Pest Perspectives Podcast – EP 54: Owen Hayes - Young People in Pest Control & Overcoming Learning Difficulties - Pest Perspectives

Hello and welcome to best perspectives episode number 54.

But if you read in the streams it may say 53 as I messed it up

again but it is number 54 of best perspectives.

Crazy to think I've done 50. There's a 54th episode since

last January that's incredible. They are done 2 awake sometimes

to fit people in. But this week I've got a

conversation with Owen Hayes. Is that right?

Yeah, Owen Hayes. That's right, it was.

It was set up by Martin. Martin Beltshire had a word to

me and says you need to get Owen on.

He's a good lad. I met you, a pest tech last

year. I shook your hand.

I did. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Yeah, up on the balcony. One or two, whichever one it

was. But yeah, he says.

And then I looked at your he showed me a load of I did you on

Facebook and it's a really good, really good.

He's done something with not the OBE, you know, project Search,

is it? That was it.

Project Search project. Search.

That's it. Yeah, I'll bring all that up as

well. But yeah, thanks everyone for

watching. Thanks.

Ask, Ask Pest Control for watching.

So how did obviously when you were at school?

Obviously a long time ago when I went to school, I didn't know

pest control was a job. But when you went to school, did

you know pest control was a job? No, I I was exactly like you.

I'm like, I've never heard of it before.

Even when I was on on a course, I didn't know anything about

piss control. I didn't even know that even

existed. OK, so nothing's changed in

well, I've got, I'm 41 now, I feel older.

Nothing's changed in that long in the present day.

We're trying to change it. It's not an easy thing.

It's not being funny. A lot of people nowadays love to

be tapping behind the keyboard rather than actually on the

tools. But so obviously there was.

So when you left school, did you go through, did you do any kind

of any college courses that got you into pest control Like there

was it like project search was it or how did all that work?

How did all that work? So I was obviously once I left

school, I went to not in college and I didn't not.

In OK. Yeah, and I did.

So it was motor skills. So it was like 6 weeks of

everything construction based. So it'll be like 6 weeks Brit

laying, six weeks plumbing and then six weeks painting and

decorating and stuff like that. So and then obviously we're

about to do one last subject, but we couldn't do it because of

COVID. Oh.

I see. OK.

Yeah, so understandable. Yeah.

So most of it was all on the computer.

I do like, yeah, you usual stuff that you do on your computer, on

the computer course. So and then I passed that and

then I really enjoyed paying and decorating.

Yeah. And then I start doing.

I think it will leverage you paying and decorating.

And then I thought, you know what, I could get a hand on

this. And so I've got thank you got

like a part time job in in paying a decorating by a person

that I know from a family friend.

Oh. That's nice.

Nice. And then I did it for I think

probably a couple months and turned out it just wasn't for

me. OK, that's fair.

So. So I don't know if it was to pay

the decorating itself or the people working in that in that

job. Yeah, they can be in that

industry. They can be a bit like painting,

decorating brickies and that they can be a bit I'm not sure a

lot of them Mickey taking and you know, it's whether you're

yeah, they can be very much when you lot and you go on building

sites. It's very but you have to be

right bit it may or it may just bring you watching the paint

dry. Yeah, yeah.

And then I realised that's not for me.

So this was all during COVID. So, right.

We weren't quite sure what I was going to do next, obviously,

because with my learning disabilities and etcetera, and I

just weren't too sure if a lot of people be accepting in

certain jobs that I would do. And then we just, we found

there's a course called Project Search where you go into the

hospital and you, you work there for a year for free.

Obviously, it's, it's still a college course.

Oh. You see, OK.

Yeah, it's still a part of Notting course.

It's, it's only it's really it's no, I was the first proper year

where it got quite big. Yeah.

And then after my year, it got a bigger and bigger and bigger.

OK, so I did that for about a year.

So it was pretty much bit like much skill.

So I was doing a month of this certain job and then I went and

moved on to somewhere else. But I I like to be quite hands

on. I don't like, I don't usually

like to be stuck in the office all day.

I'd like to be moving about and etcetera.

So I So what I did was it was what's it called?

So you know where you clean the supplies.

Oh, yes, yeah, I know that. Yeah, we.

Put it into like trolleys and then we'll push it and we will

go on towards and we'll deliver the cleaning supplies for the

ward. I never thought about a job like

that before, I said. I didn't know it was a natural

job. I just thought the cleaning

habit. Obviously I am wrong.

To be fair, I thought. The same, to be fair.

So you're not the only one. So, yeah, so I did that.

I think I did that. I really like doing that because

it gave me a bit of a routine of I know what I'm doing every day.

So I moved. Yeah.

So I moved on to do the bins. So your clinical bins, your

waste bins, your cardboard bins, stuff like that.

I did enjoy that, but I just weren't, I weren't into it as

much. So I.

No, I can't imagine. Obviously you're just collecting

basically rubbish in a bin, isn't?

It. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I know it's clinical but it's just a different bin into.

It Yeah, yeah, it's it just worked for me and I thought I

like it, but I don't want to be doing this for the rest of my

life. So I was just like hanging by a

thread. I was like, I don't like it.

It's obviously it's a lot of it is physical when you're moving

your arms and stuff and and the bins nearly tall.

It's me. I'm I'm very short.

I know. Yeah, I'm, I'm quite tall,

aren't I? Yeah, so the bins are like

nearly up to my nose. So I'm like, yeah.

So I'm like, yeah, this is not for me.

