Fieldwork is a very reputable market research firm, always recruiting people nationwide who want to participate in both virtual and in person focus groups.  I have mentioned them many times, but I have never reviewed them in depth.

Founded in 1980, Fieldwork, Inc. transformed from a basement to expansion across the United States, from Chicago to Seattle.  As I write this, they have more than 10+ offices throughout the United States.

If you’re comfortable attending local focus groups, this is a fantastic way to earn more than $75+ per setting, sometimes much more.  Even if you don’t want to attend in person, you can participate online as well.

In today’s review, let me show you how you can sign up, what you can expect to make as well as what I think about this focus group overall.  As in all of my reviews, I’m always 100% honest, only recommending what I feel is worth your time.

Getting Started

To sign up as a focus group participant, it’s a lot easier than you think.  The first thing you will want to do is head to the official site at FieldWork.com and look for the “Join a Focus Group” icon.

When you do so, it will take you to a page where you can either click on a local city near you or you can join a nationwide database if you don’t live near one of the cities mentioned.

Right now, as I write this, Fieldwork has physical locations in the following cities:

• Atlanta
• Boston
• Chicago
• Dallas
• Denver
• Los Angeles
• Minneapolis
• New Jersey
• NYC
• Phoenix
• San Francisco
• Seattle

If you live near one of these cities and you’re willing to drive to participate, this is going to be your highest earning opportunity.  Whenever you participate in person, you can earn much more than if you participate in an online focus group session.  However, if you don’t live in one of the cities mentioned, you can join the “national database,” which will look something like this on the sign-up page:

I also want to mention that aside from the options noted above, they have a healthcare professional database as well.  If you’re a physician, nurse practitioner, RN, LPN, nurse educator, physician assistant, technician, medical office manager or other medical professional, then you can join the healthcare professional database, which will send you invites only related to your profession.  Again, this is only open to the medical community.

Creating an Account

Once you figure out how you want to participate in sessions, you can then create an account, which will ask you for your personal information, your preferences as well as more about your demographics.

As noted, they offer a variety of options, but here’s what they offer at the moment:

In person focus groups tend to be the most common, but they also offer other tests such as taste tests, product trials, in-home interviews, shop-along interviews, phone interviews, and online research.  Let them know what you’re interested in at the moment.

Once you register, which probably takes five minutes at most, you can access your dashboard.

Your Dashboard

Right when you verify your email address, you can then access your dashboard, which will look something like this:

On this page, you will see your profile as well as any surveys if they are available at the moment.  When you do sign up at first, make sure you fill out that profile in detail so that the company will know more about you.  This can be said about any research company, as the more they know about you, the more they can target you with surveys.  If they don’t know about you, it’s going to be hard for them to send you survey invites.  After all, would you want a survey on dog food when you don’t even have a dog?

How Many Invites Will I Get?

This is going to greatly depend on your demographics, but I have found that you can expect a handful of invites throughout the year.

Whenever a study needs to be filled and you meet the demographics, then you will get an email invite and/or text message inviting you to the study.  If you do receive this study, make sure you act fast as they do fill up.  If you’re able to get in, they will ask you to fill out a pre-screener to see if you qualify for the survey, and if you do, they will contact you with more details when you’re accepted.

How Much Do They Pay?

Studies greatly vary, but a lot of the in person studies can pay upwards of $100 to $250+, sometimes much more if it’s a journal-like study or it lasts longer than a few hours.  If it’s an online study, this won’t pay as much, usually less than $75.

Here’s a list for reference:

The payouts are usually higher than most, but you will have to attend a local office to make the most of your time.  While you can complete the surveys online, going in person is always the best way to maximize your time.

Plan on making $50~ for an online study and about $100 to $200+ for an in-person study.

When you complete your study, they usually send out your payment within 48 hours, usually via a gift card digital code, physical gift card or bank direct deposit.

What People Are Saying

On the company’s official Yelp page for their Chicago location, this is what I found out pro/cons wise.

Pros

• focus group work is usually interesting, providing you a chance to learn about a company’s strategy and market research
• payments are quick, usually up to 48 hours after
• free parking is usually available
• office environments are comfortable with snacks, sometimes meals, provided

Cons

• some reported last minute cancellations
• communication is often poor
• tech issues often reported for online studies

Granted, this is the Chicago location, so this can vary from one location to the next.

Final Thoughts

In the end, Fieldwork is awesome, especially if you live near a location.  In many cases, you can attend a one hour focus groups and easily make $100 to $200, again, depending on the circumstances.

For now, what I recommend is that you at least add your name, and when you see an invite, sign up and see if you get accepted.  Even if it’s an online focus group, most of what they compensate is worth your time.  Plus, it doesn’t feel like work.

As always, if you want to comment on your experience, you’re more than welcome to do so below.