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Pest Control Technician

Skilled Trades

Apply or release chemical solutions or toxic gases and set traps to kill or remove pests and vermin that infest buildings and surrounding areas.

You can enter this career straight after SPM. A degree is optional, not required.

General

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Record work activities performed.
  2. 2Inspect premises to identify infestation source and extent of damage to property, wall, or roof porosity and access to infested locations.
  3. 3Recommend treatment and prevention methods for pest problems to clients.
  4. 4Post warning signs and lock building doors to secure area to be fumigated.
  5. 5Spray or dust chemical solutions, powders, or gases into rooms, onto clothing, furnishings, or wood, or over marshlands, ditches, or catch basins.
  6. 6Clean work site after completion of job.
  7. 7Drive truck equipped with power spraying equipment.
  8. 8Measure area dimensions requiring treatment, calculate fumigant requirements, and estimate cost for service.
  9. 9Study preliminary reports or diagrams of infested area and determine treatment type required to eliminate and prevent recurrence of infestation.
  10. 10Set mechanical traps, or place poisonous paste or bait in sewers, burrows, or ditches.
  11. 11Direct, or assist other workers in, treatment or extermination processes to eliminate or control rodents, insects, or weeds.
  12. 12Cut or bore openings in building or surrounding concrete, access infested areas, insert nozzle, and inject pesticide to impregnate ground.
  13. 13Clean and remove blockages from infested areas to facilitate spraying procedures and provide drainage, using brooms, mops, shovels, or rakes.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • Sprayer
  • Fumigator
  • Spray Crew
  • Exterminator
  • Spray Worker
  • Pest Controller
  • Pest Technician
  • Termite Treater
  • Tick Eradicator
  • Mosquito Sprayer

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. Typical entry

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. 4

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationHigh school diploma

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
ChemistryDraws directly on Chemistry — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BiologyDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
History (Sejarah)Draws directly on Law and Government — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • Customer and Personal Service76%
  • Public Safety and Security62%
  • English Language62%

    English

  • Chemistry59%

    Chemistry

  • Biology59%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Law and Government58%

    History (Sejarah)

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleConstant contact
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersA little
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherEvery day
  • Time spent sittingA little

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

8%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

Growing role in the US

US Bureau of Labor Statistics data, not Malaysian. Shown because it's the only forward-looking demand estimate we have for this job.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

International Pre-U

A-Levels, AUSMAT, IB and more. The flexible premium route, local or overseas.

1–2 years

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Pest Control Workers

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org