And then one of the bosses or the managers, he came to me and

said, well, it's near, it's near the end of the year, The

hospital wants to keep you on. Oh, that I'll tell you what,

that's really good because they must have thought a lot of you

and you're trying really hard that they wanted to keep you.

That must have meant a lot for you that they wanted to keep

you. And then people have must have

really got to like you around the hospital.

That's that's, that's a really good thing, that is.

Yeah, because I was I was talking to a lot of people at

that time. I wasn't, I wasn't the the

person where I'm very loud and etcetera.

I'm very, I'm a very like person.

So if someone wants to talk to me, I'll talk to them.

I don't have a problem with that.

I'm not what the type people that go out my way to say hello

to people and I was very shy at that time, very low on

confidence and etcetera. So.

So hearing that, it gave me a bit of a confidence boost.

Well, I definitely. Would, I'll be honest though,

when I started in pest control and obviously a lot older than

you, but I wasn't got, I worked in a factory job and I started

with my dad and I wasn't very good at talking to customers to

start with. Now you can't shut me up though,

but it's the confidence thing because I wasn't dealing with

the public, you see, I moved to dealing with the public and it's

in someone's house. I wasn't used to.

It took me a while to get used to used to that.

Yeah. It's good that you've built up

your confidence in that area. Definitely.

And so, and then he came in and said, well, we'll actually keep

you on. There's not enough people to go

into the job that you're in now. So we've got an offer for you

for just a three-week trial to see where you go and do a pest

control. I thought pest control was pest

control. I never heard that in my life.

They said, oh, well, you deal with like rats and all that.

I'm like, well, I don't like spiders, so how am I going to

deal with rats? I should have sold that a bit

better that you think about stuff like that.

Start with. Yeah, so.

So you said that I thought, you know what, I've got nothing else

to lose, you know, so yeah, why not?

And I gave it three weeks. So I met Martin as you, as you

said earlier and then I met Jeff as well, who works alongside

Martin and and I met them very nice guys.

I thought at least I know I'll be comfortable with them.

But let's just see what it goes three months down the line or

three weeks, sorry. And I went down and it went past

three weeks and it went to six weeks and then it went to so on

a couple months. And then I was on I think

probably 6 months down the line. I was doing apprenticeship in

customer service because obviously with the pest control,

they've never heard of, I don't think at the time of apprentice

in pest control. So we had to go.

We had to go through a different route of doing just customer

service. OK.

So I did that. Luckily I passed that as well

throughout the through a year because I'll.

Be honest with you, Erin, unless you work at like you get a job

at a national big company, most press, it's not something like

most people go and get their pest control qualifications.

There's no oh, here's the customer, here's how you deal

with customers. There's none of that.

The big, the big nationals teacher, but it's not a skill

that it's a bit lacking in obviously a lot of most of small

businesses. No, it's an area there where you

got on a leg up there during that course.

I've never done a a customer service course, so it sounds

interested in that does. Yeah, I've never heard of it

until it got shown to me. I thought, yeah, as long as it

gets me to where I want to be, which is do the pest control,

then so be it. I was like, yeah, OK, I'll get

on board that. And you didn't really do a lot,

to be fair. So you did like you had a tutor,

but you see you're on like a Sue call like we are, and you see

her or him probably once a month and they'll set you a target to

complete a like a course or like a subject in customer service.

Do you get to do all that sort of work for a month, complete

it, show it to her? And I said yeah bro.

And then did that for for a Goodyear.

And then towards the end you had someone walk around and that was

your exam where you show around. So that show around the hostel

of what we what I do every day and that's basically customer

service exam. And then after that she get me

like I can't remember now. Probably about 6-7 questions.

Yeah. And that was it.

And then I said I'm quite cheeky because I'm quite nervous, but I

was quite cheeky. I said, do you think I passed

straight away? I shouldn't have done it.

I shouldn't have done it. But I was like, in your personal

opinion, do you think I passed? Yeah, She she put her head down

and said I think you've done OK. And then and then I got the the

the resort and I got like, I think it was like a merit or

extension. Wow, that's good.

That's very good. See, See that there, the way you

did that, that shows how much your confidence has been

boosted. Where this person came in, you

didn't really know them, but you felt comfortable enough to go.

Do you think I've passed? Yeah.

Yeah. So it shows how much your

confidence levels have been boosted by being in hospital and

around new situations and obviously being with Martin and

obviously Jeff and then teaching the ropes.

So yeah, that's that's really good to hear that.

It's because it it just shows how much confidence it's gone

up. If you if you can say that for

someone who don't know. I thought that.

Yeah, yeah. So I was what if you, if you

talk to Martin and Jeff or even if my family or close friends,

you'll know that how really in the dumps I was and low in

confidence and and I was very lonely like during COVID times

and I was like, I was really down and then I'll do all these

job. It made me happy.

But I were I still wasn't confident enough.

And then and then out of nowhere, pest control came

along. Jeff and Martin came along.

I was like probably 7 ones down and if you ask my mum and dad

they couldn't believe how much confident I got just throughout

those months and it's all down to those guys.

I'll be honest, it's it's it's it's great to hear.

It really is because it just shows you that any like because

obviously around the world. I'm when I went for my I did my

basics. I went from my RSPH level 2

awarding pest management. Now I was never at school.

I was never the cleverest. I passed it.

I will admit I passed a rat's pit and I failed the

invertebrates and the half and safe just by few points second

time when I done it. But most people, when they stick

their mind to it, anyone can achieve it.

Might with some people it might take longer, but I believe it's

an industry that anyone can be in.

