Genealogy has become less expensive in recent years because of databases. Because of databases it can take much less time to find documents needed for a professional standard research and the hours put in. However it is not true that any database has everything that is available. Databases can also come with certain issues that a beginner may not have a clue about My warning is to not look at the charts that other people have put up because so many of them are not up to pro standards. Don't start by networking for information. Get yourself situated and do your own research. Only reach out to others when you've hit into a brick wall and then, still insist on documentation. You may find that there are many people stuck at the same point and maybe all of you can work on the problem together. Being a hobbyist is no excuse for doing or accepting sloppy research.
A researcher may have to revert to old but good methods, such as engaging the assistance of librarians and archivists who can go into the stacks or the boxes and pull up what is needed. How efficient, how much time one must wait for response and how expensive it will be varies madly from country to country, from county to county, from one location to another. It has always been a concern when it comes to hiring people in other countries who claim they can physically go into archives for you and find what you need. It's difficult to negotiate when there is a language barrier especially. Yes, some - probably most - of these people are trustworthy. However money sent to another country is difficult to get back if the contract is not fulfilled. Interacting with archivists via e-mail is essential now.
If you are considering working with a professional, get everything you can in order, and copied, to hand over to that person, which may help tremendously. This can include vital record documents such as birth, marriage, and death certificates.These documents are vital in a chain of documentation. A genealogist may prepare letters and fill out forms but your cooperation - signature is still a requirement on many of these.
Your pro genealogist will keep your privacy. You might be working with a lawyer to draw up a will for inheritance purposes, be seeking lost relative or a birth child. Whatever the situation I believe a pro genealogist should not post the results of an ancestry quest on the Internet.
Be sure to discuss all these things in your first meetings with your pro.
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