Legitimate Online Transcription Jobs
This is my personal story about how I found legitimate online transcription jobs.

Where to begin? Like so many people, I had somehow ended up in a brick and mortar job which really did not thrill me particularly. The only good thing about it were the people that I worked for and with. That’s a sad thing when that’s the best thing you have to say about your job. It was the daily grind. The getting up and leaving your home no matter the weather, no matter how you felt, no matter anything. I found myself relating very strongly to the song by The Cure, Friday I’m In Love. I was wishing my life away, waiting and pining for Friday, the day of extreme happiness. That’s a sad way to live, I felt.

Started out looking for legitimate online jobs

So I thought to myself, surely there must be some legitimate online jobs that one could find. I knew others were doing it. It was just a matter of coming up with something, finding that legitimate opportunity. So I started researching. I came across lots of sites that were devoted to “work-at-home moms,” and I started pouring through those. At first I thought maybe phone work, because there did seem to be legitimate phone jobs that one could do, although the pay did not seem to be a lot. But they were at least an opportunity to earn some money at home. I spent countless hours surfing online (admittedly sometimes at my actual job) trying to find that perfect online job.

Soon morphed into searching for legitimate online transcription jobs

Somehow I came across a transcription site devoted to all things transcription. I have always read a lot and I believed that my grammar was pretty good, as was my spelling. So now I turned my attention and efforts to legitimate online transcription jobs. I had now changed my focus entirely from legitimate work-at-home, to legitimate work-at-home transcription. There seemed to be a lot of companies out there, but the competition also seemed to be really, really fierce. There were a few companies that I came across who had actual online tests where you could just challenge and hopefully pass. The first one I did, I failed miserably. There is really a lot to learn about providing transcription services. It’s not just typing, it’s listening and getting the context right as well.

So I stumbled across a UK site which had an online test. So I took that test and redid it multiple, multiple times—and I passed it! I was over the moon thrilled. I remember the first £25 that was paid into my Paypal account, it was a very exciting moment. I realized that it was possible to obtain a legitimate online transcription job if one put the effort into it. So I worked for that UK company for a number of years, still keeping my brick and mortar job, as I needed to earn a living.

Get a good resume made

At this point, I paid a fair bit of money to have a proper resume created, which was one of the best things I ever did. It really gets results if you have a good resume. I then got on with a local company doing quarterly earnings transcription, again, having to get up really, really early and still going to my brick and mortar job. But at this point, I was able to ask both of my employers if I could go to part-time, meaning just working half days. My bosses agreed, and my final goal was in sight.

So I was still sending out resumes to transcription companies, as my goal was to be full-time working at home. Actually, one of my main goals was to one day be working in my living room in front of a fire—at least once. Eventually I got hired on with another transcription company in my area, and after that, I was able to quit my day-job.

Finding a reputable online transcription job

At some point soon after, my search led me to AudioFile Solutions, a company based out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. The owners of this company pay a very fair wage and are very nice to work for. I have been working for them for the past three years, and it has been going very well. Another bonus is that quite often their work is interesting. They are proof that there are legitimate work-at-home transcription jobs out there. You just have to persevere and keep at it.

One thing about becoming a transcriptionist, it was not an easy road. I spent countless hours researching online for legitimate transcription companies. There are a lot of transcription companies out there who really are out just to make a buck and treat their transcribers very unfairly. The wage they pay works out to far less than minimum wage, and transcribing is really not an easy job so it should be paid accordingly. It is not just typing. It is researching, listening, being able to differentiate voices, making sure it makes sense, when sometimes the people speaking don’t make sense. Not to mention the physical toil of sitting and typing for hours. The ergonomics have to be just absolutely spot on, or else you’ll be in pain within minutes. Many people I know have tried to become transcriptionists working from home after they saw how much I loved it. Not a one ever made it because they weren’t willing to put in the time and the effort.

The end result was worth it

Working as an at-home transcriptionist—although I probably work more hours than I did working away from home—is the closest thing that I’ve ever known to not working at all. I’m in my own home! I take a break, go for a walk or do some work around the house. My time is essentially my own. I have what I’ve always considered the perfect work hours. I get up generally at five o’clock and most of the afternoons are mine to do with what I wish. And sometimes, when it’s really, really cold out or pouring rain, I make a fire in the fireplace and work sitting on the couch. It is THE perfect job!