I honestly believe that because it's not, it's more Obviously

you've still got to do some exams and stuff, but it's

something you can work a way out at your own pace.

You can, you can do a lot of learning at home.

You can. If there's certain things you're

struggling with, you literally could print it out and stick it

on your bedroom wall or something.

You could. That's what I did with some of

my learning because I couldn't, I couldn't.

Everyone learns differently and I think it's a great industry

for, I think anyone can do it if they, you put your mind to it

and you you get a little bit of a passion for it.

I think you can and I think so far you've done really well.

I do. Yeah, yeah.

Thank you. Yeah.

And even now you're talking to me on the Internet.

We're live on the Internet. You're doing really well, mate.

You really. You really are.

You really are. Hey, where is Martin anyway?

So he was going to. It was front seat row.

I've not seen him comment and chat yet.

Where are you, Martin? Come on, say hello.

He's slacking. He's slacking.

Yes, but no. Sorry to interrupt.

You there? Yeah.

Typical Martin now. But no, it's good to.

So when when you started working with in the pest control bit,

there he is, he was watching then a lot high, high, there he

is, there he is. So he was, he was watching.

So when you first started, they first took you on in the pest

control bit. How did it go?

Like what kind of things did? Here you go.

That's a good comment for you. He's making me proud.

There's another one as well from Jason, he said.

You have one thing, Owen, that is lacking in a lot of young

people these days. That is a good work ethic, good

work ethic. Keep everybody thank.

You. Very much, yeah.

It's good to hear it is. But So what kind of things they

get you doing, like going around with them?

Did they teach you how to check monitoring points?

And yes, what was it like? Well, at the start it was just

easing me into it. Even now there's they're trying

to get me thinking even now try and get me thinking on my own.

But at the start it was just routine wise, checking your

monitor box, checking, you know, monitor box in kitchens outside,

right? Just the basics at the start.

And then they kind of easing me into doing different bits.

So let's say, for example, one day it could be checking your

wrap boxes, the next bit it could be checking pigeons, see

if there's any pigeon mess or etcetera, or it's so on.

So and, and to fit because I have no clue about it.

I was kind of struggling a bit because I just, I'm like, oh, I

don't know. But I did enjoy being around the

guys that made me very comfortable thinking it's OK,

you're very new to this. That's the point of time.

Exactly. That's that's the way to do it.

I know, I know how Martin is and that is very much, he's very

good at guiding because even, even because I'm obviously on

the board of the MPTA, Martin's took me on his wing and he's

taught me a lot and I have a lot to thank him for that.

He's he's helped me a lot and it's obviously different on the

board, but he's, he's taught me a lot of things.

He also said electronic fly killing servicing you've been

doing. Yes, yes, we've really been

doing one at the hospital. And yeah, it's like, for

example, a kitchen. Had they brought all these cheap

ones? The cheap.

Yes, they all do, don't they? Yeah, it's and then it's just

when I brought it down, I'm carrying it and then halfway

through go into the van, it's snapped in off and it's been

there for a while apparently. So it's, it's been there a lot

longer since I was in pest control working in general.

So I was like, Oh no, I broke it.

I don't know. I don't know what to do.

I told Martin about it. He said don't worry about it.

It's, it's a rubbish one. It's a rubbish cheap one.

Yeah, if it's our fault for buying cheap at the end of the

day and it broke, so yeah, I bet you're panicking a bit.

You were like, Oh no, I just broke it.

Yeah, on I I hope people don't take that up my weight.

I don't. Want did they did they replace

it with a decent one or was it just another?

Cheap one. We're we're in discussions about

it because could it go through the hostel?

Oh. It will, yeah.

It's got to go through the official, official ways.

It will. They'll probably replace it with

LED glue board. Probably.

Yeah, maybe. Who knows who?

Knows. Apparently you've done here

Martin saying you've also been with him to do some Moss

treatments. That right.

Oh. What sorry can?

You say that again. Wasp treatments.

Yeah, I've done. I've done a few of them.

Was that the hospital? Yeah, yeah.

What do you think to that then? What do you think to do in Moss

Treat? What do you think to that then?

Quite interesting to like it's, you've got to have a bit of

patience, which I need to still get better at being patient.

But when you find it where they go in and out, it's kind of

satisfying. And then you get it, you got it,

you know you've done it. And it's like it's, it's just

satisfying to see you've got the job done, if that makes sense.

Yeah, I know it. No, it definitely does with.

Obviously you know the reaction when you've got it, don't you?

Yeah. They don't.

Bar me yeah. In and out, In and out, In and

out, yeah. Just keep your distance.

Even if you've got your suit on, just keep your distance so I

can't see you. Yeah, yeah.

Yeah. So we did.

Yeah, we did a couple in between brick the brickwork and whatnot.

Yeah. We did.

We did a couple on a in a floor. I've done a.

We did. Nice, yeah.

Yeah. So I've, I was a bit like that's

different usually higher in higher buildings.

Well, that's my first thought. Yeah, I mean, I'll be honest

with you. I've done one in a Hoover.

Oh, Oh, well, honestly Dyson a couple of years ago, a few years

ago at someone's house and it was like a big shed thing and

the lady goes to keep this loads of Wasps in here.

And so we followed it round and it's like, do you not use your

Hoover? No, I've got, I've got a

different Hoover. Well, it says you won't be using

this Hoover. So we pulled it outside and

yeah, it made an entire wasp nest in someone's Dyson Hoover.

