All our staff are brilliant and award-winning but, once a month, we thought we’d shine the spotlight and help you get to know some of our staff who have particularly interesting customers or backgrounds. This month, we’re getting to know our pest control technician Beth.
Beth has been a valued member of Cleankill Pest Control for two years now, but pest control was not an industry she had thought about before a chance meeting with a pest controller.
Originally Beth was considering a career in policing, so went to study Criminology with Forensic Studies at Portsmouth University. She graduated with a First-Class Degree (BSc). The forensic part of the course required students to look at the decomposition of a piglet cadaver. From the larvae and by identifying the different types of flies, you can determine a time of death. To many people, this subject would be quite harrowing and frankly… disgusting. However, Beth found this fascinating and this ignited a passion for all things pests!
After leaving university, Beth went on to work in a cafe, but she really wanted a job which would enhance her knowledge of pests. Whildst serving someone a cuppa at the cafe, she ended up chatting to a pest controller and realised pest control would be the perfect job for her.
Beth applied for a graduate scheme at a large pest control company as a technician. Although she enjoyed the job, the company ethos didn’t suit her. Beth explains: “There was a lot of pressure to sell extra services and get leads. I wanted to focus on delivering a really good service, rather than having to think about selling.
“I heard about Cleankill Pest Control through someone who was working there and it sounded like a great company to work for – much more suited to the way I wanted to work”.
Beth met with one of our managers who offered her a job. One of her regular haunts is the National Trust’s Hinton Ampner - a heritage site that has an excellent pest prevention programme in place thanks to Beth's expertise.
Beth loves to interact with customers and provide advice; her eagerness to learn and constantly improve her knowledge makes her a very successful pest controller. She gets a great sense of accomplishment when she has eradicated a pest problem for a customer and loves that no two days are the same.
Beth is a great example and an inspiration for women that pest control does not have to be a man's world. She says: “Nothing really scares me which surprises lots of people who naturally think a female pest controller might be a bit squeamish at the sight of some things. I’ve had to deal with many different scenarios during my time in pest control and nothing has fazed me.” Beth admits that the only pest which gives her the heebie-jeebies is spiders.
With a staggering 94% of the pest control professionals being male, Beth is really breaking the mold and bringing girl power to the role while teaching pests who's boss!