The Best Free Online Typing Jobs For Newbies

If you're anything like me one of the first type of work at home job you desired was typing at home jobs. But chances are you ran into all the crappy scams and companies misrepresenting these online typing jobs. It's very frustrating to say the least. You are probably wondering do these jobs actually exist?

The good news is that they do exist but they're a little different than what you initially expected. They're actually known as transcription jobs. So let's dive into them since they are your answer to locating a typing job from home!

So What Is Transcription?

Transcription involves listening to an audio or video recording of something and typing the contents into a text document. It could be a recorded lecture, interview or maybe writing the lyrics of a song. You can make money online as a transcriber working for different websites and companies as you'll see later in this article.

How Much Money Can I Make?

The industry average is $10 for an hour's worth of transcription. Your pay might be higher or lower than this depending on a few factors including

The type of transcription job – there's general professional transcription. Professional transcription could be audio from an actual professional field, maybe medical, legal or accounting. General transcription could be just about any other audio that needs to be converted to text. Professional transcription pays better since not everybody can do it.

How you are getting paid – Some websites pay per word, others pay per line while others pay per audio hour. Few other websites or companies calculate your pay per number of pages the audio translates to. Different websites or companies have their own way of calculating the length of a page or number of words that make up a page.

Skill and experience – how fast you can accurately transcribe an audio will play a huge role in determining how much you can earn as a transcriber. Usually most websites test your transcription speed and accuracy. Based on what most websites require, if you can type roughly 50 words in a minute you're good to go.

Other factors like the quality of the audio, complexity and length also determine how much you'll earn after successfully transcribing the file.

All in all, how much you earn depends on your turn-around time and accuracy. Say you can type 50 words per minute and you're getting paid per word, it means you'll be producing roughly 3,000 words per hour. If you're earning say 0.3 cents per word that translates to $9 an hour.

What Type of Experience Does A Transcriber Need?

If you can type fast without looking at the keyboard, you can consider making money transcribing. If not, you'll need to train yourself how to type fast. You'll also need a few tools that make your work easier, more accurate and help you transcribe faster as you'll see in the next section. Most websites will give you a test during the application process that gauge your skills, speed, accuracy and experience.

What Type of Equipment Does A Transcriber Need?

Here's your transcription starter pack. You'll need high speed internet and a laptop or desktop. You'll also need a word processor like Microsoft Office. If you don't have any of these, you can find a laptop such as Chromebook for about $200 at Amazon.com. You can also purchase Microsoft Office at a great price at Amazon.com

You'll also need a few working equipment and software including

Transcription software – A transcription software basically makes your work easier while typing. Its features including keyboard shortcuts, video player, converter and audio speed control work hand in hand with the equipment you have to help you type faster and accurately. You can get one on Amazon or the parent website, but I would probably check Amazon for better deals and discounts.

A foot pedal – a foot pedal does exactly what the name suggests. You'll need one so that you can do more with your hands. A foot pedal helps you fast forward, pause or rewind audio and video with your feet, freeing your hands to do more work.

Good quality headset – It goes without saying you'll need headphones with high quality audio output. You can get these on Amazon at a great price.

Text expander software– a text expander works like the word predictor on your smartphone. It helps you autocomplete words and common phrases based on context so that you have fewer punches of the keyboard.

File converter – some websites might give you a media file type that your transcription software does not recognize. You'll need to convert that file to a recognizable file type. You might also need to convert your output file say a word document to PDF based on instructions given. You can do this for free online.

Time tracker – A time tracker will come in handy if you are getting paid on an hourly basis. If your client does not have a means to track your time, you might need to invest in your own software to make billing easier.

Dictionary (both online and offline) – you'll also need a dictionary for accuracy. You can use thesaurus.com or a physical dictionary or a combination of both. If you are transcribing a professional piece say in medical or legal, you'll need an industry-specific dictionary. You can download the Merriam-Webster Dictionary for free on Amazon.

Grammar and spelling checker tools – You'll need a grammar and spell checker example Grammarly, or Paper Rater to make your text error-free. Paper Rater is free, and Grammarly right now costs a little over $30 per month. But it's a great investment with helpful features like plagiarism checker and US/UK English words identifier.

Complaints About Online Typing Jobs

Not everything is sweet when it comes to online typing jobs aka transcription. There are definitely some downsides or concerns that may turn you off to this type of work. We'll lay them out below and let you decide either way.

You need money to get started

You'll need money to buy the above mentioned tools if you don't already have them. Some of these tools can cost $30 each and some of the software bill you monthly. So you need to be making enough money to cover these costs. But initially you may be taking a bit of a lost.

You might work but not get paid!

If a client rejects your work for some reason, there's no compensation for time lost. Transcription is all about speed and accuracy. If you don't get a job spot-on, to the satisfaction of the client there's no way to recover time lost.

The initial pay sucks!

Don't get into transcription or typing expecting to make a shitload of money right away. It takes time to earn a livable income which can take weeks or months. Most beginners barely make enough to get by. So with that said you might need to make some money other ways with surveys at sites like SurveyJunkie.com to supplement your typing income. You can also earn money doing the things you basically do online like visiting websites, watching videos or listening to music and more at SwagBucks.com or FusionCash.com.

