Have credentials that reflect advanced skills. Have years of education and professional development. Live in a large city with a high cost of living. Have access to facilities with many records. Although the majority of genealogists work independently, you may find genealogical firms in areas where large repositories of records exist.
Firms usually offer a wider variety of services and expertise.
Admission Fees paid to courthouses, repositories, and other record facilities. Methods of payment vary. The genealogist then works and bills against the retainer until it is spent. Then, another retainer is paid and work continues. In other cases, a genealogist may consume the retainer, work to a stated budget agreed to by the genealogist and client, and then bill the client for the difference.