Wondering How to Become a Transcriptionist? Take A Look At This Guide
Looking for a flexible job that allows you to work from home, requires little to no prior experience and doesn’t involve making sales calls?
You could become a transcriptionist. This job gives you the freedom to set your own hours and, in many cases, work as much or as little as you want each week.
While transcription jobs are usually broken into general, medical and legal categories, the latter two will usually require prior schooling and/or work experience.
If you’re a beginner, start by looking into general transcription.
Lisa Mills, blogger at Work at Home Mom Revolution and author of Jump Start Your General Transcription Career: The Fast & Easy Way to Get Started, started transcribing shortly after separating from her husband.
“l needed to find a job quickly, and I wanted to be at home with my children, so transcription seemed like a natural fit,” she says. “[S]ince time was of the essence, I started applying immediately for [general transcription] jobs. I got lucky and was hired immediately by a super company.”
If you’re considering giving transcription a try, here’s what you’ll need to know — plus some of Mills’ best advice.
What Do You Need to Get Started as a Transcriptionist?
Transcription requires listening to audio files and typing out what you hear. Companies that hire professional transcriptionists usually require a high-quality foot pedal for controlling audio playback along with the popular Express Scribe transcription software.
However, most of the companies that hire newbies are more laid-back in their equipment requirements, so you’ll only need to have a computer and a high-speed internet connection to start working.
Is Transcription Easy?
The job sounds easy enough, right? But just like any other job, what’s easy for one person won’t be for another.
For example, the files you listen to might be very poor quality, making it difficult to understand what’s being said. And other times, you might find yourself trying to interpret unclear dialogue spoken with a thick accent.
The work is also quite repetitive. You will have to listen to the same audio over and over again to be sure you have transcribed it perfectly. If you don’t like repetition, transcription might not be the line of work for you.
However, the flexibility of the work may make up for the fact it can be challenging and repetitive.
“My children are grown now, but when they were younger, I did a lot of my work at night, after they were in bed, and during the day while they were in school,” says Mills.
In addition, managing your own schedule means you can plan time off when you need it.
“I can take a vacation whenever I like. I just notify the company that I won’t be taking work for a few days to a week, and will get back in touch when I’m ready for more work,” says Mills.
She added that most companies expect a 48-hour turnaround time on work. “So I start something, take a break for a while, then come back to it later. And many companies allow you to take as much or as little work as you like.”
How Much Does Transcription Pay?
Pay for transcription work can vary. “General transcription pays well in comparison to most work-at-home jobs,” says Mills. “The least I’ve made per hour is $15. But I often make $25 per hour or more. Those who specialize in legal can make an even higher wage per hour.”
The exact amount you earn as a transcriptionist will depend on the company you’re working for, how much work is available and your speed and skill level. In general, most companies that are willing to accept beginners do not pay as well as the companies that require past transcription experience.
Transcription companies usually pay a rate per audio hour. For example, if you’re being paid $50 per audio hour, this means you’ll earn $50 for every hour of audio you transcribe.
It could take you anywhere from two to five hours to transcribe just one hour of audio, depending on the complexity of the file and your transcription skill level.
Experienced transcriptionists often consider rates below $45 to $50 per audio hour too low. But if you’re brand new to the industry, you may find it’s worth working for a lower rate to get started and learn valuable skills that could help you land a better-paying transcription job later on.
5 Companies That Hire Beginner Transcriptionists
Here is a list of legitimate companies that regularly hire newbie transcriptionists. Most of these companies will require that you take short, simple transcription tests to assess your typing accuracy and attention to detail before assigning you work.
If you start working for less than $45-50 per audio hour, use the opportunity to build paid transcription experience and then look for a higher-paying job.
1. Transcribe Anywhere
Transcribe Anywhere doesn’t actually hire transcriptionists. It offers online transcription courses that teaches students how to transcribe and start their own freelance transcribing businesses.
The online course features modules, practice dictations and quizzes. It even shows you how to create sample client contracts and how to determine your rates.
2. TranscribeMe
Before you can take on projects with TranscribeMe, you have to register and take its Transcriber Training Program. The company does not require transcriptionists to work a set number of hours.
The company pays $15 per audio hour, and it does not require any equipment for transcription prior to getting started beyond a “reasonable computer” that has Google Chrome and a reliable internet connection. You’ll be paid weekly by PayPal for the work you complete.
3. Quicktate
Quicktate hires newbie transcriptionists once they pass a typing quiz. The company’s independent contractors transcribe short voicemail messages, as well as memos, letters, conference calls and more.
After you have done transcription for Quicktate for some time, you may be promoted to iDictate — a sister company that pays slightly more for transcribed files. Quicktate pays approximately one cent for every four words transcribed, while iDictate pays two cents for every four words transcribed. You can work as much or as little as you want, and they pay weekly by PayPal.
4. Rev
You’ll need to pass a grammar quiz and submit a transcription template prior to claiming assignments from Rev, which allows transcribers to work as much or as little as they like.
Rev pays 30 cents up to $1.10 per audio minute, which works out to $18 to $66 per audio hour. The company pays weekly by PayPal and doesn’t require any special equipment apart from a computer with a reliable Internet connection.
5. Crowdsurf
Crowdsurf specializes in providing transcribed media files to the hearing impaired. You’ll have to create an account with Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, a popular crowdsourced work platform where Crowdsurf houses their transcription tasks.
You’ll earn about three to 20 cents per media minute transcribed, plus bonus rates. You’ll be paid through Amazon to your Amazon Payments Account.
If you’re looking to earn a little extra money online, give transcription a try with one of these companies. You won’t break the bank, but you will be getting paid to learn how to transcribe audio files — and this could open the door to much better-paying transcription opportunities in the future!
Anna Thurman is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder.
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