Don't quit your day job!

Unlike My Top Work At Home Recommendation where you can work full time or even part time making real money, income from transcription is neither great nor consistent. Sometimes there's a general go-slow in the industry and jobs are hard to come by. So, you are better off having transcription as a second or third job to make ends meet.

Work At Home Typing Companies

So, now you know the good and the bad about typing and transcription jobs. But where do you start? We've compiled a list of some of the best transcription companies out there and how much they pay. So, in no particular order, let's take a look!

Rev– Rev has been recruiting transcriptionists for several years now. To join you'll need to pass an initial test. They pay every week via PayPal. You start at $4 an hour as you work your way to potentially making $12 an hour. According to the website, the average earnings per month is $245. You are free to apply from anywhere in the world.

TranscribeMe – This is another popular website for beginners. You'll need to pass the grammar, accuracy and speed test to join. The pay is $20 per hour, and the files are usually 2-4 minute audio files. They send you how much you've earned in a week via PayPal. You can also apply from anywhere in the world.

AccuTran Global – AccuTran Global also hires beginners but you'll have to pass their exam to get started. The company pays beginners $0.005 per word although senior typists make a little bit more. They pay via wire transfer or mailed check every month. If you are in finance you'll find life easier with AccuTran Global. Unfortunately they only accept writers from the US and Canada only.

Freelancer – Global crowdsourcing company Freelancer is a great place to find transcription job as well as other type of work. All you need to do is set up a convincing profile and bid for available transcription jobs. The best part about Freelancer is that once you successfully complete a couple of orders, your positive ratings will speak miles for you and it becomes easier getting hired. But it might be rough out there as a beginner. They pay via PayPal or wire transfer. Your first withdrawal twill be subject to a 15 day delay for security reasons. You can then withdraw any amount at any time from then henceforth. Read my Freelancer Review here.

Amazon Mechanical Turk – I've included MTurk in this list for those of you who already have an account with them. You are free to take up transcription HITs whenever you like, but the pay is not that great. Depending on the length of the file you can make $1-2 per page. Amazon Mechanical Turk pays what you've earned in 24 hours via PayPal. You can read the full Amazon Mechanical Turk Review here.

QuickTate – You'll need to cough up an initial $15 application fee to join QuickTate. However you'll have to pass their test before they allow you to pay the $15. Once you become a member you'll be earning anywhere between $0.25 and $0.5 per word. They pay twice a month via PayPal. QuickTate accepts workers from anywhere in the world.

Upwork – Upwork is also a freelance website where you create a profile for free and bid for various types of freelance jobs including transcription or typing. It might be hard getting hired with no established upwork work history, but you can work your way up by bidding on the cheap to beat the competition. Then when customers rate you, it'll be easier getting work. Upwork pays every end of the month via PayPal, Payoneer or direct transfer. You can read my Upwork Review here.

Scribie – Scribie is another option and to join you only need to pass their test. They pay $10 per audio hour via PayPal and you can cash out a minimum of $1 immediately the money reflects in your user account. You must have a verified PayPal account before you can start the application procedure. You can apply from anywhere in the world.

Fiverr – Fiverr is also a great platform for skilled transcribers and typists. The marketplace is worldwide and free to join. You just have to create a profile selling your typing services. At first you might have to charge customers below what your competition charges but as you build your reputation it becomes easier to get well paying gigs. Fiverr has a flexible payment system where you choose how and when you want to receive funds, but you are better off using PayPal or direct transfer. Read my Fiverr Review.

GoTranscript – GoTranscript is a popular UK transcription company that also hires typists and transcribers from anywhere in the world. You'll also need to pass an initial test before they let you transcribe. They pay every Friday via Payoneer or PayPal. They say their transcribers earn $150 per month on average, although they pay $0.6 per audio minute.

More Online Typing Jobs

So you now know where you can find transcription and typing jobs online. The sad fact is, these websites don't always have work. Fortunately sites like FlexJobs.com find legit transcription jobs everyday for you. It's totally risk-free so if you don't find anything that works for you, you won't lose a single cent. FlexJobs.com is also listed with the Better Business Bureau with a high rating for an additional layer of security.

Alternative Work At Home Opportunities

With transcription jobs, money is sometimes hard to come by, regardless of how good you are at it. You might need to supplement that income during downtime. So, you can also make money at BBB listed companies like SwagBucks.com, FusionCash.com and SurveyJunkie.com. You don't need any special software or equipment to make money with these sites. All you need is access to the internet and email.

Are Online Typing Jobs Worth It?

Transcription jobs can be worth it, if you have a good ear for language and can type fast and accurately. However the requirements to start can be a pain in the ass if you don't have a few bucks set aside to buy the equipment. You might not need some of them, but that just makes your life harder transcribing manually. There's also a lot of downtime so you'll probably need something else to do to make up for hard times. So you can join My Best Work At Home Recommendation to make sure you are always making money, and you can do this part time or full time all the while transcribing.

I hope you now have enough information to start making money transcribing online. Do you have questions or comments? Let us know in the comments section right down below.

Until next time

Eddy ”with a Y”