What Does a Teenage Transcriptionist do?

A teenage transcriptionist essentially converts audio files into a written text. Sometimes, people may have a recorded interview, for example, and they need all the information written into a document for easier access. These companies that need your help could range from big companies like Google to smaller companies, but they all need you to convert their speeches and audio into a written form.

How Much Does a Teenage Transcriptionist Get Paid?

As a transcriptionist, you’ll earn $0.40 to $0.65 per audio minute, which is usually somewhere between $8-$12 per hour if you’re a reasonably fast typer. This means that for every minute you transcribe, you can earn that much money. This should not be confused with earning money per working minute. The biggest issue with becoming a transcriptionist is that you can’t get promoted because this is a field where becoming a transcriber is the highest level of achievement. Although you’ll be able to type fast, it’s unlikely that you’ll get a full-time job at a company doing this because it’s rare for them to have that much work for a transcriber.

How Can I Get Started as a Teenage Transcriptionist?

1. Before you begin, you’ll want to improve your typing speed. A high typing speed is necessary to become a transcriptionist, as you will have to keep up with the audio. As mentioned before, you’ll listen and type what you hear, but if you are too slow at typing, you’ll barely make anything per working hour. So, you’ll want to take online typing courses to improve your speed. A great resource for typing courses is Peter’s Online Typing Course, which goes through all of the techniques you need. Also, we highly recommend that you sign up for the email list on this website as it will give you a lot of insight as to what is needed to be a transcriber.
2. Now, you’ll want to get the necessary equipment. This is mainly going to be the foot pedal needed and it can also be software if you’d like. The foot pedals are needed because they can rewind audio, slow it down, and stop the audio, all by using your foot. This will free up your hands from having to scroll back on the audio clip, as you will have to do that a lot as a transcriptionist. Foot pedals will help you multitask and they are a very important investment that can save you hours of time as a transcriptionist. You can buy these online at places like Amazon.com.
3. Once you’ve gotten the equipment, you can now find and apply to a job. There are two places where you can do this. If you’re under the age of 18, we recommend that you go to Upwork.com. If you’re over the age of 18, you can do this through Rev.com. On Rev.com, you can work as many hours as you like. There will be a spreadsheet with all the audio clips and you can do one of them and get paid. It’s as simple as that. But first, you’ll need to go through Rev.com’s application process that is fast and straight-forward, but also includes a typing test so make sure you’re prepared.
4. Congrats, you’re officially a teenage transcriptionist. You may have had difficulty transcribing the first few times, but this is a skill that will improve with time. Soon, you’ll be able to transcribe audio clips with no problem, and you’ll be able to make a decent wage on your own schedule.

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Helpful Resources

• Amazon.com:  This is where you should go to purchase a foot pedal, which is essential to being successful as a transcriber.
• Peter’s Online Typing Course: This is a nice course on typing that’ll help you get faster.
• TranscriptionJobsHQ.com:  This is a website focused specifically on transcription, we recommend that you sign up for their in-depth email list which will explain everything you need to know.
• Upwork.com:  This is where you can sign up to do transcription work if you are under the age of 18.
• Rev.com:  This is where you can sign up to find transcription work if you are over the age of 18 years old.