Dear Swiss List! There have been many questions that have pertained to what advice should be considered BEFORE signing on with professional genealogists to do reserach with you. Please find below some of our advices concerning elements that you might want to take into account before signing on the dotted line! We are quite sure that there are other elements which many others could add; therfore please consider this a basic and very elementary set of recommendations. I would like to stress that my interest is to make professional genealogy more professional. There are a lot of good people out there who know their stuff, but who have no idea what the commercial aspects look like. There are other purpoted "professional genealogists" who will say yes to everything and do nothing except take your money. And fortunately, there are those professional genealogists who are really what they say they are. I have laid down some recommendations which I would like to share with you here. This comes from over 15 years in the business to consider when your decision has been made to HIRE a professionalist genealogist: 1. Ask all the questions that you feel should be asked; 2. Ask about the costs and the time frame to do the work that you are requesting; 3. Ask for a work estimate and do ask about cost over-runs which should be substantiated. Cost over-runs should not be higher than 10% of the total research. If higher, they should be substantiated by the researcher; 4. Ask how the researcher wants to be paid, and the method. It is YOUR responsibility to see that he/ she gets paid, but it is HIS resposnsibility to give you a way to pay him EASILY and the LEAST COSTLY. Whether it is $20.00 or ? 2000.00, you must have the ability to pay, be able to pay relatively cheaply (without huge bank or administrative charges), and you should also be comfortable with the sum of money that is being asked for said research; 5. Ask the researcher for a paper or an E-mail which describes what work is to be done BEFORE you send any monies. This ensures that the researcher he has well understand ; 6. Our Company outlines the responsibility of our researchers in an agreement. This is intended to cover you the CLIENT, and our researchers; 7. Once you have the agreemnt or the paper descibing the services the Researcher will provide, do send the researcher part of the money unless it is a sum less than, say $ or ? 200.00; We ask for 75% of the total estimated work costs before any work is started, then when the work is terminated in the form of a report wherever necessary, we contact the Client and tell him or her that we have finished the work with a statement of account. The balance is owed us; when the balance is received, the report with the substantiating evidence is sent to the Client; 8. You should ask for all exceptional receipts concerning expenses. 9. When you receive the report, (with all substantiating evidence when possible), please do not feel that things are finished there. The researcher may be recomending more work. There may be something in the report which does not make sense. Please ask again. E-mail is so easy to write. No stamps needed! 10. PLEASE give the RESEARCHER feedback on his work or his report so that he may be able to do better next time. We are not always perfect, and it may very well be that the final statement of account needs upgrading. Who knows? Please give the researcher feedback. Remember that many genealogists have different ways of doing business which may be even more correct than what I have laid down here. This is just a check list which you can use. Sincerely yours, Atentamente, Jacques de Guise EIG / CGR / CEG Estudio de Investigaciones Genealógicas Center for Genealogical Research Cabinet d'Etudes Généalogiques Spain and Switzerland E-mail: [email protected]