If you are on the lookout for a way to make some money online, a transcription job could be a good fit for you. It doesn’t require a steep learning curve; just some typing skills, a computer, an internet connection, and some software. And the best part? There are no shortages of transcription jobs.
This post will expose you to the best online transcription jobs out there. As a beginner, you may need to sign up for more than one transcription platform to get a decent amount of work.
What Do Transcriptionists Do?
Before we get started on the best transcription jobs, it’s necessary to explain what you are expected to do as a paid transcriptionist.
A transcriptionist listens to voice recordings and converts them into written documents. The job requires excellent typing skills and a keen ear. Though, as a beginner, decent typing skills are enough to get started.
A transcriptionist is expected to produce a written document of high quality and accuracy out of audio files.
Types of Transcription Jobs
Some transcriptionists prefer to specialize in a niche such as medicine or law. But if you are just starting, you will be better off as a general transcriptionist. This way, you’ll gain experience by working across all topics.
In the process, you’ll discover the kind of field you’ll prefer to specialize in or whether to continue as a general transcriptionist.
As a general transcriptionist, you’ll listen to recordings of court hearings, interviews, medical lectures, movies, raw footage, business meetings, and any other type of oral recording and turn them into written documents.
Transcriptionist’s Pay
Transcription jobs pay at different rates, and it would be challenging to give a ballpark figure. Apart from the fact that companies pay varying rates, your speed and accuracy on the job also determine how much you will be able to make per hour doing transcription work.
On average, transcriptionists make $15.22 per hour, according to Payscale. An experienced transcriptionist can earn up to $30 per hour. With this, you can easily make $1,000 or more monthly, working for just a few hours each day. Additionally, you have the freedom to choose when and where to work.
The Best Transcription Jobs Available
We selected the best transcription jobs below based on expected pay, ease of getting paid, and job availability, amongst other criteria.
As a beginner, you first start with jobs that do not require you to have experience before hiring.
Casting Words
Casting Words’ transcription jobs pay from $0.085 to $1 per audio minute. However, this payment is bonus-based on a bonus depending on the rated grade of your work. If your submitted work is graded as a 5, you’ll only receive base pay. But if it’s graded a 9, which is the highest, you’ll earn 3 times the base pay.
Payment is made weekly via PayPal. The job availability on this platform is relatively high, and newbies are welcome.
Daily Transcription
The Daily Transcription pays up to $0.85 per audio minute. That is hardly surprising if you go through their client list. The New York Times, the Bank of America, the U.S. Air Force, and HBO are some of the big names they work with.
To work for them, you must be based in the U.S. or Canada and of legal age. You don’t need years of experience. Just pass the mandatory tests, and you’ll be good to go.
You will be trained briefly before they will start assigning tasks to you. They offer plenty of jobs and pay weekly through checks.
GMR Transcription
GMR Transcription pays $0.70 to $1.25 per audio minute. This makes them one of the best-paying entry-level transcription jobs. However, they have stringent requirements.
You must be based in the U.S. and equipped with over-the-ear headphones, a foot pedal, high-speed internet, and Microsoft office.
You must pass their examination and transcribe 2 hours of audio before you start getting paid assignments. Subsequently, you must transcribe at least 4 hours of audio monthly.
GMP Transcription pays monthly through PayPal or direct bank transfers. Asides from the great pay, GMR Transcription has a steady supply of jobs to keep you busy all year round.
Go Transcript
GoTranscript pays up to $0.6 per audio minute. They pay weekly through Payoneer or PayPal. Although they pay fairly decent rates, they won’t ask you for your dog’s blood group or your grandma’s maiden name.
It even gets better. They allow applicants from anywhere globally, even those without experience (but with an internet connection, of course).
You, however, must identify yourself with a real-time selfie-and SMS code authentication.
The company is perfect for newbies – it will allow you up to 6 hours to turn in a 10-minute recording. So even if you learned typing from a snail, you have a chance with GoTranscript. The flexibility does not stop there.
You aren’t enslaved to a monthly quota, so you can work as much or as little as you want. On the downside, what people complain about most is their scratchy audio quality.
Rev
Rev is massive. With over 60,000 freelancers and 100,000 clients, they have one of the largest networks. This means plenty of jobs to go round.
And the entry requirements are minimal. You don’t need years of experience. Decent typing speed, a keen ear, a computer and reliable internet is all you need to apply.
