Looking for tips on having Genealogy as a career

[Tom Langley]

No thank you for your honesty! Helps to know every side!

[jim1]

I wouldn't want to put anyone off from a career change but it's difficult to see how you can make a living at it straight from the off.
10 years makes you a relative newcomer I'm afraid & you're going to need a lot of additional training in various aspects of research & social/political/ecclesiastical history.
I suspect most of your research has been done online & you haven't travelled to too many archives around the UK which is what a professional has to do.
One of their core skills is knowing where to look & what to look for based on decades of experience.
Starting small & running it alongside a full time job that pays the rent would be my advice.

[groom]

I stopped because I found that more and more folk were doing there own research online (consider the 23,000 & 11,000 learners for the two FutureLearn Genealogy courses). I eventually worked out that I was being asked to do all the 'brick wall' work, and that meant a lot of disappointed clients, no follow-up work and no word-of-mouth work.

I was just thinking about it from that aspect as well, Sugarbakers. There are so many resources on line today and courses for those who are interested in starting. Also, I would think that majority of people who want their tree done, prefer to do it themselves, as it is far more interesting that way, rather than having everything handed to you on a plate. So as you say, they only ask for professional help once they get back into parish records or even beyond that. That is then getting into specialist areas.

Have you considered doing an online course to get qualifications if you are really serious about changing careers? That way you could continue with your present job while you explore possibilities.

[Tom Langley]

Well I'm leaving my job in October! Original plan was to look for work relating to my experience and qualifications, so more in the sales and marketing side of agriculture. Genealogy was going to be a side project just to bring a bit of extra money in. It was only today I considered going purely for a genealogy related job.
I'm considering toping up my foundation degree in agriculture to a full degree. This is only 9months and does make me more desirable to employers. This would leave me with a year to fill, which is where the genealogy was going to come in, as well as trying to get more experience and go on some courses.

[groom]

That sounds a better idea, Tom. A degree, no matter what in, shows that you are serious about studying. It would then leave your options open, either doing genealogy as a side line, or if it really took off, doing it as a career. As others have said, you wouldn't make much money, at least at first, so it would be good to have something to fall back on.

[myluck!]

Tom
Another option to consider is to offer training in looking up what is now available online. Many people do not have the computer skills, logical thinking, information on names - places and people etc and need guidance rather than their tree completed for them.
Many libraries offer access to resources but not guidance in how best to research.

Best of everything in your new pursuits

[Andrew Tarr]

Another option to consider is to offer training in looking up what is now available online. Many people do not have the computer skills, logical thinking, information on names - places and people etc and need guidance rather than their tree completed for them.

My instinct is similar to Sugarbakers'.  I certainly don't think there is a goldmine awaiting, but there may be a line in offering training in the basics, especially in sorting grain from chaff.  You don't say whether you have easy access to a record office, which could add travel expense to your plans.  Maybe you could join a going concern, and then turn freelance if things look promising.

But then there are several people on here offering advice and help for free .... 

[Tom Langley]

I like that idea myluck thanks!
I'm actually in a good place. 30minutes from Chester and Wrexham records offices, 45 from Shropshire and Manchester and Liverpool are about 1hour away

[dawnsh]

Hi Tom

If you're thinking about probate genealogy, you need to look at the area you live in and then look for solicitors in your area who specialise in probate work. See if any of them need people in their wills and probate department. Do any of them need someone to get their certs for example?

If you haven't got easy access to any of the 7 sites who host the complete GRO indexes for recent events, then you may find that this line of work isn't a cost effective option for you.

Do your homework online and see what other companies in your area are offering in the way of family history research and what they charge. See if you can come up with a price list for yourself and see if you can compete with their offerings.

You need to make sure you can offer a package that includes printed reports and family trees. Will your home printer cope? have you got easy access to decent paper stock and presentation folders? or can you find a supplier to print family trees

Maybe offer to do a 'getting started in genealogy' talk at your local library and see if you get any feedback from that.