There are many good reasons to hire a professional genealogist. Just a few include:

1. Many people who are interested in knowing their family history simply do not have the time nor the research skills to undertake the task themselves.
2. In terms of both time and money, it is often less expensive to hire a professional genealogist than to travel to the land of your ancestors and attempt the research work yourself. There are professional genealogists from all over the world listed with genealogyPro. If there are none for your area, please and ask for a referral.
3. Drawing upon their training and experience, professionals can often locate obscure information to help overcome particularly difficult hurdles in your research. They are familiar with the many repositories where genealogical information may be found, and the procedures in gaining access to that information. What may seem like a daunting obstacle to you may be a simple task for the experienced professional.
4. You may not be able to understand the language of your ancestors. Several services with genealogyPro provide translations services.
5. Many professionals already have extensive collections of compiled family and community histories. They may also already have access to online repositories that charge fees for viewing.

The services that professional genealogists provide are normally related to a geographic region they are knowledgeable of and often associated with a particular speciality. They may reside in the area where the primary research facilities are located but not always. Some professionals overcome geography by utilizing a network of colleagues, the Internet, and their years of experience to attain access to your ancestral records from afar.

genealogyPro offers two effective methods of finding genealogists - directories and the site search engine. The directories are listed along the main page and also along every directory page. The search engine is also available from the main page.

Contact information is usually provided at the top of each genealogist's page. When contacting a genealogist, please include a reference to genealogyPro.

The price you pay for the research of your family tree will vary in accordance with many factors. Some of these include:

1. the extent of research you want conducted;
2. how much background information you are able to supply the genealogist;
3. the format in which you want to receive the final research - it could be a simple email answer, a computer database file, or an entire book including pictures of your ancestral home; and
4. the professional genealogist's own pricing structure.

Ensure you express your exact requirements before you hire a professional genealogist and that you fully understand the service being offered and the associated costs.

One thing you can do to help ensure reputability is to ask for references, and then to check them out. It is ultimately your responsibility to ensure you are getting the service you pay for.

genealogyPro also provides Service Advisory Reports on the services advertised with genealogyPro. The reports provide basic information similar to those issued by Better Business Bureaus. It identifies if we have received complaints about a particular service, and whether or not the problem was resolved. To protect privacy, no other details are provided.

The first thing you should do is refer to your original correspondence with the service and confirm the details of your agreement. If you feel that what you received falls short of your expectations, contact the service and explain the situation. Usually a simple explanation of what you expected and what you received is enough to resolve any misunderstandings. If your problem goes beyond a simple misunderstanding and remains unresolved, consult the Client - User Relations section of genealogyPro's Acceptable Use Policy.

These and many other terms are explained in the genealogyPro Glossary of Genealogy Terms. For a full description on the various credentials for professional genealogists and record agents, consult An Overview of Professional Genealogy Organizations and Associations.

genealogyPro does not require that services listed within the directory meet any formal requirements. It does, however, demand that such services represent themselves honestly. The first paragraph of the Client - User Relations section of genealogyPro's Acceptable Use Policy covers this in greater detail.

There are some very good web sites that explain how to start a career in professional genealogy. One of the best such resources is provided by the Association of Professional Genealogists and is titled Are You Ready to Become a Professional?.