How to Get Work in Online Transcription

There are many online transcription jobs available on the internet. They are dedicated to home-based workers and freelancers who want to make extra money without needing much experience or specific skills.

Online transcription jobs are becoming a popular trend among people who are looking for at-home jobs. This might be due to the fact that there are many companies available that are offering online transcription positions, and the role itself has a lot of flexibility. There are several sites where you can easily apply for online transcription jobs. Read on to learn about the job details, pay, and how to apply.

In this article, we’ll discuss the following aspects of online transcription jobs and how to apply for them:

  • What Is Online Transcription?
  • Where to Find Online Transcription Jobs
  • What’s the Average Pay?
  • Required Skills and Qualifications
  • Pros and Cons of Online Transcription Jobs
  • How to Apply for Online Transcription Jobs

What Is Online Transcription?

Transcription represents the conversion of audio files into text documents. Sometimes, online transcription work will also involve transcribing the audio within video files into text format.

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How to Get Work in Online Transcription

While there are several software programs that make transcriptions almost automatically, many employers prefer hiring transcriptionists. Therefore, online transcription jobs are broadly available on the Internet.

There are many opportunities for transcribers. You could work as a transcriber for medical purposes, legal purposes, or even for companies who want conversations and meetings recorded into text form.

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How to Get Work in Online Transcription

Many companies and individuals need to transcribe their audio files into written documents. Therefore, there are many situations in which people hire transcriptionists.

Where to Find Online Transcription Jobs

There are many websites that offer online transcription jobs. Let’s take a look at some of these transcription sites, the types of jobs they offer, and what it’s like working for them.

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GoTranscript and What It Offers

One of the most popular sites for online transcription work is GoTranscript. This website offers online transcription jobs for people from all over the world.

It pays varying amounts per minute of audio or video that you transcribe to text (up to $0.60 per minute), and you can claim audio files from a queue to transcribe.

Transcribers have their work checked by editors, and from there, you are given a rating for the quality of transcription you have done.

These ratings add up over time, and if your overall rating falls below a certain number, you can be denied work – so this is a good thing to keep in mind with this company.

Upwork and What It Offers

Another excellent website for freelancers who would like to make extra money transcribing is Upwork. Upwork is an online freelancing platform that people use all over the world.

This site specializes in remote jobs, and transcription jobs occupy a top position among all the available opportunities.

You can apply for fix-priced contracts (one-time jobs with a fixed pay) in audio transcription, and you can also apply for hourly positions where you have some flexibility in the rate you negotiate with clients.

While competition can be quite high on such a widely-used platform like this one, with practice and commitment, you may find a job suited to your skills.

TranscribeMe and What It Offers

TranscribeMe is also a great platform for both rookies and experienced transcriptionists. The site pays between $15 and $22 per audio hour. Most experienced transcriptionists on the site reach an average monthly wage of $250, although some of the top earnings from the most skilled workers have garnered as much as $2,200 in a month.

It is completely free to join TranscribeMe and start working as an audio transcriber, and the flexibility that this platform allows in terms of your work time is advantageous.

Fiverr and What It Offers

If you want to find online transcription jobs, you should also give Fiverr a chance. Post your offer on the site and wait for people to hire you for projects. You can customize the services and packages you offer to clients, basing your deals on a word count, amount of hours you offer, deadlines, and more.

Many people laud Fiverr as one of the greatest online freelancing platforms because it allows a lot of freedom to freelancers to negotiate their projects and offer specialized services to clients.

As you can see, there are many sites that provide jobs for transcriptionists. Check out the aforementioned ones and get started searching for opportunities today!

What’s the Average Pay?

Since we are talking about online transcription jobs that are conducted remotely, your earnings depend on how much time and effort you invest. Also, the salary varies from one company to another, so you may find either project-based, or part-time or full-time positions.

How to Get Work in Online Transcription

Usually, transcriptionists earn good money per month. The average rate for an inexperienced worker is around $15 per hour, while advanced transcriptionists can earn up to $25 or even $30 per hour.

The average annual salary for a transcriptionist revolved around $35,000 per year in 2017, as per a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The wage differs based on the domain, though.

How to Earn More

Companies offering online transcription jobs might pay even better since they hire freelancers or remote workers.

That’s because the respective companies don’t deal with paying taxes for their employees. That might be a downside for freelance workers, though, because they will have to pay their own taxes.

For instance, medical transcriptionists earn a little more, while legal transcriptionists can even reach $60,000 per year. Also, your income from online transcription jobs depends on your speed, volume of work, the hiring company, and your skills. So, if you want to earn more, work faster, expand your work volume, and choose a high-paying company.

Another thing to note is that having the proper transcription tools and even software can be advantageous to you in a financial sense. With good transcription software, you can double your speed of transcription and ultimately make more money in the long run.

Required Skills and Qualifications

How to Get Work in Online Transcription

Online transcription jobs don’t always require special qualifications from their potential workers. However, if you want a well-paid job as a transcriptionist, you should get your certification in the specific transcription field you want to work in, be it medical, legal, or some other field.

For transcription jobs and projects that don’t require any specialization, like transcribing a song’s lyrics into a written document, for example, you won’t need a certification. However, some skills are required.

For online transcription jobs, you should be detail-oriented, an attentive listener, and patient. You should perfectly know grammar and punctuation, as well as apply critical thinking.

Skills Needed for Online Transcription Companies

Many online transcription companies, like the ones mentioned above, require minimal skills of their workers. Because they pay at such a low rate, they can afford to do this. Highly skilled workers will make the most money, but chances are that if you have basic transcription skills, you can get by at these companies as well.

Your ability to use basic key combinations on your keyboard to pause, rewind, and slow or speed up audio will help you when working for companies like GoTranscript.

Additionally, being able to parse through the same audio multiple times and identify English words – even when spoken in varying accents – will help you greatly with this job.

Pros and Cons of Online Transcription Jobs

How to Get Work in Online Transcription

There are many things to consider when applying for any job, but within the online transcription field, you should consider the various benefits and disadvantages of this work.

Pros

Among the advantages of online transcription work is the fact that this is remote work. You need not ever make a commute to an office to do this work because it is done solely online and from the comfort of your own home.

You can save money by not paying travel expenses, and you can save time in this way, as well, leaving you free time for more work or side projects.

Cons

While many people enjoy remote work, this lifestyle is not for everyone. Since many online transcription jobs involve a high level of initiative to find and claim jobs, you may find it difficult to keep a stable routine from day to day.

The typical workday probably will have a looser structure. You may go days without finding gigs, then stumble upon an opportunity that lasts you several weeks. These are things you should be prepared to face in this freelancing world.

How to Apply for Online Transcription Jobs

How to Get Work in Online Transcription

If you believe you have the necessary skills for such a job, then you can directly apply to the sites presented above. Just follow the provided links and apply for online transcription jobs.

Usually, the application process is straightforward, but you should know that all of them end with a transcription test. You will receive an audio or video file that you need to convert into a written document. Depending on your success rate, you’ll either obtain a job or not.

Once you’ve been accepted for online transcription jobs, you can search for projects and apply for them. Note that you’ll also have a deadline that you should respect.

Otherwise, you might be banned from the respective site or receive negative feedback that affects your hourly rate.

Summary

Online transcription jobs are ideal for stay-at-home parents, freelancers, and remote workers, as well as any person who wants to make extra money.

You will find the best transcription projects on the sites mentioned above. We wish you the best of luck in finding the online transcription job that will financially suit you. Try out our tips and remember to bring your best skills to the table.