How I Started With 'Veldwerk'

When I came back from my sabbatical of 5,5 months in the Pacific region in 2014, I started with ‘veldwerk’ fieldwork. Through other fieldworkers’ I got other fieldwork at other companies. It was fun doing fieldwork. It is different from computer work. And I got to set foot in the basics of collecting the data needed to do research. Most of the research is based on changing things in society, except the tasting research. With the tasting research food and beverage are adapted. All the data even the tasting research is collected by surveys. I even did surveying by phone, not my thing. I learned a lot by doing that and it let to other projects besides field work. In the blog 'To interview by phone or not' I tell more about my experience with phone interviews.

Supervising 'Veldwerk'

I did some supervising work for a few tasting research and even supervised a team of interviewers going to homes of people for SCP (Sociaal Cultureel Planbureau) via Labyrinth in 2020. As I mentioned I supervised a few tasting research, which I liked a lot but was only available when there were a lot of tasting research at the same time. Supervising a team of interviewers was very demanding and not my thing, because it is more about coaching than research.

Fieldwork during COVID-19

During the lockdowns and between the lockdowns I did also some fieldwork. There were less fieldwork assignments than. I as a fieldwork had to keep my distance and take a lot of measures into account like handing out pens to fill in the surveys, which they were allowed to keep. Other measures were wearing gloves, mask, cleaning the pens and soaping the hands of people after they handed in the survey.  Most of the fieldwork during COVID was in the 'Openbaar Vervoer'.

The 'Spannendste' Fieldwork

The strangest fieldwork was handing out surveys in jail. It was very exciting, but a project I never want to do again. I had to have a VOG for this fieldwork. I was threatened by 1 prisoner when I was handing out the survey. Another time the alarm went off and I had to run after the guards to safety. Me, another fieldworker, and the guards had to stay in a room while everything was checked. Fifteen minutes later we could handout surveys again. During this fieldwork me and the other fieldworks were always accompanied by guards. 

Other Fieldwork

I used to work for four companies (Inview, I&O Research [Ipsos I&O], Forum Business Research and Labyrinth), who had a fieldwork department. Nowadays I still work for one of the four. Other fieldwork I did in the past are: 

• Handing out 'Openbaar Vervoer' surveys (Hermes & Arriva)

• Counting passengers on the trains and busses (Hermes & Arriva)

• Surveying people for A+A Dusseldorf

• Albert Heijn (Volgen mensen die Boodschappen doen & vragenlijst)

• Amsterdam Marathon (vragenlijst publiek & deelnemers)

• Bijenkorf (Winkelbezoekers vragenlijst)

• Gemeente Amsterdam (Parkeergarage Bijenkorf vragenlijst)

• Gemeente Utrecht (Amsterdamsestraatweg vragenlijst)

• GGD (Jongeren werven voor vragenlijst)

• Hudsonbay (Winkelbezoekers vragenlijst)

• Jan Linders (Volgen mensen die Boodschappen doen & vragenlijst)

• Kruidvat (Vragenlijst specifieke medicijn)

• Library Breda (Oudere bezoekers bibliotheek vragenlijst)

• Lidl (vragenlijst & postcodes verzamelen)

• Makro Nederland, Nieuwegein (vragenlijst aan boodschappen doeners)

• Metro Rotterdam (vragenlijst)

• Ministerie van Justitie, Penitentiaire Inrichtingen (Vragenlijst aan gedetineerden)

• Municipal of Arnhem & Nijmegen (Winkelend publiek)

• NS (vragenlijsten)

• Prenatal (Zwangere vrouwen vragenlijst)

• T-Mobile (vragenlijst aan bezoekers winkel)

• Rotterdam Tourist Information (Vragenlijst op verschillende locaties in Rotterdam aan toeristen)

• Triodos (Coderen van 1 vraag vragenlijst & Outbound bellen)

• Tasting and shopperlab fieldwork for Big Labels (Proeven van producten in combinatie met vragenlijst).

Ending 'Veldwerk'

I am still working for one research company. I like doing fieldwork, but I am picky which fieldwork I still want to do. It is a very important part of research. It is the collection of the data. Without data no analysis, no results and no conclusions or advise based on research. In my blog 'Coding emotions in categories from a survey answer' I tell more about what can be a first step after collecting data for research with a survey.  This is an example of coding survey work I have done in the past.