It was obviously knackered, but obviously with that you don't

use dust. You've got to use aerosol for

that. But yeah, they they can

literally make nests anywhere. They're very clever, yeah.

Yeah, there's like a lot of like, pests, you think, wow,

they are actually very, very smart in some cases, smarter

than humans in some cases. They are, I mean has Martin ever

at the hospital brought his own thermal thermal camera with him

to help your wast nests or does he not?

No, but he has shown me how he uses it and why he uses it and

etcetera. So I have seen him use it but

not in the hospital. No, that's fair.

I mean, are you are you used it last year to do a wast nest

because I was it was in there like a Porter cabin.

It was the lady that lived in front of the house, her son's

house, she was living there and he went round the back and the

Wasps were going in at the bottom.

So what was happening was them going in, they were travelling

upwards and that's what they were doing.

But they were she, they were right in the corner of the room.

So I went like that with a firm mole.

I said to her they're there. So I had to Pierce a hole and do

it with insecticide. That way I knew they were dead

because I said, I said after I took a photo, I said it's gone

blue now dad, it's cold but but that's what thermals come can

come and in handy for now, especially with the the powders

changing especially. We, we even did one in the

hostel where there was like AI don't know what sort of lights

are. It's like a lamp like this.

It's like a very old fashioned night outside.

And OK. I don't look around the

building, they're complaining or what I'm like, I can't see

anything and. I think them ones that get

really hot, they could burn you when they're really old.

When the old ones. Yeah, it's like any, any time of

the day. It's like the light is on.

Oh. So yeah.

So nice for the wash to live above because it was light

there, the sea was there, but there was a bit of gap in

between the light and the ceiling and I see like 3 or 4

Wasps coming in and out of that area.

That same spot I thought got you.

So I've obviously I can't do anything because I can't touch

anything. Yeah.

Because I'm still in training etcetera.

So. I called.

So I called Martin and say, oh, can you do this job?

And he said, yeah, no problem. And I showed him where it was

and he did it in early in the morning and they're not

complained ever since. Oh, that's good then it's mine's

also telling me that he's took you to some honey bee removals

as well, is that right? Yeah, we did one at QMC.

Yeah. Which is basically we, we cover

all three sites of the hospital. So City Hostel, QMC, and then

there's a little Rd walk, just a little.

But yeah, we did one. It was like in between a brick

wall. Yeah, OK.

And it was, I think it's below a training facility.

Yeah. Where all the student nurses

going out there like training and etcetera.

Yeah, and they'll they'll already do.

Works there anyway. What's that?

Yeah, they were taking the bricks out.

Oh, were they? But before taking the bricks

out, for some reason, though, they started panicking because

obviously they were on like a scaffolding, so they didn't want

to, they didn't want to do anything.

I think they were doing putting new Windows in.

I mean, that's what they were doing.

And they were like, we're not doing this job unless the bees

are removed. So like, well, we need to

scaffold it at a certain height for us to do the job and then do

like a bit of back and forth and whatnot.

So we did it one weekend with me and Martin Andy.

We all went to it and then we all did the job, the bee job

together, like taking the bricks out, removing the removing the

the honey of the brick and then place it in a bucket, remove the

beeves. Yeah.

And then can't remember if Andy put the brick back, so you might

ask Martin about that. No, that's fine.

That is. No, you don't.

I'll be honest, I've never done honey bee removal before, so

I've never done it's. I know it's Martin.

Martin likes to do honey bee removals.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's his hobby to.

He likes to do that in his spare time.

Oh, he does. But yeah, well, well, well done

for doing that. Yes, a bit more experience for

you is. It's, it's all thanks to Martin

really. He's he's giving, he's taking me

under his wing and show me, let me experience it for myself.

Instead of him doing it, you let me experience it for myself.

Oh, yeah, you can. I mean, yeah, yeah, it's a good

way of doing it. It is.

And obviously, I'm guessing because you did the bee removal,

you you had No Fear. You weren't flapping around a

little bit. Little bit.

I had a bee shooter so that kept me a bit safe.

It did, yeah, a little. Bit more safe as I were

panicking as much. I can't.

OK, I've just had another question from Martin.

He's told me to ask you about your disability tattoo back on

from Martin. Yeah.

I don't know what he means by it, probably I should just tell

you what it is it. Basically a quote said there is

ability in every disability. It's true.

That's a nice, that's a nice quote and.

I've seen it on, I don't know if it's social media or it was just

on Google because I was looking for ideas of tattoos and I want

something meaningful as my first.

Well, you got to make it mean. If you're going to have a

meaning, they all need to. Apparently if you can have one,

you need to make it mean something.

Really. Yeah.

Especially for your first tattoo, I thought it needs to be

something meaningful. OK, let me try.

Let me try and find a quote. And I've seen it and it's stuck

by me and it because it surely I relate to and it's something

it's just something I love. I just love the crow.

What it mean? I have like different sort of

meanings to it. It's like it doesn't matter.

It doesn't matter if you're in a like this in a wheelchair.

It doesn't matter if you know got.

I don't know anything really. If you don't, you are right.

You are right. It's doesn't.

Matter as long as everyone deserves a fair chance.

But they do. I mean, I, I broke my knee a

while ago, a few years ago. I'll tell you something that

right. No, I didn't realise when people

said if you're in a wheelchair, you're invisible to people.

All right? I was at my shop around the

court, remember? She's pushed me up and this

boat. I said you're right, mate.

He ignored me. He says you do know that I'm

don't live in this wheelchair. I've broke my knee.

