Do you want a flexible work from home job?
Maybe you don’t have any specialized skills, or you just want to jump into a work from home job?
A job doing online transcription could be a great opportunity for you!
There are plenty of entry-level (beginner) online transcription jobs that pay well, and when you gain more experience and confidence in your transcription skills, that will open up plenty of high-paying opportunities for you!
Want to learn more?
This post goes into all the details about transcription, including what it is, the different types of transcription, how you can get started, and what companies hire work from home transcriptionists.
What is transcription?
Transcription is taking audio and writing exactly what they’re saying (transcribing).
Transcriptionists can transcribe anything from TV shows, to movies, to podcasts, to YouTube videos… Anything that has audio!
Some people even transcribe as an event is happening. Crazy, right?
There are 3 basic categories of transcription:
General Transcription – This includes things like TV shows, movies, etc. Basically anything that you don’t need any special education or training to understand.
Medical Transcription – This category is more technical. It includes medical reports from healthcare professionals, and medical lectures.
Realtime Transcription – This category is for fast typists. This type of work is done by court reporters and real-time captioners.
What are the requirements to be a transcriptionist?
To get started with online transcription you don’t really need anything but a computer and a keyboard!
There are some skills that would be helpful to have like good typing skills and a good listening skills. But those can be worked on over time.
Is there any equipment needed?
Like I mentioned before, you really only need a computer and a keyboard to get started.
There are some companies that will require you to have a foot pedal and/or a headset.
How to Get Started With Online Transcription
If you want to just jump in, you can apply to a company that hires beginners like Rev or TranscribeMe.
You can also look for education online to help get some practice in.
How much do transcriptionists make?
According to GlassDoor, the average base pay for transcriptionists is about $23,000. This is for all transcriptionist regardless of experience or education.
This may seem a bit low, but there are ways to increase your income as a transcriptionist.
How to Increase Your Earnings as a Transcriptionist
There are a few things you can do to earn more as a transcriptionist:
- Experience: As you gain experience you will be able to earn more. Hopefully, you are able to type faster, and will not have to listen to audio multiple times as you gain experience. You will also be able to apply to other companies that are looking for more experienced transcriptionists.
- Another Language: If you happen to know another language you could earn more by transcribing that audio.
- Difficult Audio: Most companies that do transcription will pay a premium on audio that is difficult to understand.
50+ Online Transcription Jobs
Here are 50+ companies that hire online transcriptionists!
This list is in alphabetical order, and I’ve noted the companies that hire beginners.
1-888-Type-It-Up
Is currently hiring work from home transcriptionists.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
3Play Media
Hires transcriptionists.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Aberdeen
Is currently hiring real-time captioners.
- Hourly Rate: $60+ per audio hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
AccuTran Global
Hires transcriptionists to work on general and medical audio.
- Pay Rate: $0.005+ per word.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Allegis Transcription
Hires transcriptionists. US residents only.
- Hourly Rate: $13-$17 an hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
American High-Tech Transcriptions & Reporting
Hires transcription and translators.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Appen
Occasionally has a need for transcriptionists.
- Payment Method: PayPal or Direct Deposit
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Athreon
Company Information
- Payment Method: PayPal
- Experience Needed: 2+ years of experience
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Audio Transcription Center
Hires beginner transcriptionists
- Hourly Rate: $60+ per audio hour
- Payment Method: Check, Weekly
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Averback Transcription
Hires transcriptionists
- Hourly Rate: $60-$90 per audio hour
- Payment Method: PayPal
- Experience Needed: 2+ years of experience
- Where to Apply: Company Website
BabbleType
Hires transcriptionists.
- Where to Apply: Company Website
BAM! Transcription
Hires translators and transcriptionists.
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Birch Creek Communications
Hires general transcriptionists.
- Hourly Rate: $24 – $105 per audio hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Cambridge Transcriptions
Hires legal and corporate transcriptionists for part-time work.
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Casting Words
Hires transcriptionists.
- Hourly Rate: $4.8 – $60 per audio hour
- Payment Method: PayPal
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Clickworker
Hires transcriptionists for short transcription tasks.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
CrowdSurf
Hires beginner transcriptionists.
CrowdSurf is pretty similar to TranscribeMe, they also cut up the audio into smaller chunks.
There is also an assessment you have to pass.
- Hourly Rate: $1.8 – $12 per audio hour, there are also bonuses.
- Payment Method: PayPal, Direct Deposit
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Daily Transcription
Daily Transcription hires beginner transcriptionists and will provide training.
- Hourly Rate: $45+ per audio hour
- Payment Method: Check, Weekly
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Dictate Express
Hires transcriptionists and requires a minimum of 45 audio minutes per day.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
FlexJob
FlexJobs is a great place to look if you’re looking for ANY work from home job!
They’re also a great place to find work from home transcription jobs.
Focus Forward
Hires transcriptionists.
You will need to pass a 10-minute transcription test.
- Hourly Rate: $24+ per audio hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
GMR Transcription
Hires US-based transcriptionists. They specialize in legal, medical, and general transcription.
You will need to pass a test to be hired.
- Hourly Rate: $42+ per audio hour.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
GoTranscript
Hires transcriptionists.
