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Make Money Typing? How About $36 per AUDIO HR?! (NO Experience Needed)
How Do I Make Money Typing at Home?
Oooohhh that question – I don't go a single week without a “how can I make money typing?” email or question. If I could — I'd hand out typing jobs every day to those that wanted to work at home. I really would! And I'd give extra special care to hand out those jobs to the beginners first. So many new typists or decent typists want to have a typing job, but then it seems every typing job employer wants years of experience. How do you get your foot in the door? That's the question. Well — the question was,
'How do I make money typing at home...' So let's talk about this... you and me.Click To TweetI've suggested building a portfolio or showcasing your work by offering services online at websites like Gigbucks. There are other places as well to make money selling online — not just stuff, but services like typing, data entry and writing. For almost a year, I offered services to make Pinterest images on Fiverr. At one point, I didn't know if I could keep up. I eventually had to put my little shop in vacation mode because I couldn't keep up with it, my full-time job and my blog. So there IS money to be made opening a little “shop” on those types of sites.
But I REALLY Need a Typing Job I Can Do From Home – And I Have Zippo Experience
If I had a nickel for every time someone said this to me… Again, if I could — I'd pass these jobs out like candy. Now, don't get discouraged. There really are jobs out there for typists even if they don't have experience. Well — let me rephrase that. There are typist jobs out there for GOOD typists. You can't have errors and you do need to be relatively fast. So if you don't think you can type around 55 wpm with minimal mistakes — work on your typing skills first. Check your speed right now, just type “practice typing” into Bing and it should bring up a typing test.
1 888 Type It Up – No Experience Needed
So here's the typing company I want to focus on for this post. I had someone email me about this company the other day and she said she got hired and just wanted to share. So – that's what I want to do. They are looking for typists that are based in the United States. Now — I'm just going to be real honest here – they WANT and they PREFER experienced typists for their transcription work. BUT – they are willing to give anyone a shot. Meaning, you need to pass their test. AND ANYONE CAN TAKE THE TEST. And if you're rolling your eyes that a test is involved, guess what? MOST typing and transcription jobs require at MINIMUM, a typing test. Of course they would! You wouldn't hire a writer without asking for a few samples of their work. Most jobs require at least a resume. So yes, there is a test.
Don't freak out about a test. If you're good, you're good and you will be fine. But that's the beauty of this opportunity and why I'm sharing it. Sometimes nobody knows how awesome you are without you being given the chance to shine. Shine on! This is your chance to make money typing (and from home too)!
**It's been brought to my attention that this company does require a $35 application fee. I was not aware of this at the time of writing the article. They explain why they charge it — but it doesn't mean that I agree or advocate charging an application fee.
So, About This Typing Test…
Now let's get a little more into this test. I'm a decent test taker. My daughter is not. I know everyone has their own feelings on how well they test. But knowing what's expected on a test ahead of time can help. No pop quiz here. 1-888TypeItUp is upfront about what the test is all about and what they expect. They've got AFR Standards they want and NEED to be met. What's are AFR Standards? According to their site:
“All that said, if you can pass our transcription test and you can meet our “AFR” standards (accuracy, formatting, reliability), we are always happy to bring you on board our team of dedicated transcriptionists. We completely understand the conundrum of needing the experience to land a contract while needing to gain experience at the same time. After all, our first clients had to give us a chance too. As long as you can deliver good work and prove to be reliable while working from home, we are happy to work with you as one of our transcriptionists.” – 1888TypeItUp
Do They REALLY Pay $36 an Hour? Come On!?
Indeed – they do. Not just that… but $36 an hour is the LOWEST pay rate they offer. Mmmmhmmm… the lowest. What's the highest… check it out for yourself:
“We are one of the highest-paying transcription companies on the Internet. Our lowest pay rate is $36 per audio hour, and this only applies in cases where clients will only agree to pay $1 per audio minute or $60 per audio hour. We understand this is far too low, but due to competitors' predatory pricing, we do allow clients to submit files with reasonable audio quality and slower turnaround times for only $1 per audio minute. We strive as much as possible to pay our transcriptionists $1 to $2 per audio minute and up depending on audio quality and special features. Our full pay scale ranges from $0.60 per audio minute ($36 per audio hour) to $3/min ($180 per audio hour).” – 1888TypeItUp
Holy smokes! Or uh… holy typewriter! That's a lot if you want to make money typing, eh?