Oh, sorry, mate. It says I fuck could get up.

I would. You ignored me because I was in

the wheelchair. No, I didn't.

I said yes, you did. You wouldn't have ignored me if

I was standing up. But yeah, I I thought that was

weird. That's what people say.

But yeah, I thought you ignore me.

I said I'm sick foot free. If I stood up, I said.

I actually said you ignored me. You wouldn't.

You wouldn't have said how if I was standing up.

But yeah, yeah, it's not right. It's not.

So, yeah, so. He wants to see the tattoo, he

says. You show it on the There we go.

Oh, yeah, that's good. That that's, that's, that's

nice, yeah. Yeah, got the hearing aids,

obviously, because I wear hearing aids as well.

So yeah, it's got a bit of a double on meaning for it.

So yeah. Well, now at least it's got, at

least it's got some meaning to it.

Yeah. So have you got any funny jobs

or anything you've been on since being with the hospital or even

with Martin anywhere? Oh, little loads, yeah, too.

Better. Especially Martin.

He'll he'll probably take something now he can figure

something on his dog. Me at the minute.

Did you a couple of days ago or yesterday track some rats to the

borough? That probably wasn't you he's

talking about then. He said he tracked the rats back

70 yards to the borough. It probably wasn't for you then,

but. Yeah, there was a job on last

week, but no so Monday and. QMC rats.

QMC Rats. Yeah, and I was like, I went

straight there. And obviously with Martin being

like a spy, he when elsewhere. So I'm thinking where's he gone?

So I've spoke to the customer and they said oh here we've got

rats running by, we keep getting rubbish and all that.

So my first thought was drain. Because they had a big.

Drain. They did have a big drain issue.

I'm like, well they won't have it because they distorted it

last. Year.

Oh, OK, fair. Enough.

But then when I went to nearly training, I see a massive little

gap in the corner of the fence and it was smoothish, as you

like. It was as smooth as you could

think of. I'm thinking, well, they're

going through it all right. Well, I can't see it go any

further. And then I see it connected

again. And then there was a bin right

next to it. I was like bingo.

And then when Martin was done talking to the customer, he said

you haven't looked at behind the, the the folks, have you?

I said, no, all right, well, who would be your man?

And then he showed me where it was.

Oh, I got it completely wrong. And he showed me and he showed

me a line and it was under, it was under, it was like a Burrow,

but then it was, it was under a wood.

Relax. I think it went under.

There it went. And then behind that it was like

a massive fence. It was.

And there was a massive smoovish like hole under the fence.

Yeah, OK. And then it ran across and then

it made another smooth line into the big bushes at the at the.

So that's. Where it actually was then?

Yeah. Yeah.

And then we found, well, Martin found another possible drain

defect and then another borough right next to the drain.

Oh, OK. So it was like it was all

connected on to like we tried to figure out where's the home?

Yeah, where's the where do they work and where they're running

from? And we tried to connect the dots

and we kind of got it in the end.

Yeah, Martin mentioned that to me.

He likes to talk about where the rats work and where the where

the rats home is. We did.

Yeah, that's easy for me. Yeah, it's easy for me.

There's like another example he likes to give and it helps me a

bit. It's like when the rats are

around the bins, it's like, well, if you put a bait down

near the bins, which is which one do you think the rats are

going to go to? It's like the bins are

McDonald's and they're baits, KFC, they're actually going to

give more to the McDonald's than they are with the KC.

So that's another example that I like how Martin explains rat

issues and etcetera. Yeah, he has.

Yeah. It's a good way of explaining,

explaining it because I was when I drove up to Milton Keynes last

year, I obviously Martin drove to mine and I drove him up, not

to Milton Keynes to look around the venue.

It was. And I had a master class.

I was just listening to him talking to customers and it was

like listening to a master class in how to answer the phone to a

customer. You know, he's very good on the

phone. He really is.

I said no, I've got one. I've got a question for you.

So no, no, it's nothing. It's nothing, no taxi mate,

don't worry, don't. I told you that.

So what are your thoughts on the safe use of rudenticides?

Would you recommend it to new people within the industry to

get them just a few basics down? Yeah, definitely, definitely,

because you need to know what you kind of got use.

You do that's. That's true for what you're

using it on, because they'll tell you on the label.

This is only for brown rats, ratters, ratches, etcetera.

There you go. Ratius, Ratius.

And you Ratius. Nor Vegas.

I always say it wrong. You say people say, oh you've

said that wrong, but loads of people say that one differently.

Yeah, I I just let Marty say it so I don't look stupid.

I'll. Tell you a lot of the time,

well, a lot of people say that one differently and some people

say nor Vegas, some people say nor Vegas.

I don't know how you actually say it properly.

Either and yeah so you need but you also need to know legally as

well by the law. So I advise even if you've done

pest control for 30 odd years and you don't and you don't know

the new updates yet, you still need to do it just in case.

That there's like new laws that you you can and can't do.

You don't. So what is the label top?

Of my head. Oh dear.

What sort of label? What?

What? When you read the label, what is

it? Label is it's a 3 letter word.

Label is law. But.

That's the saying anyway. I don't know if it's on the exam

or anything, but that's the most the most most common thing that

goes labels law. However, you will find out a lot

of people don't read the label. Yeah.

Well, Martin's Tommy from day one always read the label so you

don't what you can and can't use it on.

Oh, it's right. It is.

So was the CMPTAS course is is fairly new.

You, you, you went on that. Is it?

