Since the advent of the internet, there are quite a large amount of records available online but not all.  There are also massive amounts of information on microfilm for viewing at your local family history center, but again, not all records worldwide have been put to film.  This leaves only one option; performing research within the community your family originally hails from.

Even if you were able locate pertinent records to further your cause domestically, these accounts will most likely be in a language you are not able to read.  Worse yet, the records could be in poor condition and the handwriting itself could be less than legible.

What to do?  At this point, you might begin to entertain the thought of hiring an international professional genealogist to aid you in your quest.  They can be an invaluable resource in the capacity of your own personal researcher within nearly any country in the world.

They possess a clear understanding of the process involved when researching and obtaining records found in their local archives, civil record offices, and churches; something which you most likely do not.  Often times however, people mistakenly become intimidated at the thought of forking their money over to someone on the other side of the planet.

How do you go about it?  What will you need to provide? Who can you trust?  These points along with a few other tidbits will all be addressed in this article.

The actuality of hiring a professional genealogist abroad doesn’t have to be a frightening process.  The good news is, if you follow a few basic rules of judgment, then you are likely to find yourself a willing and capable partner in your family history plight.

What would you need to provide them with?  That answer is the same as what you would need to submit to a domestic professional genealogist before the onset of the any research project.  International genealogists use the same methods to trace the lineage of any family group.

Your best bet is to provide them with any and all information you have, including items you deem insignificant.  Let the professionals’ use their expertise and knowledge to judge what is or is not important; never assume.  Typically, a good foundation to begin any search includes the following information:

•    Ancestor’s full name
•    Religion of family member(s)
•    Specific dates and events, i.e. Marriage, Birth, & Death dates and location(s) of events.
•    Range of years which are required for the research
•    Ancestor’s place of birth
•    Ancestor’s date of birth
•    Ancestor’s immediate family members and relationships
•    Occupations (if known)
•    Dates of immigration (if applicable)
•    Information available from previous research – both positive and negative findings
•    What are you trying to accomplish? Explain your goal.

If you don’t have all of this information handy, that’s okay. Just provide your potential genealogy researcher with whatever you have available to you.  That would at least give them a fairly concrete idea on where to start and how to provide you with a more accurate quote. You can mutually decide on a research plan pertaining to your ancestors from there.

Now, how does one go about finding a qualified professional genealogist?  I don’t have near the space to list all the possibilities available online.  Suffice it to say however, there are countless individuals listing themselves as researchers and it’s easy to locate various directories such as Expert Genealogy which is a catalog service that provides information for International professional genealogists.

You have the opportunity to feel your way through their listings and make an inquiry to anyone of interest individually via email.  Another interesting site is Genealogy Freelancers.  They offer a unique concept to the world of ancestry. Rather than combing the internet for individual researchers appropriate to your research project; you can reach numerous professional genealogists collectively on this website; a real timesaver.

Just post your family history project and their system will automatically notify any qualified researcher who is a match to the needs of your ancestry project.  Anyone interested will then place a bid for the pleasure of finding your family.  All you need to do is select the expert that you want to work with; that’s it.

They have experts from nearly every country on the globe too so it’s a safe bet you will be able to locate a solid professional here.  This service also utilizes a rating system so you will have the advantage of knowing what others have thought of their work as well.  These are just a couple of good examples of what’s out there.

Finally, how to know you can trust your chosen professional.  While there is no “absolute” method to this query short of a polygraph test, I can say that usually just some good old fashioned judgment and common sense will suffice.

Really make an effort to communicate your needs fully and ask as many questions as you deem necessary to get to know your potential genealogist’s capabilities, goals, and work ethic.

Ask for references or testimonials and follow up with them.  Professional memberships and a secondary education in family history are all pluses but neither of those stands to their research practice which is the most important part of the equation.  There are plenty of suburb genealogy researchers for hire that have none of this but are thorough and fastidious in their work.