Everyone asks this question. EVERYONE.

First, make sure you have basic skills for a transcriptionist. Since most jobs are paid on production and/or have tight turnaround requirements, the necessary skills will be essential for productivity.

Second, make sure you have a good educational foundation. Without the appropriate education in your chosen transcription specialty, it will be difficult to land the essential first job. What comes first – the chicken or the egg? The job or the experience? There you have it – the conundrum of the modern working world! If you get a good education, getting a job isn’t as hard as it will be if you don’t.

Should you pay to work?

Don’t confuse being asked to purchase equipment with being asked to pay to work. Each employer may have different equipment requirements, although once you’ve obtained the essentials, you’ll find you already have what you need for most jobs. However, they should not require that you purchase it FROM THEM. It should be available from other sources. If they sell it at a discount – great, no problem. But do your homework and make sure you can’t get it somewhere else for approximately the same price.

Otherwise, you shouldn’t be required to pay to work. If you are in an apprenticeship or internship (where you are paid less than someone with experience), make sure it’s a legitimate one and that there are specific goals of performance or time that will result in the end of the internship or apprenticeship and lead to full employment.

When in doubt – ask. That’s what we’re here for.

Follow the TxConx twitters (see column to the right)! This is a continuously updated feed of “twitters” of tips for working at home, productivity and managing transcription life.

When someone talks about doing transcription work at home, they are most often referring to medical transcription (MT). This is because MT provides the most steady volume of work. However, there is also general transcription and legal insurance.

Transcription Pay

Most transcription jobs also pay based on performance, or production. Visit Verifiable Billing for a detailed explanation of medical transcription billing units. Most MT jobs pay by one of the units described.

Basic Skills

All transcription jobs have one thing in common: the ability to listen to dictation and interpret it. Not all dictators speak clearly, not all dictators dictate with good grammar and not all dictators are organized. You will encounter dictators in all types of transcription for whom English is their second language (ESL) and they may be difficult to understand.

Medical Transcription is highly specialized and requires not only developed American English skills, but education in medical terminology and transcription. This is not a career that is easy or fast to enter, regardless of claims you may have seen. There are only a handful of education centers that provide a truly top-notch preparation for job seekers.

General transcription may be easier to enter but requires advanced American English skills and knowledge of a variety of styles and formats. General transcription may include insurance, investigation, law enforcement, television transcripts, interviews, focus groups, telephone conversations, podcasts and conferences.

Legal transcription requires knowledge of legal terminology, styles and formats, as well as excellent American English.