Is it good? Yeah, yeah, I did all day course

last, no, a couple weeks ago with Martin and then I did one

with Martin again last week. It was on the roads course.

It was all day course. On the road.

Oh, right. So you.

You mean Nottingham on the road day?

Yeah, yeah, I think. It was Eastwood Hall.

It was, yeah. I unfortunately couldn't make it

to that one because I was doing, I did Davey Brown's Kill Germ

drainage course on the day after, so that would have been

the first day. So it's too much to take two

days out. So we just opted for the the

warning, the drainage course because we've got a dream camera

now. We also start playing with them.

But now did did you have a good time at the MPTA on the road

day? Yeah, there's some interesting

stuff and then I feel like there's some that was kind of

the same in a way. Yeah.

But there was like, there was some good stuff.

You've got a good video from the last year as well.

I watched that again recently. The the video you were talking

about getting into pest control as a young person.

Yes, yes. Yes, I really watched that.

I watched the Nottingham, Nottingham College one.

I watched that as well. I did.

But yeah, you got on camera mate.

You rock me, you are. Yeah, that's that's that's all

Thanks to Martin. He convinces me to do it.

Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

It's good, it's good. It is.

So yeah, you'd recommend it? Obviously I've been a few years

since I've done mine, but I obviously done the RSPH level 2

awarding pest management. But I do my CBD, I get more CPD.

You can never imagine 75 last year.

So that's 75 hours. But some of that's podcasts

though, so it's not like it's 75 days of full courses.

It's not good because I, I go with the British pest register.

I do do CPD, but no, it's I've got another one for Martin.

I have because he gave me some questions.

So do you in the in the future? Not now in the future.

Do you ever think your take want to take?

You don't have to obviously the RSPH at level 2 award in pest

management, the one up. Do you think you'll ever, ever

want to take that in the future? If I can collect as much

information into my head, yeah, definitely.

Yeah, because they are changing it up a little bit.

They are. They're like soon they're doing

a future framework and it will be, that will be level, that

will be deemed Level 3. But I do believe they're trying

to implement a bit of practical in with it.

They are. So it's not just, this is what

I've heard. I don't know if it's true.

So I'm not in that. But I know there was a big push.

Certain people wanted a bit of practical involved.

I don't know if it's happening. I'm not involved in that.

I'm not. But there was, there was mention

of it. There was, but yeah, but I don't

know, because you can have sort of people on the course that I

was on in an exam that you can actually have somebody sit with

you and say you don't understand the question.

They can, they can get you to give you the question, don't

tell you that. They won't tell you the answer,

but they can explain it in a different way so you can

understand it. So there is help in sometimes if

you don't understand the question, they can, they're

allowed to reframe it in a way so you could understand what it

means. So they they are allowed to do

that. They are which, so it's which is

good. Yeah, that's really because

obviously with certain words I don't understand anymore, other

people might do so. I might feel that I'm getting

tripped here with certain questions.

So I get that because you'll be surprised.

Even questions I got wrong. That's see, that's the thing

when you fail because I have you don't tell me what questions you

got wrong. You don't.

That's the. Thing that's the thing I did

that with a couple weeks ago me and mine did a course and it was

like a test at the end and I failed my 3 marks.

Oh, that's a. Bit, yeah, you're nearly there,

yeah. I was gutted but I'm like I need

to know what I've got wrong. Oh, I would imagine though, with

that the exam would be exactly the same.

But when you take the other one, the one up there's at the minute

there's a few different sample papers of the same 1.

So you could get different questions.

But with that I'm probably you can probably get the same

questions. Yeah, yeah.

So I'm like, I've got because how many points that I think how

many points to get a pass. Yeah, I was feeling about that,

but I. You'll you'll you'll you'll do

well next time because three points 3 marks is nothing.

You'll do you will. No worries.

I have every. So I have that, but I have more

feeling that I couldn't know which ones I got wrong and which

ones I got right. And they never seem to tell you

that. I don't know why, but they they

don't see if you've passed or you've failed and oh, you missed

it by this amount of mark. But Jason has just asked, has

Martin given you a British pest management manual to flick

through? What?

Sorry. The British pest manual to flick

through. There's like a book this thick.

Rather Martin's got 1 to flick through.

No, probably. I don't know if Martin's got

one, but most people have one. They do sleep in two hours after

reading that. You just cut it up into little

bits and read a little bit each time when you cook because

that's what I do. A little bit.

If it doesn't it with me. It doesn't always go in.

Everyone learns differently. Some people love audio podcasts

and sit there with the notes. That's a good tip.

You ever listen to podcasts? Just take notes if you can to

remember because not everything goes in.

Everyone learns differently. They do a day, Martin tells me.

You're a bit of a football fan. Is that right?

The Celtics. Yeah, yeah, yeah, a bit of a

football freak in. The Celtics.

I'm joking. It's the Rangers.

Rangers. Yeah, the blue size I.

Reckon you've got like a season ticket, is that right?

Yeah, yeah, that's some. Dedication, that is.

Yeah, well, I go up in a group, Yeah.

And it's called Sheffield Districts.

So the guy that runs it, you like he lived in or you were

born and raised in Sheffield, but he moved to Mansfield.

I think that's the story. So that's why it's called

Sheffield Districts. But it it could go from start

from Mansfield and drive up to different places and they drive

up to Glasgow. Nice.

Do you vote? Do do do do you go to most of

the games then? Most of.

Them, Yeah, yeah, I try to get as many.

I try to go to as many as I can get to.

That's good to hear. I think on the way up to

Scotland, the dedication for that.

