It might be surprising to learn that more than a few work-from-home transcription jobs with no experience.
Transcription is the act of converting spoken words into written text, and this process has become an integral part of our modern world. Nearly everything we watch – whether on TV, Netflix or YouTube – will have subtitles, which means somebody had to write those subtitles.
Transcribing is time-consuming work, but it can also be rewarding if you’re looking for some extra income in your spare time!
Here are 20 sites where you can find transcription jobs online with no experience needed:
The Truth About Beginner Transcription Jobs
The most successful transcriptionists have their private clients.
This means they have bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, and other content creators who go to them every time they need something transcribed.
Imagine if you had 2-10 of these kinds of jobs! This would guarantee income for quite a while!
Now, what are the benefits?
Well, think about being your client’s favorite person – that is guaranteed work each week/month without any searching or stressing over finding someone new.
Why do you deserve this job, though? What makes you stand out from all those beginners looking for some cash on freelance sites with low pay rates?
Pros and Cons of Being a Transcriptionist
Pros
- Work from anywhere – A transcriptionist can work from anywhere, as long as there is an internet connection.
- Set your rates – Once you gain enough experience with private clients, you can set your rates.
- Freedom to work when you want – Since you’ll be your own boss, you can decide when to work.
- You help people – As a transcriptionist, you’ll be helping many people gain access to their favorite written content. It might not seem like a big impact, but trust me, it is.
- Personal development – If you take transcription seriously, you will develop skills that will stay with you for the rest of your life.
Cons
- It can be monotonous – The audio clips might not be your cup of tea, but there are many benefits to transcribing your speech.
- Job sites have low pay – Though these transcription sites tend to offer lower pay, they are a good starting point for anyone looking to start working as a transcriptionist.
- It can get lonely – As a transcriptionist, you may feel lonely due to working at home. Tap into the Facebook community for support.
How much do beginner transcriptionists make?
There is no standard pay rate, as prices vary from site to site and by the audio hour or per word transcribed.
But keep in mind:
Speeding up your typing to complete tasks quickly can cost you more time in the long run. Companies monitor software programs that transcribe videos, and if there are too many mistakes, they will suspend your account.
To answer the question, though:
Making $10-$30 an hour is common for beginners, while experienced massage therapists can make more.
Tip 1: By being multilingual, you will open your options for employment.
Tip 2: Generally, audio files with poor quality or containing speakers with heavy accents are paid more per hour.
Now, let’s look at some transcription jobs you can work from home even without experience.
17 Transcription Jobs From Home (No Experience Needed)
1. Scribie (#1 Recommendation For Beginners)
New users may find that Scribie’s rates are a bit lower than other sites, but it’s a great way to get started. There is no minimum payment requirement, and all you have to do is submit an application and take their online test. If you complete the transcription of 6-minute audio files, your paycheck should arrive pretty soon as well.
If you like listening to music, the pay is $5-$20 per audio hour via PayPal.
2. TranscribeMe
After registering on the site, you can take an English exam to qualify for transcription work. If you don’t pass, try again later.
You will then be contacted within 12 business days with a job offer, and you can start working right away.
Each week, pay is sent out via Paypal.
3. Rev
No experience is necessary, and you’ll gain valuable training through free tutorials, practice jobs, feedback from experienced transcriptionists after a job is completed, and an active forum.
Click here to learn about the Rev transcription test and other features.
You can earn an average of $245 per week, and top earners make up to $1,495 in one month!
4. GoTranscript
Language experts who are 18 years or older, fluent in English or another widely used language, and have access to a PC/laptop, and PayPal account can apply.
Up to $0.60/audio minute or $1-$3/hour (more experienced transcribers might be able to earn more).
You will receive a weekly payment via PayPal or Payoneer.
For jobseekers with less experience, GoTranscript is a great fit. The pay starts lower than many sites, but job seekers can use the site as practice before starting actual work.
One of the best features of GoTranscript is its editors. Editors will go through all your work and provide feedback afterward. As a result, you are paid to get trained if you grow into an editor position!
5. Accutran Global
Accutran Global is only available to residents of the United States and Canada. Applicants must complete a test and require a transcription speed of 70 words per minute.
Candidates are considered for expanded services beyond just transcription after showing a consistent understanding of content transcribed.
Employees are paid out via direct deposit to a bank account on or before the 15th of every month—no PayPal.
Based on the rates listed below, your pay could range from $0.004 to $0.0055/word and $0.40/minute for longer projects plus bonuses for technical or heavy accents:
6. CastingWords
To use CastingWords, you must be 18 years old and a resident of most countries. You will have to take a test that consists of transcribing a short audio file. Please check out the quick-start style guide before taking the test.
For a given category, you will lose badges if your performance is poor. If that happens, you will no longer have access to jobs in that category.
You will receive feedback from other transcriptionists on every piece of work you turn in. If your grades drop, however, you run the risk of losing one of your badges. It is expected that there will be a learning curve earlier on and some low grades because, at first there is so much to learn.
Every Friday, you can request to be paid via PayPal.
7. Kendall Creek Communications
Work available includes legal transcription, political, corporate, and general transcription. The job is done as an independent contractor. Pay varies based on different factors for each type of work.
Kendall Creek Communications is based in the U.S. and has been in the transcription industry since 2007. People with prior experience are more likely to be chosen for jobs, but beginners are also free to apply.
There are some standard tests you must pass to be considered for a job, and then employers can call or email you when the next job is available.
