Castingwords Reviews: Can I Get Legit Transcription Jobs?

Imagine if you can get a way to work from home and earn a decent income. Wouldn’t you jump on it?

What if you could get the information you need to decide on online work opportunities and avoid scams?

The good news is that there are many opportunities online, and CastingWords is one of them.

If you keep reading, you can start making money from home with CastingWords in just a few steps.

Legitimate transcription gigs are hard to come by as people complain of low pay and poor audio quality.

This review will give you details on you what you need to work at CastingWords, how to get legitimate jobs and how much you can earn.

But, first, some definitions.

What Is CastingWords?

Founded in 2005, CastingWords is a transcription company. Its founders, Nathan McFarland and Rachel Pearson, started the firm in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

The firm is mainly a platform where transcribers can get work. Clients looking for transcriptionists can also use CastingWords.

So far, the company has grown tremendously, with independent contractors worldwide offering their services on the platform.

CastingWords also offers captioning and subtitling as part of its services.

For clients, the company’s promise is quality transcription work. CastingWords also promises fair pricing, on-time deliveries and reliable support to all customers.

Some of its most well-known clients are Wall Street Journal and Microsoft.

The good news is whether you’re a beginner or an experienced transcriber, you can get a job on CastingWords.

Plus, transcriptionists have the freedom to choose projects and working hours.

However, CastingWords is very strict on deadlines and the quality of work a freelancer does.

The catch here is the company has a rating system for transcribers. The higher your grade, the more projects you can work on and the more money you stand to make.

Is CastingWords Workshop legit?

Looking for legitimate work-from-home opportunities can be tricky. Therefore, you must be asking yourself whether CastingWords is real or fake.

If you read the various reviews and comments online, you’ll find most people recommend CastingWords. The thumbs-up shows users have faith in CastingWords, making it a legitimate site.

What’s more? The Better Business Bureau gives the platform an A+ rating.

Still, social media is abuzz with talk surrounding the positive experiences of working with CastingWords.

On top of that, renowned websites like Glassdoor have positive reviews of CastingWords, giving it yet another greenlight as a platform for transcription jobs.

But, the firm warns users against looking for work outside of its site, CastingWords Workshop and Upwork

How Does CastingWords Transcription Work?

CastingWords, for a transcriber, is a simple process.

The company employs freelancers who do transcription for its clients.

Once onboard as a freelancer, your job description entails transcription and editing.

Because of the stringent requirements on the quality of work, a freelancer must go beyond just listening to the client’s files and transcribing them.

As you transcribe, you must not miss a word, your pronoun usage must be top-notch, your spellings must always be correct, and you must use punctuation marks correctly.

The critical thing to note is that you must pass the CastingWords review.

Expect special instructions from CastingWords and its clients once in a while in the course of your work.

What do you need to work at CastingWords? A good computer, a reliable internet connection and quality headsets.

It will also help if you have a quiet place to work as noise interferes with transcription work.

The beauty of CastingWords is that you can work from anywhere, and the working hours are flexible.

Does CastingWords pay well?

Three factors will determine your pay at CastingWords:

  1. Priority of the work

If a client needs the job urgently, you will make more money than when the job has low priority.

  1. Your grading

CastingWords has a grading system of 5 to 9.9. The lower your grade, the lower your page and vice versa.

  1. Your total badges

Once they accept you, you’ll get a New Transcriber Badge, which will become a Beginner badge on your first job.

Submitting ten jobs will earn you a Working Hard badge.

The more badges you have, the more and better-paying jobs you can access.

If you’re consistent in delivering high-quality work, your badges will keep increasing.

What do CastingWords pay?

A transcriptionist at CastingWords makes between $0.15 and $1 for every audio minute. 

However, the amount paid depends on how fast a job is needed.

The kind of rating you have as a transcriptionist also determines your pay. Your grading will fall between 5 and 9.9.

A grade below five will lead to your work being rejected without pay.

Should you get a rating of 5, you’ll earn the lowest amount.

The basic pay for the work is multiplied by between 1.5 and 3.5 if your grade is between 6 and 9. The amount is then added to your basic pay as a bonus.

Additionally, you may also get editing jobs as a first-timer and earn between $0.02 and $0.25, depending on how long or urgent the job is.

Once a transcriber finishes their work, and it’s approved, CastingWords pays them through PayPal.

You will get your money weekly every Friday at 10 am Pacific time.

To get the money, click on the ‘Request Transfer’ button, which will automatically move your weekly earnings to your PayPal account.

How to Apply at CastingWords

Compared to other transcription companies, CastingWords doesn’t have strict application procedures.

Here are the requirements for the jobs:

  • You must be 18 years and above
  • You must live in one of their pre-qualified states or countries
  • You must be able to use PayPal as that’s their only mode of payment
  • You must be able to work as a freelancer

Those who meet the above requirements can apply to work at CastingWords using the following steps:

  • Go to the CastingWords website and sign up
  • Create an account
  • Enter the details for your short bio
  • You’ll be prompted to verify your email address. Check your email for a link from CastingWords and click on it to verify your email.
  • CastingWords will give you a test. However, not all applicants need to take the test. 

If you’re one of the applicants who have to take a test, familiarize yourself with the style guide. Why? Your performance will majorly depend on how you use the style guide.

Additionally, ensure your grammar and sentence flow is excellent.

CastingWords requires you to finish the test within a given timeline. But, should you not finish within this time, you can redo the test after a day.

You’ll have your results after two weeks. Passing the test will mean you can start working at CastingWords.

But, if you fail the test, you might not get another chance to redo it.

How to work on CastingWords

To navigate the CastingWords, you can acquaint yourself with the site first.

Check in the job list to see which tasks you can start with.

If you want to be more specific, you can filter your search according to job types.

Then, you can go through the jobs to see which one you like. Click “Work on This” when you see a task you wish to perform.

Each project has a turnaround time, and the timer goes off when you accept the project.

You have to download the audio file and transcribe it, after which you’ll upload the content.

As you wait for the staff to finish grading your work, you may take another task.

CastingWords Verdict

If you want a work-from-home transcription job, then you can consider CastingWords.

It doesn’t have a strict application procedure, and once you pass the test, you can start work immediately.

However, it would be best to remember your earnings would depend on the grading, urgency of the job and badges. If you deliver quality work consistently, you’ll earn more badges and access better-paying jobs.

Check out other work-from-home opportunities that you can start apart from transcription.

FAQs

What is the best transcription company to work for?

Rev Transcription is suitable for beginners and experienced transcribers

GoTranscript is an excellent platform for beginners.

If you check TranscribeMe reviews, you’ll also find they’re positive.

Which are the best headphones for transcription?

You can choose from noise-canceling earphones, over-the-ear headphones or on-ear Headphones. 

Check the complete list: Best Headphones for Transcription That Boost Your Productivity

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Andia Riz
I'm an ex-banker, agency owner, and SEO & Content Expert for Financial Service Providers & Personal Finance Bloggers. I leverage my expertise in financial writing & SEO to drive more traffic to your blog. Whether you want more traffic to your website for new customers, Ad revenue, or affiliate sales, I can help.
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