Rev pays transcriptionists up to $1.10 per audio minute, and they pay weekly via PayPal.
Upwork
Upwork, unlike other platforms featured on this list, is a freelancer marketplace. In fact, it’s the largest in the world. Millions of jobs are posted on Upwork annually. These include lots of transcription jobs.
The pay here varies. It depends on what you agree with the hiring client. Upwork allows a complete beginner to gain experience and increase their rates accordingly. Clients will leave a review of your work, which the Upwork algorithm uses to grade you.
You will be able to charge more as you gain more experience and earn higher job satisfaction scores.
You can build long-term relationships with different clients and so get regular jobs.
Payment is made through a wide variety of channels. These include local bank transfers, U.S. Dollar Wire Transfer, Instant Pay, PayPal, Payoneer, and M-Pesa.
Way With Words
Here, expect to earn from $0.45 to $1.73 per audio minute. You will be paid monthly through PayPal. Way with words has one of the best support and has a steady stream of transcription jobs to keep you busy.
You don’t require experience to get started on this platform. However, your English must be first-rate: they have one of the most challenging language tests in the industry.
Athreon
Athreon has been around since 1988. They offer general and medical transcription services in the U.S. and Canada. They have built up a solid customer base over the years, enabling them to supply transcriptionists with steady work.
Athreon pays reasonably well at $0.03 per line. You will be paid weekly through PayPal.
You will need a certificate from a reputable transcription training program to apply. But if you don’t have the certificate, 2 years of transcription experience will suffice. Also, you must have GED and be a high school graduate. Athreon also carries out a thorough background check.
Audio Transcription Center
Audio Transcription center jobs pay $60 per audio hour for English language transcriptions and $150 per audio hour for foreign languages.
They mostly handle historical records, so you must have at least 98% accuracy at a typing speed of not less than 75 wpm. Apart from that, they do not require previous transcribing experience.
They will assess you based on your interests and mostly send you jobs in subjects you are used to. Job availability is medium.
Averbach Transcription
Averbach Transcription pays some of the highest rates on this list. Transcription jobs with a turnaround time of 2 days or more will fetch you $1.00 per audio minute. Those with overnight or same-day turn around pay $1.50 per audio minute. They pay monthly through PayPal.
To work for them, you will require a minimum of 2 years of relevant experience. You must also pass a skills test.
Averbach transcription jobs are mostly transcription of raw footage from interviews, T.V., and movies for research purposes.
Speak Write
SpeakWrite pays $0.005 per word. And some jobs will earn you an extra 10% bonus. They pay twice monthly through a check or direct deposits.
You must have at least one year of experience to transcribe for SpeakWrite, and they only accept the U.S. and Canadian residents.
Your typing speed should not be less than 60 wpm with 90% accuracy, and you must use a foot pedal.
SpeakWrite caters mostly to clients in the law and government sectors. They, therefore, have a bias for applicants with a law background.
There is plenty of work available if you scale the entry hurdles. You choose when to work, but you must do a minimum of 15 hours monthly to remain employed on the platform.
3Play Media
At $10 to $30 per working hour, 3Play Media offers one of the industry’s highest pay. But the work is not consistent, and you must reside in the U.S. to apply. You will be paid monthly either by direct deposit or check.
3Play Media gives you already transcribed video files. These transcriptions are done using speech recognition software, which may not be completely accurate. So, your job is to edit the transcriptions correctly.
SpeechPad
SpeechPad tops our list with the highest maximum base pay – $2.50 per audio. They pay every Tuesday and Friday via Paypal.
Even better, they have minimal requirements – A typing speed of only 40 wpm, and you must pass 2 tests on basic transcription and grammar.
There are enough jobs on this platform, and you don’t have to work any minimum number of hours. You may be invited to work on rush jobs at higher pay. Still, you must have transcribed over 500 hours of audio and have a minimum rating of 96 to be considered.
Conclusion
Suppose you have decided to work as a transcriptionist, either on the side or full time. In that case, there are many platforms offering transcription work at a reasonable rate. In fact, there are so many that it might be daunting selecting the one to work with. However, it would be best if you looked out for companies with reasonably high job availability, convenient payment mode, and flexibility.
Those on this list meet these requirements. However, some require you to have previous experience, so you shouldn’t bother applying to them as a beginner. You can start with the ones that need zero experience and advance to better-paying jobs as you gain valuable experience. You will also pick up speed and accuracy with time, which helps you earn the most as a transcriptionist.