Yeah, but I don't, I don't like to do the overnight trip.

I do it all in one day. Yeah.

No, that's fine. That's it.

It's it's. It just makes it a long weekend.

Oh no, no, it will. No, it will.

It definitely will. He mentioned that to me.

He's mentioned the Rangers and I said to him, what's their

biggest rival? I don't know.

So I was guessing it was Celtics.

Is it not Celtics your biggest rival?

Oh, of course. So I was guessing because I, I,

I think my uncle's a Rangers fan.

He's a he's Scottish. Oh yeah, I.

Think he's Rangers fan, I can't remember he's more than so I

think it's Rangers. I think it is using Corby.

That's called, used to be called many Scotland that you know.

Yeah, I am. But yeah, obviously my main club

is Forest. That was my first team that I

supported. But I started going to watch

Rangers Crisp my dad like Rangers.

Yeah. He's always has a soft spot for

him. So I thought, you know what,

I'll try and get to Mary's two game.

I suppose I didn't really like it at first because I didn't

like the trouble. That was the main issue was the

trouble. And then we kept going and

going. I thought, you know what, it's

not as bad as I thought it was. And then how?

Many hours. Does it take on the booth?

Then I presume it's a coach, Is it?

Sometimes car, sometimes bus it. Depends.

Oh, see. OK.

It depends on how many people go oh.

OK. Is it like 3 or 4 hours?

I don't know how far it is. Fall off drive, maybe push into

five hours if traffic. That is, yeah.

That's a long yeah. I've never driven that long.

I've never driven that long. I haven't.

I haven't. It's all worth it once you're

there, that's what. I think it will be, yeah,

especially if you, especially if your team wins, yeah.

If if it's a last thing it's it's a long long dry Rd.

Yes, Yeah. See, do you ever want to?

Would you ever start in the future if you were able to?

And I'm not talking now, I'm talking about in the future,

would you ever want but your own little pest control company by

yourself like like like Martin is, you know?

Absolutely, 100%. I would love to if I could.

I would do it tomorrow if I could, but obviously I can't at

the minute. But yeah, I would absolutely

love to. But I'm quite different to a lot

of perfect controls that I've been around.

I I like to have my family around me.

So I would like to have maybe my sister do one thing my dad

helped me hands on and also I like to have my family around me

to if I want if I wants to do have my personal pest control

company, that was what I would like.

Yeah. I mean, I'll be honest, like my,

like our business Open Pest Control where I work with my dad

and we're all family. There's only two of us, but

yeah, I I've never worked with anyone else.

That ain't family. So I I know exactly what it's

like. You've obviously worked with

Martin at the hospital. I've never obviously I've had

jobs before. I just mean within pest control.

I've never worked with anyone else.

I have such in actual doing the jobs I haven't, but now that

that's good that is. Yeah, I I just like to have

people around at my potential future company is so that I have

my best interest, you're right. And someone that I can trust,

right, pest wise, money wise, everything.

Yeah, I. Do understand because it's a

yeah, you could get a wrong person throw you over.

Yeah, exactly. And I just I just.

I'm saying everyone's like that, but you've got to be where we

haven't you. Yeah, right.

It's it's in a weird way, it's a cold world out there.

You're not wrong. It's it's just like something

could be around you for the wrong reasons and obviously I

don't want that. No, you don't.

You've obviously got to be more. You've got to be very wary.

You have. But, you know, I just thought

I'd ask you that if you ever wanted to be, because a lot of

people aspire to be eventually. Some do it, some don't.

It's whether it happens, it happens.

It. Yeah.

But yeah, obviously you get some more experience down if you want

to do it in the future, you can, you know, But yeah, it's, I

mean, have you seen the Mptas 5 to 25?

Have you seen that, that engender scheme they've got

where they put you put your RSPH Level 2 award, Have you seen

that scheme? No, no, it's all about young

people. I'm like, no, if that.

Yeah, I have. I think I have seen it

advertised. Yeah, they put you through you,

you, they, they, they give you support, mentorship and they put

you through the qualification, the qualifications, sorry.

And they give you extra training.

I think Mark, Mark and Duncan, the technical trainers, they do

online training with people as well, etcetera.

I just just, I think it's good for the industry.

I do. Yeah, I think I've seen it

because I was on the website and I think I've seen it pop up, but

I'm not excuse you on what it's about.

And I was going to ask Martin, but I forgot to ask him to be

fair. But yeah.

Right, he's watching anyway, so yeah, can.

You tell me, Martin. You need to tell me, mate.

Yeah, so. But yeah, is is there any

situations at the hospital within pest control that's

obviously within the hospital that has massively taught you

something big where you like. It was a big learning curve, but

you, Martin worded it a certain way and you just got it.

I've had anything like that yet. Yeah, there's been a few is

where I've gone a certain way even.

Like I mean I know how you try to do it this way, but maybe do

it this way? Yeah.

But I'm trying to think of a couple, right?

Now, no, you're fine. But now I just, I just thought

I'd ask because sometimes, yeah, someone can word something a

different way and it's like, I've got it.

Yeah, it's like when I I go a certain way, Martin says, Well,

you should have done it this way or you should have added this

many or, you know, stuff like that.

I'm like, well, I don't know, I'd not think that.

It happens you can even even people with tonnes of experience

can have brain fart and just just not know it's it's it can

happen. We're not all you know we're not

all we're not all, you know expert.

Obviously we are trained, but we all make mistakes.

We all could you know do it a different way.

