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I asked about referral fees,
but she doesn't offer them. At any rate, I have been "given a break for a few weeks," which seems, in actuality, to be fired. It's an extremely demanding schedule, especially when one has a full-time job. I tried to put in too many hours and ended up overtired, worn out, and unable to meet a deadline, so was asked to take a break and return the rented machine. I did meet my goals, however, which were to plug a gap in our savings and update my transcription skills. Who knows, she may call me back, but I doubt it. I did acquire my own transcription machine at a very reasonable price on eBay, and may look around for some less pressure-intensive work.
posted by
Witchflower
on May 26, 2005 at 10:31 AM
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That's really nice of you. You probably should ask them for a finder's fee.
posted by
Justi
on May 26, 2005 at 6:57 AM
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Hmm, Australia.
I talked with the owner last night, and she said she really needs more people. I'm not sure about the shipping to and from Australia, though. lol Some of the projects have a very narrow turn-around time. Have you checked on the net and locally for transcribers or transcriptionists wanted? Maybe there is someone. Good luck!
posted by
Witchflower
on May 12, 2005 at 8:21 AM
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I wish we had this in Australia!
posted by
Ca88andra
on May 11, 2005 at 5:19 AM
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flying fingers
I may be interested....like to find out the details. Thanks
posted by
sunshinegal
on May 8, 2005 at 6:23 PM
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I will email the info to both of you.
I didn't post the email because I don't have permission from the owner to do that, but she has asked me to give her information to people who are genuinely interested.
Don't worry about being a newbie; everyone here was one once! I hope you both enjoy yourselves at Blogit!
posted by
Witchflower
on May 3, 2005 at 7:59 AM
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I'D ALSO BE INTERESTED
posted by
Frustrated
on May 2, 2005 at 10:09 AM
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Witchflower, I'm just starting here, and haven't seen the email addresses attached to the posts or profiles. I'm still trolling around, figuring it all out. I'm interested. I've been a journalist for 20+ years, and I've run 5 publications (start to finish, writing to typesetting to production), so the proofing, typing parts are good for me.
I'll put my email here for you since I'm so lame and can't seem to navigate yet. :) Thank you very much.
Kim---terpgirl30@yahoo.com
posted by
terpgirl30
on May 2, 2005 at 10:06 AM
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Thanks, Thomas.
There are so many people who want to work at home, and so many bad work-at-home scams, I was excited to share one that really works. It doesn't cost me or benefit me to share the info. It's very demanding, but will fill a little financial hole that developed recently at our house.
What interests me is that only two people have asked for the info. At least I tried.
posted by
Witchflower
on April 29, 2005 at 8:25 AM
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I'm not interested but this was a nice informative gesture which you certainly didn't have to do.
posted by
ThomasFranklin
on April 28, 2005 at 11:51 PM
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I will.
And the good (great) news is, apparently this weekend is payday. Several people have indicated I'm a little nuts for doing all this work with no pay coming back at me. I'd never argue that I'm a little nuts, but I do have faith that I will be paid. Plus, I have a contract.
So fair, I logged up almost $600, so it should start to roll in now. Yippee!!
posted by
Witchflower
on April 27, 2005 at 8:23 AM
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Witch
Very interesting. Would you mind sending me the information too?
posted by
Offy
on April 26, 2005 at 3:51 PM
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I will email you
the appropriate telephone numbers. One downside is that I have been doing this for almost two months now, and have not been paid a dime. I have a contract, have invoiced my work, and keep careful records. She said there was a 30-60-day lag on getting paid, and it's getting close now.
If you need money quickly, this will not help; however, when the checks do begin, they should be regular.
posted by
Witchflower
on April 26, 2005 at 3:32 PM
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Thanks
I would like to do transcribing. I took transcribing in a clerical school a few years ago. I transcribed 92 words a minute. And I also used a dictophone as well. I would greatly appreciate any information. Thank You.
posted by
Experience
on April 25, 2005 at 10:21 AM
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Thanks, SpitFire,
I am currently "renting" a machine from the transcription company. They charge me $5 per job to use it, in my case that's $5 per week. I'm bidding on one on eBay, now that I've decided I want to continue with this. It doesn't pay to buy a machine until you're sure you can do it/like it, and they are OK with you, unless you have another use for the machine. These days, it seems most people use the mini-cassettes or digital recorders, so the standard-size casette machines are going fairly cheap. I expect to pay around $50 on eBay.
Yes, I scheduled myself for 10 hours a week. This week I scheduled 8 hours because I didn't want to work on Easter weekend (family gathering at our place). This summer, we will spend a lot of time up north at our trailer, so I won't scheudle as much. They have some people that only work 2 or 3 hours a week, and that's OK apparently. I don't know if they would go for that small amount for people in other states (we're in Wisconsin, right outside Madison, the main office), but it'd be worth asking.
Some of the projects are harder than others; I have a really easy one right now, which is great. They are asking for scheduling two weeks in advance, but you can change your schedule if something comes up.
posted by
Witchflower
on March 30, 2005 at 8:36 PM
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Witchflower, this sounds pretty cool.
Do you have to rent your machine or did you buy one? How much does that cost? Can you choose how many projects to take on? (Like, if you know you can only handle a certain amount.) I'm glad you found something that works for you and that you're happy with.
posted by
SpitFire70
on March 30, 2005 at 5:12 PM
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Yes, full-time is possible,
although you would still be an independent contractor (no taxes withheld, no benefits). I started at $9/hour, but if I do well, expect to up that rate. The way they pay is by figuring how many hours a project should take (the owner has been doing this type of work for many years). That is what you are paid on. If it takes you longer, that's your problem, you won't get any more money; if you can do it in less time, that's a plus for you. In other words, if they say it is a 10-hour project, and it takes me 12 hours to complete it, I've given up 2 hours of pay; I would still get $90. If I finish it in 8 hours, I still get $90, but I've worked 2 hours less than anticipated.
They expect transcriptionists to use their brains, including inserting punctuation where necessary. For example, on one project I work on, which is state congressional committee hearings, I'm provided lists of legislators' names, city names in that state, and so on. If something is mentioned that I cannot understand or find in my lists, I can either make a note of it and email my contact person or look it up on the Internet myself.
The tapes (standard size cassette) are not dictated like someone in an office would dictate a letter or other material, you transcribe from speakers standing up and talking. Lists of the speaker order are provided, too, but it takes a little bit of getting used to.
They prefer people with some dictaphone experience. They do provide information and feedback as to how to conform to their style.
Hope this is helpful.
posted by
Witchflower
on March 29, 2005 at 1:58 PM
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How much time do you put in to earn $100? And is it possible to work for this company full time?
posted by
DarrkeThoughts
on March 29, 2005 at 10:00 AM
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