- Hourly Rate: $36+ per audio hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Guru
Guru is a site similar to UpWork, people can use Guru to find freelancers for one-off or ongoing projects.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Hollywood Transcriptions
Hollywood Transcriptions hires transcriptionists that can type at least 65 wpm, are fluent in English, and who own a foot pedal and transcription software.
- Where to Apply: Company Website
iDictate
Hires beginner transcriptionists to work on audio like memos, legal files, medical files, and more general audio.
- Pay Rate: $0.025+ per word
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Indeed
You probably already know about Indeed right? I still have to mention it!
You can search for work from home transcription jobs using this site!
Jooble
Jooble is another job search website you can use to find online transcription jobs.
Kendall Creek Communications
Hires legal transcriptionists.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
M*Modal
M*Modal (who is now a part of 3M) hires transcriptionists to do medical and business transcription.
- Hourly Rate: $11.50+ an hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Neal R. Gross
Hires legal transcriptionists.
- Experience Needed: Some
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Net Transcriptions
Hires beginner transcriptionists.
- Hourly Rate: $11-$25 per hour depending on experience.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Pacific Transcription
Hires transcriptionists.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Pioneer Transcription Services
Pioneer is currently looking for transcriptionists who can transcribe video files and insert timestamps.
- Hourly Rate: $60+ per audio hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
QuickTate
Hires beginner transcriptionists to work on audio like memos, legal files, medical files, and more general audio.
- Pay Rate: $0.025+ per word
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Rev
This is another company that I’ve tried! Rev hires beginner transcriptionists to do transcription for a variety of different audio types.
You will have to pass a test, and they can sometimes take a little bit to get back to you, so apply ASAP so you can get started sooner!
- Hourly Rate: $50+ per audio hour
- Payment Method: PayPal
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
RNK Productions
RNK Productions specializes in entertainment and legal transcription.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Same Day Transcriptions
Hires transcriptionists.
- Hourly Rate: $42+ per audio hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Scribie
Hires beginner transcriptionists.
- Hourly Rate: $60 per audio hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Speakwrite
SpeakWrite specializes in legal transcription, but they also hire general transcriptionists.
Open to people in the US and Canada
- Hourly Rate: $.005 per word
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
SpeedPad
Hires transcriptionists and captioners.
- Hourly Rate: $15-$150 per audio hour.
- Payment Method: PayPal
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Wesite
Terescription
Hires US-based transcriptions.
- Hourly Rate: Depends on audio
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Tigerfish
Hires transcriptionists to work with audio from tech, finance, media, marketing, government, legal, art, design, and more.
- Hourly Rate: $10+ an hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
TranscribeMe
This is a company that I’ve actually worked for! They hire transcriptionists, translators, and data annotators.
What’s unique about TranscribeMe is that they cut the audio into small 2-4 minute clips and you can work as much or as little as you like.
- Hourly Rate: $15-$30 per audio hour
- Payment Method: PayPal
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Transcript Divas
Transcript Divas is a company that does ONLY transcription. They seem like a great company and have stated that they’re committed to beating the average hourly pay rate for transcriptionists!
- Hourly Rate: $50.40 – $178.80 per audio hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Transcription ‘N Translations
Hires entertainment transcriptionists.
- Experience Needed: Some
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Transcription Hub
Hires translator and transcriptionists.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Transcription Outsourcing
Hires transcriptionists to transcribe law, medical, financial, legal, and general audio.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Transcription Wing
Transcription Wing hires transcriptionists to transcribe audio from different industries like: medical, business, legal, tech, and science.
- Hourly Rate: $36 per audio hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Ubiqus
Hires transcriptionists.
- Hourly Rate: $12+ per hour (depends on audio and speed)
- Experience Needed: Some
- Where to Apply: Company Website
UpWork
UpWork is a website where companies and individuals can hire freelancers to one-off tasks or ongoing projects.
- Hourly Rate: $5-$35+ an hour
- Payment Method: Direct Deposit, PayPal, Payoneer
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Website
Verbal Ink
Verbal Ink is a company that hires English-speaking translators and transcriptionists.
To work for Verbal Ink you will need some knowledge of email and Microsoft Word, a foot pedal, and QuickTime Player or Windows Media Player.
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
Virtual Vocations
Virtual Vocations is another website where you can search for jobs. This website is for online jobs only – which is helpful! This means there are fewer things to weed through.
Way With Words
Hires transcriptionists from South America, the UK, US, and Canada
- Hourly Rate: $27+ per audio hour
- Experience Needed: None
- Where to Apply: Company Website
ZipRecruiter
ZipRecruiter isn’t technically a company that hires transcriptionists. But it will help you find online transcription jobs!
You can use it to find work from home transcription jobs for both beginner transcriptionists and more experienced transcriptionists.
FAQs About Online Transcription
Are online transcription jobs worth it?
Yes! Online transcription jobs can be very lucrative.
Final Thoughts About Online Transcription
If you’re looking for a work from home job that you start right pretty quickly then transcription fits the bill for sure!
But…. transcription can be a little tough (especially at first). It’s something that takes practice.
The good news is that you WILL get faster if you stick with it!