[ferret boy charlie 0]

That's the spirit!

 

This is my career. I took a big salary drop to get into it. I never regretted it.

 

Learn everything you can. The environment is always changing. Both the natural environment and legal/bureaucratic environment. It shifts all the time and today's legal methods are tomorrow's no no's.

 

You need to adapt to it. If you can do that then there is no reason why you can't succeed.

ok mate cheers i suppose ill need to learn about poising\gassing too ?

[ChrisJones 7,975]

ok mate cheers i suppose ill need to learn about poising\gassing too ?

Gassing is only worth learning about if you're looking at going into fumigation. Even if you do you'll be taught by better sources than the Internet. It's really f*****g dangerous and in most cases impractical. It has it's niches but they're very specialised.

 

Baiting, on the other hand, is something that you will do alot of. Learn about what you need to control rodents. What works, what doesn't. What's legal, what's not and where's legal and where isn't.

 

Learn what Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is.

[ferret boy charlie 0]

right this is my guess is it using different methods ?