8. Crowdsurf
It doesn’t require previous experience; just take an assessment test. It takes 5-30 seconds per audio clip, about 10 minutes for a job.
The pay rate for finished Voice123 auditions varies between $0.03 to $0.20 per minute, depending on the role and project type. Additional bonus rates are often available as well!
9. Daily Transcription
Daily Transcription is always looking to hire new transcriptionists, whether novice or professional. All you need to do to apply is head over to their site, fill out a form and attach your resume. If you already have previous transcription experience, make sure it’s on your resume. After you submit the form, they’ll let you know if you passed.
It is unclear how much they pay, but according to reviews, employees receive $0.75 to $1.10 per audio minute via PayPal every two weeks.
10. GMR Transcription
At the time of writing, GMR needs transcriptionists for both general and Spanish-language files.
GMR hires only transcriptionists from within the United States.
Despite discouraging beginners from applying, they assure applicants that the application test is rigorous and challenging.
You will get paid every two weeks; GMR will discuss the pay rate with you.
11. Neal R. Gross
Neal R. Gross, who has been in the business for over 35 years, offers transcriptions to varied clients. The company requires applicants to be able to work fast and accurately with a reliable Internet connection. foot pedal, and basic typing skills
To transcribe, type at least 60 words per minute. Fluency in English is required as you will be expected to complete transcription work within 30 hours per week and the audio files we provide are primarily in English.
Unfortunately, Neal R. Gross waived the application process temporarily, so if you’re looking to work there now, it’s not possible.
12. Tigerfish
Tigerfish is a suitable program for beginner transcriptionists. To enroll, you must be at least 18 years old with an address in the US.
The application process takes a few minutes; it is simple. All you have to do is transcribe three audio files following the guidelines in their style guide and paste your transcripts for each audio file into the application form, along with how long it took you to complete each. Then fill out some information about yourself, any previous experience you have, and your availability.
At $0.005/word, it costs around $5 for the transcription of every hour-long file.
13. Transcription ‘N’ Translations
It is difficult to find information on this company as they do not have a website.
However, I read from an anonymous source that they have worked with big clients like the Discovery Channel.
14. Ubiqus
Ubiqus is looking for someone with native English-speaking skills. They would like to see 1-5 years of relevant experience but consider applicants regardless of their experience.
If you are applying for a legal transcription or medical transcription job, an experience level of over 1-5 years is essential.
There is no specific payment listed for this article, but I assume it’s negotiated upon hiring.
15. Verbal Ink
Ubiqus specializes in transcription, including foreign languages and translation, with Verbal Ink as one of its divisions.
They’ve got three main requirements that they look for in a transcriptionist:
- Good listening.
- Accurate typing with attention to detail.
- Thorough research skills and adherence to the style guide.
I couldn’t find any payment information, but it sounds like they offer a living wage.
16. Transcription Outsourcing
Transcription Outsourcing, founded in the U.S. in 2010, provides freelance transcription and full-time employment positions.
They value their applicants with experience, but they also give training for newer transcriptionists. If you do not have any previous work experience, you need to get at least 95% on the company’s assessment tests to be chosen.
17. Clickworker
The website Clickworker has been around since 2005 and is a great resource for anyone looking to make some money doing transcription work, among other jobs.
Clickworker does not promise a consistent stream of transcription opportunities.
OR: The work that you will receive from Clickworker is high-quality and from reputable companies.
Plus, you may find other work that you enjoy on this site, leading you down an entirely new path of working from home.
Transcription company that pays the best
The best transcription company to work for are;
- TranscribeMe. The pay ranges from $15 to 22 per hour, but these hours range between 20 and 40 minutes long.
- GMR Transcription also provides a good income with a rate of up to $1.25/minute, though they require 60-minute. Transcripts on average at 33-45 min each.
- GoTranscript offers payment based upon word count, which starts around 0.75 cents per 100 words.
- Daily Transcripts’ rates start as low as 75 cents every ten minutes!
- Rev too, who will make you 30 or more dollars if your recording runs over an hour in length
Related Article: Online Transcription Jobs for Beginners
Transcription tools you may need to get started
If you’re going into transcription as a career, some tools can help.
The three things you’ll need to get started – a computer with a good internet connection and headphones work best.
Additionally, it is helpful if your kit includes:
- A foot pedal
- Automatic speech recognition software
How to improve your transcription skills
To practice transcription skills, you should
- Listen carefully and pay attention to the punctuation of spoken words when transcribing a message;
- Make sure that your grammar is correct, so it’s easier for someone else to understand what was said in the audio file;
- Use critical thinking about entire messages or sentences if there are any incomprehensible parts.
- Invest money into tools like an accurate sound recorder with good quality output files, as well as software packages where you can slow down playback without changing pitch or taking away definition from voices.
- There are free resources online, including websites providing text-to-speech features (e.g., ReadingTexts), podcasts, videos, etc. These will help improve the accuracy of your transcription while training your typing, critical listening, and comprehension skills.
Related Article: How to Become an Online Transcriptionist
Final remarks
Transcription can be a fun and rewarding work-from-home career.
And best of all, you don’t need special training or certification to get started as a transcriptionist! All it takes is the desire to learn how to make general transcription, equipment such as headphones with noise-canceling microphone and foot pedals for transcribing dictation, and an internet connection.
We recommend getting started with some training so that when you apply for jobs, they will have more confidence hiring someone without previous experience.
