Professional Genealogist is a huge investment financially and personally. It doesn’t matter if your project is for full-blown research or family record retrieval it is essential to ensure that you spend dollars wisely. Before you start searching for a suitable genealogist for your research project –
- Ask your family members and gather available information, documents, and photos.
- Fill the pedigree chart with the gathered details.
- If you have a family tree, then ensure to update it with photos and documents.
- Ensure to have a particular research goal rather than a generic one like, ‘I want to gain more detail about my father’s family’.
Record Click is an experienced, accredited, certified, and professional genealogist helping clients find their unique family history. It doesn’t matter if their client’s ancestral background is across the US border like Canada, Australia, the UK, or any other country. For more details about research methods visit recordclick.com.
To choose the ideal genealogists for your project ensure to have specific goals and ask the right questions.
What are your specialization and experience?
Professional Genealogist has credentials or memberships. Two common certifications are AG [Accredited Genealogist] and CG [Certified Genealogist]. You can search pro genealogist on APG or the Association of Professional Genealogist directory available online.
Refine your search based on research specialties, languages, countries, periods, and more. Today, the majority of genealogists have a blog or website, where you can gain more insight into their services and the kind of projects they have completed. Never hesitate to ask for references.
How frequently will I get progress updates?
Discuss your communication expectations right from the start. The communication frequency will depend on your research goals. Ensure to set milestones, where the genealogist will offer progress updates. It can be weekly, half-monthly, or monthly.
Your and the professional’s expectation has to be the same to avoid irritation down the road.
What’s your availability?
Some genealogists have huge backlogs, which can delay project conclusions. Ask about the genuine timeframe the pro will need for your project. Tough research issues like foreign research, common name ancestors, and lost or burnt records can impact project timeframe and pro’s availability.
You will need to be ready to fine-tune your expectations associated with the pro’s availability.
How do you deliver the final results?
The final research result includes common elements like a written research report, citations, documents, GEDCOM files, and more. Ask them about publication rights and copyrights.
Get familiar with Genealogical Proof Standards criteria set by the BCG [Board of Certification for Genealogists] designed for an excellent genealogical research task. It is a useful tool that helps to evaluate genealogy research quality.
What are your per-hour fees?
Many pro genealogists charge per hour, but can vary based on project type, experience, location, demand, and more. Hourly rates can be anything between $30 to more than $200 per hour. Many pros charge for postage, photocopies, travel, etc. so ask without hesitation about extra expenses.
Make sure to interview 3 to 4 professional genealogists before hiring. Get to know how each one responds and is keen to work on your project!
