Choosing the right pest control course involves considering if it meets certification requirements, has a proven track record of preparing students for licensing exams and employment, and offers hands-on training. Instructors must have hands-on experience and courses should comply with state regulations. Different areas of pest control require different licenses and courses. Instructors should have experience in both pest control and teaching.
Choosing the best one from among the different pest control courses available involves several considerations. First, the training provided must be consistent with your own goals. Second, pest control courses must meet any state or national certification or approval requirements. Third, the course must have a proven track record of successfully preparing students to take and pass the licensing exam and qualify for employment in the field. Classroom and hands-on training must be available, and instructors must have significant hands-on experience, both in the field and in front of the class.
Pest control courses are generally designed to help people increase their opportunities for employment or promotion. There are dozens of different areas of pest control for which courses are offered and licenses are required. For example, in urban areas, structural pest control is the most common and focuses on eliminating pests such as rodents, insects and fungi in residential or commercial structures. In rural areas, however, pest control operators most commonly handle agricultural facilities, storage and processing. Pest control courses also cover marine pests and fungus control; some cover ornamental and turf pest control, which is a primary concern for landscapers.
Many of the substances used in modern pest control are highly toxic and therefore are often heavily regulated. In the US, you must be certified or licensed by the appropriate agency in your state to purchase or use these substances or to supervise others in their use. This certification is earned after passing a state-administered exam. Some states require applicants to also pass a state-approved training course; others require state-approved training courses only for candidates for certain licenses, especially the pest control structural applicator license. The pest control courses you consider must comply with your state’s certification regulations.
Additionally, pest control courses should have a good record of preparing students to take and pass the licensing exam. Many will include their success rate in their advertisements. A related measure is the employment record of course graduates.
A particular concern when selecting from among pest control courses is the structure of the training sessions themselves. The ideal structure of a beginner’s class consists of a classroom component and a hands-on component. The hands-on component is essential for teaching students the correct way to mix pesticides, load them into equipment or store them, use equipment to apply pesticides, and similar tasks. Courses that do not include a practical component are generally more oriented toward preparing students to pass the licensing or recertification exam; there’s nothing wrong with that if you already know the field and the techniques and procedures involved.
Pest control course instructors must have significant experience not only in the area of pest control they are teaching, but also as an instructor. There is no substitute for hands-on experience. In addition to having a broader range of knowledge than is described in textbooks and textbooks, experienced instructors are generally more credible, especially when teaching a course for recertification or continuing education credits.
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