Getting to Know Georgina: From Policing to Pest Control

What do policing, bed bugs, and a love of problem-solving have in common? They’re all part of Georgina’s journey into pest control!

Georgina is an Area Surveyor for Nottingham Pest Control, a role she absolutely loves. But her route into the industry wasn’t exactly conventional.

 

Q: Georgina, tell us a little about yourself and your career journey into pest control.

Georgina: Growing up, my dream was to join the police, and I spent seven years working in various policing roles. Before that, I studied at university in Birmingham and worked in security, retail and hospitality.

My route into pest control wasn’t exactly straightforward! I first came across the industry following a personal experience in 2020. I remember being really impressed by the professionalism of the pest control team I dealt with, and it got me thinking that this was actually something I could see myself doing.

Not long afterwards, I spotted an advert for Nottingham Pest Control. I had no idea what the job would really involve, but after my interview I was offered a trial day visiting a factory to look at a bird issue, and I remember thinking, “I could really enjoy this!” I loved the variety, meeting customers and trying to solve their problems.

 

Q: What first attracted you to the industry?

Georgina: I’ve always enjoyed talking to people, just ask anyone I work with!

I also wanted the challenge of doing something completely different. I love that every day is different, you’re constantly meeting new people and you never quite know what problem you’re going to walk into.

Most importantly, there’s a real sense of achievement when you find a solution and get a positive outcome for the customer.

 

Q: How has the industry changed since you started?

Georgina: The pests themselves haven’t changed too much, but the way we deal with them certainly has.

Changing seasons, new equipment and legislation have all had a big impact. We’re seeing longer wasp seasons, increased bird activity and, in my opinion, increasingly confident rats and mice!

There’s also much more education involved. Customers don’t always realise that we can’t simply remove every pest they see, particularly when we’re dealing with protected bird species or active nests.

 

Q: What’s been your biggest career highlight so far?

Georgina: There have been quite a few!

I’ve really enjoyed being part of Nottingham Pest Control’s journey, particularly taking on the Sandwell business and working hard to look after those customers and contracts.

Getting through the challenges of D365 as a team was another big achievement.

But personally, winning the ESPO contract late last year has to be one of my biggest highlights.

 

Q: What’s the most rewarding part of your job?

Georgina: Definitely getting the outcome the customer wants.

When someone contacts us about rodents, for example, they’re often panicked or completely at the end of their tether. Being able to solve the problem, remove the rodents and identify and address the entry points can make such a difference.

When you then receive a thank-you text, call or email from that customer, it’s incredibly rewarding.

 

Q: What does a typical day look like for you?

Georgina: Most days are different!

I’ll usually start with a coffee while working through urgent emails and finishing any outstanding quotes from the previous day.

Then I’ll check our lead system, speak to technicians where needed and head out to appointments.

I cover a large area, including Northampton, Leicester, Peterborough and Coventry, so I can be anywhere during the week!

It can be non-stop but those are usually my favourite days.

 

Q: What’s the most unusual pest issue you’ve encountered?

Georgina: I once attended a property in Birmingham following a request for a bed bug inspection.

I arrived to find carpet beetle larvae (woolly bears), bed bugs AND fleas!

The tenant had only been living there for six months, so it was quite a surprise.

 

Q: What do you think is one of the biggest challenges facing the industry?

Georgina: One of my biggest concerns is the lack of younger people coming into the industry.

Pest control is such an interesting, technical and rewarding career, but we seem to have an ageing workforce. If we don’t encourage more people to consider pest control as a career, I think we could lose a significant part of our workforce over the next decade.

 

Q: What’s the biggest misconception about pest control?

Georgina: That we can simply remove any pest whenever a customer asks us to.

Wildlife and pest control are heavily regulated. Birds are a great example, protected species and active nests can’t simply be removed because they’re causing a problem.

A big part of my role is actually educating customers about what we can and can’t legally do and then finding an effective solution within those boundaries.

 

Q: Favourite pest to identify?

Georgina: Bed bugs! They’re probably my favourite because there’s such a huge sense of achievement when you identify and successfully deal with an infestation.

It does require proper integrated pest management and commitment from both the customer and the pest controller, but when you get the right result, it’s incredibly rewarding.

 

Q: Three words to describe the pest control industry?

Georgina: Ever-changing. Technical. Enjoyable.

 

Georgina works for Pest Control Partnership – if you want to know more abour careers with them contact  Jack Nesteruk via jack.nesteruk@pestcp.com