How to Become a Professional Genealogist (VLOG #40)
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- Опубліковано 24 лип 2024
- In this video I discuss how to become a professional genealogist. This is one of the number one questions I receive from other genealogists and the simple truth is all you need to be a professional genealogist is to start taking clients. There are no regulations on genealogy and the only requirement is that you have enough genealogy research experience to help others. Once you're ready to take clients the first step is to figure out how much you plan to charge. In my experience this often falls into 4 main tiers -
* Tier 1 - $5 - $25/hr
* Tier 2 - $25 - $50/hr
* Tier 3 - $50 - $75/hr
* Tier 4 - $75+/hr
Something very important to a career in genealogy is advertising and building your reputation. There are a few vital things to help in this;
* Join the Association of Professional Genealogists (APGen)
* Join local Genealogy Societies
* Attend Genealogy Conferences - National and Local
* Create Genealogy Content
* Get Certified
* Genealogy Speaking Engagements
Before becoming a professional genealogist there are a few things I suggest to think about and work on:
* Registering as a Business Entity
* Have a contract
* Define your expertise
* Branding yourself
* Genealogy report writing (buy the book "Professional Genealogy" by Elizabeth Shown Mills - amzn.to/37eiGUz)
* Continuing genealogy education
The last thing to think about as you go along your genealogy career path is what direction you want to take. Most genealogists work for themselves and take private clients, setting their own rates and hours. Another option is working for a large genealogy company as either a contractor or an actual employee. The most popular thing currently is working in Forensic Genealogy, especially after the expanse in the field due to the rise of genetic genealogy. There are many other paths that can be taken which aren't discussed in this video (teaching, archiving, librarianship, etc) but with any path it is quite an exciting time to be a professional genealogist.
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* Genetic Genealogy in Practice by Blaine T. Bettinger and Debbie Parker Wayne - amzn.to/2OkWSxb
* From Generation to Generation: How to Trace Your Jewish Genealogy and Family History by Arthur Kurzweil - amzn.to/2AjD3mQ
* Genealogy Standards by the Board for Certification of Genealogists -
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Find Books about Genealogy on Amazon
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No one:
Geneavlogger: *_I'm about to start this man's whole career._*
Just found your videos good info. I started this hobby 30 years ago. My wife’s family was having a reunion and they sent out family sheets. I only knew both sets of grandparents. I went to a LDS church and met many elderly folks who told they were related Washington and Lincoln. They helped me with the census roll then I found the main library also had film. I knew my family had been in Texas for generations. Growing up an hour and a half from the border I knew where my roots were. Lucky for me that my ancestors were even closer so they would cross the border for baptisms and weddings. So everything was recorded. Knowing my wife’s family was in the same vicinity I was sure were would be related. Yes more than a few times just like my family is as well . But it’s at least 160 years or so. The nice thing about this hobby is finding that my ancestors were founders of cities, owners of silver mines, soldiers, generals, admirals, conquistadors, kings and queens. Bust most importantly most were just simple everyday people like me. I still find a new relative every now and then thanks to the internet. I have to say I knew I wouldn’t be related to a Washington or Lincoln, but my there are statues of my ancestors here in the United States, Mexico, Spain and Portugal. Thank You I have subscribed. Oh and there where some Sephardic Jews in the mix.
Thank you so much for doing this! I could not figure out how to start.
I feel late in the game finding this gem, but as someone who is at the beginning of trying to build a career in genealogy, it is so timely right now. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
How did it go?
Many years ago, when I first started looking into my own family history, I read an article about becomming a professional genealogist. One thing that stuck in my mind from that article was the some locales may require you to be licensed as a private investigator in order to do research on people you're not related to. This may not be required where you live or are doing your research, but it shouldn't take too long to check the laws in your area to make sure you don't run into any legal problems. This probably relates to people born less than 100-120 years ago since older records are already freely available online.
This is such a great video! I'm a recent university grad with a degree in Canadian History (much love to all my fellow Canadians!) and I've been an amateur genealogist since I was 12. I've always wanted to work professionally in genealogy but didn't know how to get my start! Thank you for all the wonderful information
What university?
I wanna get my masters in U.S History or art History. I'm still debating.
Love that advice about the pro bono work. I've already done some of this and loved it, hence being here 👍 PS with you on Fiverr. Not a great fit!
Thank you so much for making this video! I've been wanting to get into professional genealogy for awhile and just didn't know where to start. This video has really helped. I've saved it for future reference and subscribed!
Thank you so much, man! You are a godsend
This video is amazing! This is the best resource I've found so far as I'm working on mapping out my future plans with genealogy! Thank you for this invaluable information!
Great video! Thanks for sharing, I found this very helpful.
This was great! I took lots of notes.
Wow, the information in this video was very helpful! Definitely going to save this to watch again later for more information. Thank you for putting this together. You answered many questions I've been having in regards to going professional.
Going professional can often seem intimidating and I know I thought about it for years before finally going for it. Being that you already have an established channel you have a leg up to start!