Sometimes it's wrong, but you learn from experience, don't

you? You do, you do.

But yeah, definitely it's been a good, it's been a good chatter

in it as I think, yeah, really, really.

You've got a good work. You seem to have got a good work

work ethic. I think.

I think you'll go far. But Martin has also asked me to

put and he's put. There's a very big thank you to

Project Search and the End Nottingham.

What's that? What's the NUH?

Not a University Hospital I think.

Yeah, Nottingham University Hospital.

We will be looking for a new apprentice this year.

Yeah, you can train The Apprentice.

You can. No, no.

What Marty do? Marty tried to get rid of me.

That's what he's doing. I say I don't think that he like

he he does like you, yeah. I've had enough of.

You no, but yeah it's a great project and yeah it it it's

obviously blown up a bit you mentioned since since you've

you've done it and I think it's a good thing I do it it really

is he's looking for looking for a new apprentice this year you.

Yes, yeah. And he said to me about it

early, late last year, he said, but we are looking for a new

apprentice and we want you to direct them a certain way, the

way, yeah, way we've done it for you.

I mean, I'm like bit of a bit of a big responsibility, but I'm

willing to do it if you guys trust me enough to train them

so. That's that's really nice.

That is it's, it shows how far you've come and how much

confidence the guys you work with I've got in you.

It does. Yeah, it feels nice.

And it feels nice because I've, I have been doing a couple talks

because with the Project Search, the teachers have asked me to do

a talk for when the new students come in for the new year.

They want, they want me to give out their opinions.

How good? Basically big the subject up or

big the course up. But it convinces the kids to

come and go on the course, enjoy it, and be taking a job out of

it at the end. Oh, that's good.

So basically not like a like a like a case study, testimonial

review kind of stuff. Yes to.

Promote it. Yeah.

So they think who's the best possible, the best person who's

come out of this job and it's actually exceeded and excelled,

and the person they could think of at the minute is me.

And I was. So yeah, I might need to charge

you the future reference, but for now I'll do it for free.

Pick me up in a Pick me up in a limousine.

Yeah, if you, if you have an autograph, you, you've got a

fever. But no, no, honestly, honestly

about your credit to your family, your mum and dad, I

think you've done really well. And I, I think, I think, I think

it's a job that, well, sorry, I reframed that.

It's not a job, it's it's a career.

I think pest management is or pest control.

Either way you say it. So I'm just going to drop a code

in. Yeah, I would like to thank.

There's so many people I'd like to thank for the, the maybe I'd

like to thank is my mum and dad for always backing me and always

making sure I'm all right and they can tell how much I'm

enjoying it. And I'd like to thank, thank my

mum and dad. I also like to thank Jeff and

Martin for always having this amazing belief in me that I can

do it even when I doubt myself. They always say no, oh, you can

do it, you can succeed. You just got to have natural

instincts and trusting yourself. So I like to thank those guys.

I like to thank Poet Church for giving me a storm to stand on or

a platform where I can build on my confidence and give me a real

opportunity of getting a job towards the end.

And obviously I'd like to thank MPTA, always, always continue to

support, but also having some sort of training for all of us,

not just me, for everyone. So I'd like to thank those guys

as well. It's how your mum's proud of

you, she just has messaged you on YouTube.

Yeah. There you go.

It's good to hear mate. It's really good.

I love to hear it. I know.

So if you're wondering what this code is, if someone's with the

British pest register, if you know for CPD points, they pop

this code in and they'll get a point.

So people, people would have learned from you in this

podcast. So, you know, every podcast gets

CPD, so there'd be learning in there somewhere.

But this is more, a lot of the learnings will be towards how

diverse the industry is and AI after will work it out.

It will. But I do think it's been a

great, great interview and conversation.

And yeah, thank you for you as well for giving me a platform to

speak on, workable from before, how I am in between and

hopefully what it's going to be like in the next maybe 5 to 10

years do pest control. I love to hear that because

Martin was saying, I forgot to ask you.

He says where does he want to be in 10 years.

I thought what the pest control company kind of covers it.

But it is nice to hear that you want us to remain in remain in

the pest control. Yeah, without pest control, I

won't have this amazing confidence that I've got now.

Without pest control, I won't be amazing people like yourself and

Martin and Jeff and Jason and everyone and and it's and

without pest control is there's going to be a lot more issues

with rats. Yeah, no, you're right.

Public health people need to learn more.

Where I'm trying to reframe a lot of my social posts to public

health because a lot of people don't think of it like that.

They think, ah, you just kill things.

You don't always have to kill things, you know?

I feel like everyone, even if they're not interested, they

should have a little bit of knowledge about it.

It's like we're not trying to kill things.

We try to prevent it from something badly happening, for

example, obviously your public health and etcetera, pest

damage, etcetera. Exactly.

So I feel like everyone should need to have a sit down, even

talk, just to know why we're doing this, for what reason.

No, you're exactly right. It's like, yeah, then then grey

squirrels look cute. I'm not.

Yeah. Into the getting you lost space.

Ensure your electrical cables start fire.

Very cute. Till then.

Oh, don't do that. That's what we can do.

Yeah. So, you know, to get in, there

are things like that. But you, you, you're very much

right. But yeah, thanks Owen for

coming. On.

And stay on for a minute. I'll just end the stream.

But yeah, yeah, thanks Owen for coming on.

It's been a great conversation. And give a credit to yourself

and your family, mate. You've done really well.

Thank you very much. All right, And thanks everyone

for watching. Thank you.

Tonight's Episode