The U.S. Census Bureau has begun a nationwide recruitment campaign for 2020 Census takers, with 2,020 information events across the country to answer questions about temporary jobs available and how to get hired next spring.

The census will need to hire about 500,000 census takers across the country, including 2,800 in the D.C. metro area. The jobs pay from $12 an hour to $30 and hour, depending on the city.

In the Washington region, census taker jobs will pay an average of $25 per hour.

The bureau said the jobs are a good source of temporary income for students or retirees, and the responsibilities it entails are pretty straightforward.

“The census takers come in when someone doesn’t self-respond, on the internet or via telephone or by mailing back the paper form. When that doesn’t happen, we need people who will go door-to-door and collect that information for us,” Dale Kelly, the census bureau’s field division chief, told WTOP.

Persistence, and probably thick skin, are also important.

“We want them to be people who are convincing, and can explain that the census is important and safe, and the information is confidential,” Kelly said.

“Being a census taker does mean, every now and again, you may get a door slammed in your face. But continue to try to get the information because it is so important,” she added.

Census takers get extensive training and practice sessions before being sent into the field.

A list of jobs available and how to apply for them is posted online.