How to become a “Professional Researcher”

[Dolgellau]

I spend hours on my computer doing lookups.

I travel miles to records offices, The National Library and other repositories to find info for other researchers.

I get my skin torn by brambles looking for MI’s to photograph “on request”

I transcribe local history documents and publish them on the Internet where they are free for all to see.

And then I find the "For Sale" board on Rootschat where everything I do for gratitude is charged for a fee.

As I am not the richest person in the world, I wonder if some of those who advertise their services here could explain how they make a living out of family history research whilst I just pass my time doing it whilst receiving carer's benefits  for looking after my terminally ill wife!

[trystan]

I can only commend you for giving so much back into the hobby of family history by doing so much - and for nothing too. I'm sure the feeling of helping others more than compensates for the work that you put in, and drives you on to help more, which is wonderful.

RootsChat has a "For Sale / Wanted / Events" section, in the same way as the family history magazines have their adverts and classified section for professional researchers to advertise their services.

As to how they make a living, well they must be very good at what they do I suppose, and have regular custom. 

Trystan

[Keith Bateman]

Hi Dolgellau,

Not to sure how to answer that Dolgellau - except to say in the end you enjoy it (most of the time!!) - and it is nice to receive the thanks of others.

I have only just started to try to help others - but I get the same buzz finding something out for a complete stranger - as I do for myself.

Whatever we do in this life someone, somewhere, will be doing it for money!

Keep up the good work.

Cheers

Keith

[Mobo]

 

Don't get too disheartened Dolgellau 
Like you, most of us are into genealogy 'cos we love it, even though it can be very frustrating at times.

Take me, for instance, I have been slogging away now for over 20 years, but have no qualms about posting all the info I get straight to my website for other folk to see and hopefully benefit from, (not to mention the comeback I get myself).

A lot of the info I have, was paid for, as I could not do the work myself, but I just accept it as one of the costs of my 'hobby'.

Like you, I too get a buzz from helping people find their ancestors, and have even gone to considerable expense on some occasions, but I enjoyed it, and that's the main thing.

So keep up the good work - the rewards will always be greater than the pitfalls.

 

[tabitha]

Dolgellau,

When I walk down the street and see someone smiling or obviously happy with the world...it puts a smile on my face too (no matter how grotty I thought my day was  .

That's what you do in the family history world. By being so helpful, thoughtful, generous and quite obviously enthusiastic you are encouraging others to feel the same way.

Keep up the good work 

tabitha

[MarieC]

Dolgellau,

You are one of the very generous and helpful people here on Rootschat. 

Those of us who live a long way from Britain owe all of you more than we can ever repay.  Believe me, there are a lot of people here who are extremely grateful for what you and others do, and hope that one day, we can help others as we have been helped.

Please, continue to do what you do and draw the satisfaction from it that I am sure you do.

MarieC

[suttontrust]

I second what's been said about the generosity of people who do research freely on behalf of others.  I've benefitted hugely from that myseld, and I've tried, in a small way, to reciprocate.  However, there is nothing wrong with offering to do this for a fee, if there's a market for it.  For instance, most of us can't get to the GRO and will happily pay someone who can do the research there quickly and efficiently.  But when I was stuck on some research in Salford I contacted a couple of "professional" researchers, who offered to do only what I could do myself, rather than the local enquiries that were necessary.  I don't object to people earning money out of research.  But genealogy is a growing community of people who are happy to help each other, and long may that continue.

[legs11]

hi dolgellau,

My mum and her mum, (my nanna), always said "what goes around, comes around threefold" meaning that you have helped alot of people with their family research and then in turn they have been able to help someone, because of your generosity.

It will soon return to you x3, don't ask me when, that I don't know, but when it comes, you'll know and you will be so happy.

Please keep going with your generous giving of your time and other resources that you have at hand.

THANKS EVER SO MUCH

legs

[Chris Penrose]

Well, I am helping this lady in Australia to find her Starkey loose ends and associated local history, wherever they come from, and I must have spent hundreds of hours so far, and the emails number over a 100.

However, someone the other day wanted me to do something similar, promising "to pay me for my time". No thanks, it is just too much hassle, because I feel that if you get yourself in that position you have to lay down so many ground-rules: and you could end up with a job instead of a rewarding hobby.

Without doubt there are many honest researchers out there earning a living out of it, but they must be charging a lot, and limiting their research to mostly internet or purchaseable resources: good luck to them.

It is just so much more fun for us amateurs!

Chris Penrose