@@GeneaVlogger It's something I've been considering for sure. I know I still have a lot to learn, so I'm doing what you suggested in your video; pro-bono work for friends and family. I've also been practicing writing reports. Melissa from Boundless Genealogy gave me some help with that. Your videos have definitely been helpful. Thank you!
Thanks for this informative video.
Surprise relatives: We are originally from north Louisiana. About 20 years ago my parents built their retirement house in a small Alabama town on a lakeside lot (the lakeside part was the attraction). Mom started researching her roots and found a GGrandfather who lived in Texas but was born in Alabama. More research found that he was born and raised in this same small town where she now lives. The lot my parents bought was originally part of the land owned by her GGrandfather's family. More research and she discovered that the friend she had been sitting next to in the church choir for several years was actually her fourth cousin! Mom's ancestor was the family black sheep the original family had lost track of after he left town to adventure west. Instant family tree expansion lol.
Thank you so much for this video!
Very helpful thanks
Really good job!
Thanks!
Very informative video
It sounds like all the experience I gained by working for Ancestry will be quite useful.
With 50+ years of genealogical research, I've always done free work, expending more time than you can imagine. If I charged an hourly wage, most would not hire me for the amount of time that it takes to find their information. I once offered a famous family member, who was an attorney, a $25/hour charge. He declined. C'est la vie!
Wow, that’s a crazy story. People’s expectations can be really skewed. Freelance writers charge upwards of $25 an hour, and genealogical work involves most of the same skills, and more. I get the need to do pro bono work, and that can be rewarding. But $5-10 an hour for an experienced genealogist? No way.
👑
Than you!
Im thinking of being one... But in my country we dont have a DNA database 🤣😂 so it would be a real hard manual work. Investigation. it would be great if i am the first "cece moore" here...
This was very informative. I’ve been researching for over twenty years and I’m thinking of going pro. I love report writing though😁
So charging per hour? How would you be able to separate the time for other clients? Or do you stop at like 2 or 3 clients and finish before going onto another client?
No speaking in front of people for me. That right there is a phobia. I will feel every nerve in my body! Lol. Mostly why I haven’t started yt content.
I finally know your name! After six months of watching you on you tube I had decided your name was Gerard Ross. You say it so fast and almost swallowed…. Now I know it is Jarret. So hi Jarret Ross.
Hello , I was wondering if you saw the woman at 5th and Broadway in New york 1911 She looks like a music teacher She was carrying an umbrella cane, as she was walking by she look directly at the camera.
whats the most money you can make as a Professional Genealogist? or most high paying one?
How do you get certified
Great video! Can you do something about color-coding in geneology? P.S If someone see this, plese, recommend me some usefull information about geneology!
Waited for this so long! Yes, I have something! Check this articles, they helped me - blog.foldermarker.com/2020/how-to-use-color-coding-in-genealogical-research/ or blog.foldermarker.com/2020/how-to-organize-handouts-and-thumb-drives-for-genealogy-research/
Also, you can use Folder Marker for digital organization for your documents. Fan of this software
You did not mention Genealogists who are published genealogical authors. I have had several articles published and genealogical journals that were peer reviewed. Would not carry heavier weight for what I would charge a client?
In the video, when discussing creating genealogy content, I literally say at 6:57 - "That could range from getting a book published to publishing an article in a journal or magazine...".
I'm trying to start with my family and my dad doesn't know anything about his grandparents 😪my ancestry dna stops with my grandma and really nothing on her
I don’t like his some of his recommendations. First of all, without any training, you’re going to miss learning the techniques and tips that make the differences between an amateur and a professional. Also, when he described the tiers of what you can charge, even at the second level you’re competing with pros who do have certifications and degrees. Most clients, if given a choice between genealogists who charge about the same amount, will choose one who is certified. He mentioned networking. In my experience, getting a degree or certification in anything gets you started meeting experienced pros in the field.
I agree with his advice about how to get experience and do marketing, and especially urge people to always work with a contract, as he explained. Client expectations can be unrealistic, and a contract protects you from a client who tries to complain about your work, refuses to pay, etc.
So, I've done a TON of adoption cases, helped people get records, help people research their family tree, and other stuff, all for free. Is there a way I can make some sort of review page for myself and ask those that I've helped to leave their experiences of me?
Yep, just setup a facebook page (facebook.com/pages/creation/) and you can have people review you there. I also suggest LinkedIn, where people can leave reviews and also endorsements for specific skills. If you create your own website just ask people to email you reviews and then make a page on your website for reviews.
Brother Andrew let’s talk! @ dherrera2004@gmail.com I may have a new case for you or at least some tips.. we can always do a zoom meeting. I’m in the Bay Area in the USA
I need help finding a property in a will, that there is no deed for.
Do you know how many hamsters it'd take to start a colony with enough genetic diversity? Sorry don't know who else to ask.
5 dollars for many hours work seems like a small amount of money.
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