AGRA stands for the Association of Genealogists and Researchers in Archives. It is the professional association for genealogists. If you are wanting to employ a professional genealogist it is where you should look.
To become either an associate or a member of AGRA you have to go through a stringent vetting process. To become an associate, I had to prove I had undertaken professionally recognised training as a genealogist (even though I already had an MA in History and Archaeology), I had to undertake a genealogical exercise involving understanding sources and creating a family tree, transcribe a primary document and be interviewed. AGRA insists on all of these requirements because they want to ensure you are ready to work professionally before you become a member. There is a huge difference between working as a professional genealogist and carrying out research as a hobby for yourself. But that is a topic for another day.
The other requirement of being and AGRA Associate is that you agree to undertake regular training. This is why yesterday I attended the Welsh Network meeting of AGRA where we received a talk by Gill Thomas on copyright rules and how these apply to the professional genealogist. Gill managed to provide a clear simple overview of what we need to do to make sure we stay on the right side of copyright laws and how to assert our own copyright on the material we produce.
Do have a look at the AGRA web site http://www.agra.org.uk to find out more and you can find my profile in the Directory.
Hidden Histories Genealogy 