CastingWords offers transcription jobs no experience for beginners.
This is a good place to get started in transcription if you don't have any previous experience in transcription. Workers report that the company provides good support.
Requirements
- No transcription experience is required.
- They offer transcription jobs online in many countries through their web site.
- You need to follow their style guide.
- You download audio to your computer and can use free transcription software.
Find out what’s involved in getting started as a transcriptionist.
Subscribe to this free transcription mini-course.
Pay
- Pay varies widely based on several factors, including what type of job you do, what level you have reached, and what grade you earn, and ranges between 8.5 cents and a bit over one dollar per audio minute.
- You’ll have to work your way up to become eligible for the top-paying work.
- They have different categories of jobs, including grading, editing, and transcription. Within each category, jobs at different skill levels have different pay rates.
- CastingWords offers bonuses for good quality work and these bonuses often put you over the $1 per audio minute. Editing jobs and most transcription jobs are bonus-based, and the better you do, the more you get paid. Below gives you an idea of how the bonuses can increase your pay:
Work graded 5 gets the base pay amount. Work graded 6 gets a total of 1.5 times the base pay amount. Work graded 7 gets a total of 2.0 times the base pay amount. Work graded 8 gets a total of 2.5 times the base pay amount. Work graded 9 gets a total of 3 times the base pay amount. - Rejected work (grade 0-4) is discarded and redone, so it is not paid (I haven't seen anyone complain about this so they probably don't reject work without good reasons).
- When working through the CastingWords site, payments are made through Paypal once a week.
- Mturk payments are deposited to your bank account and you can request your pay any time you have at least $1 in your Mturk account.
- Mturk takes 20% so you get 20% more if working through the CastingWords website.
No experience transcription jobs vs jobs requiring transcription experience
Transcription jobs that require no previous transcription experience at transcription companies like CastingWords and others that recruit beginners don't pay well but you have to start somewhere. And working for those companies when getting started will give you some experience and build your confidence. But after you've acquired some experience, you'll be able to move on to better-paying companies, or better yet, you'll be able to work directly with your own clients.
How to get better-paid transcription jobs
Taking a good transcription course will help you get better transcription jobs and increase your transcription income. I highly recommend the transcription course by Janet Shaughnessy to get the knowledge, skills, and confidence you’ll need to find high-paying transcription jobs. Check out General Transcription: Theory and Practice™. This is a detailed, multi-media course I highly recommend for anyone who wants to get started in general transcription
Find out what's involved in getting started in transcription.
Subscribe to my mini-course below.
FREE general transcription mini-course
If you are serious about doing transcription from home, check out this complete transcription starter kit at Amazon. The kit includes Express Scribe Pro transcription software, USB Foot Pedal, and USB Transcription Headset!
My Comments
- Very flexible schedule.
- You'll be an independent contractor and set your own schedule, hours, and frequency. You can work whenever you want when there is work available. When claiming a file, you’ll have to do the work within the required deadline.
- The pay is low – especially at the beginning. As a new transcriber, you have to start at the bottom and work your way up but you can move up to better jobs quickly.
- After a transcription assignment is completed by a worker, the transcript goes through several editors.
- They have other workers grade your work and you’ll see the final edit. This is a great way to learn and improve.
- They typically have a lot of work but beginning transcription jobs are more competitive.
- The staff is supportive. CastingWords will give you a second chance if you request it. The Facebook group is very useful to get support.
How to Apply
- You can sign up directly at the CastingWords site at https://workshop.castingwords.com/apply.
- There is no application process with Mturk’s CastingWords and you can get started right away. You just create an account.
- CastingWords also posts transcription jobs on Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (Mturk).
- You can get answers to a lot of your questions at https://workshop.castingwords.com/docs/Frequently_Asked_Questions.html
- You can see their style guide and a sample transcript at https://workshop.castingwords.com/docs/home.html
- MTurk Forum: https://forum.turkerview.com/
Ready to get started in general transcription
and get better-paying transcription jobs?
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I recommend checking out this course that will teach you how to transcribe and how to find high-paying transcription jobs. The course includes typing drills, transcription skills, transcription formats, grammar skills, lots of practice files and much more.
RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT
If you are serious about doing transcription jobs from home, check out this complete transcription starter kit at Amazon. The kit includes Express Scribe Pro transcription software, USB Foot Pedal and USB Transcription Headset!
Express Scribe Transcription Bundle: Pedal, Professional Software and Headset
TRANSCRIPTION RESOURCES
- FREE General Transcription Mini-Course.
- Detailed, multi-media General Transcription Course.
- General Transcription Practice Files.
- FREE Legal Transcription Mini-Course.
- Medical Transcription Course.
- Check out this complete transcription starter kit at Amazon.
- Grammarly is the best online spelling and grammar checker to help you edit your transcripts. Grammarly has a free version and a premium version. Check it out here.
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