Important Note: This is per AUDIO hour. Meaning – it could take you 2-3 hours to type up one hour of audio because you're stopping and starting to re-listen to something being said. BUT — that being said, it's still well paying.
They pay TWICE a month and they pay using PayPal. I personally love PayPal and use my PayPal Debit card all the time. It's easy and convenient.
Final Thoughts
So, yes — many might fail the test. Maybe it's nerves, maybe more practice is needed… BUT — the awesome part is that any of us… me, you… and Joe Blow can all have the opportunity to land a really significant typing job with no experience working for another typing employer. I think that says a lot about 1888TypeItUp. Obviously, they want their employees to be stellar — but they are giving everyone the chance to prove they are stellar. And not just that — you have the opportunity to work at home too! So the next time you're asking yourself, how do I make money typing? THIS is one of those ways! And even if this isn't your cup of tea – share this post with others that might really benefit from it.
Oh, and just a side note that I noticed when checking out their website. The Facebook link on their site links to a facebook VerbalFusion business page. I am assuming that was their former name or maybe they took the site over and re-branded it. But I thought I would just throw that in there. If I can get 1888TypeItUp to clarify in comments or if they want to add anything additionally, I'll certainly make that update. Check it out here.
@Josie
Thanks so much for the info! Yes — keep us posted.
I just read as an employee you will be charged. As an independent contractor you will not. My son will be working as an independent contractor. I would be happy to let you know how things go.
I have basic typing skills. Would a class at the local college on basic Microsoft Word or Excel be better. Or even a basic computer class. I can do any of them.
What do you think would be best?
@ANNA
Thank you for your insight. It’s good to have the perspective of someone that is very experienced. I am the one that wrote, “it could take you 2-3 hours to type up one hour of audio”. After researching and speaking to a few transcribers, this seemed to be the approximate time frame. I never got the impression it could take 16 hours to transcribe 1 hour of audio. That’s certainly something to keep in mind. This is why I value comments so much. It opens up the opportunity for discussion and different experiences and points of view. Thank you again.
I’m going to have to burst some bubbles here. First, I’d like to meet the person who wrote “it could take you 2-3 hours to type up one hour of audio” because I have found it takes roughly 8 minutes to transcribe 1 MINUTE of dictation with an English-as-first-language dictator, perfect audio, and a seamless dictator (no stumbles, no hemming and hawing, speaking not too fast). Second, the 8 minutes to transcribe 1 minute of dictation INCLUDES not typing repetitious dictation (the dictator lost his/her place so repeats), spell checking your work, proofreading your work, making any punctuation changes and/or any syntax/grammar changes. Third, if you have little or no experience, you may be working 16 hours to transcribe 1 hour of dictation. A good medical transcriptionist can transcribe 1 HOUR of dictation in an 8-hour day. I am an experienced medical transcriptionist who was last clocked at 90+ wpm many years ago. If you lack knowledge of medical terminology, including anatomy, physiology, drug names, dressings, surgical instruments, abbreviations, acronyms, etc., that will add time because you will have to look them up online (and hope you got the correct one). Just a sample: I had to redo a dictation by an so-called “experienced” person who transcribed “wetness happening” (no kidding), which I transcribed as “witnessed apnea,” which is what the doctor actually dictated. Fourth, basically you would be paying the company to transcribe the dictation since you are giving away so much of your valuable time. This company may not take medical dictation, but for nonmedical dictation the same would apply. It comes down to value-added services (proofreading, spell checking, and correcting grammar, spelling, and punctuation ). You can also spend hours trying to figure out what the dictator is saying (audio cuts off a word or part of a sentence, dictator is eating while dictating, speak rapidly). Bottom line: sounds good but in reality is very misleading, especially to the inexperienced/uninitiated.
@Cathy
Thanks for sharing your opinion. At the time I wrote the post, I did not know they charged any type of application fee. I did note that on the post as soon as I found out. That doesn’t make me an advocate of app fees. Instead of pulling the post down entirely – I noted it in bold to make readers fully aware, and wanted to at least give the readers the opportunity to know about the company and let them make their own decision on whether they want to proceed or not.
Every legitimate work from home site that talks about and lists opportunities, emphasizes do not pay to apply for and to receive job opportunities. Someone above, in the comments, said if you are not willing to pay then working from home is not for you. Well, that absolutely is NOT true. I have worked from home for the past 20 years and NEVER have paid to APPLY for work. APPLY FOR WORK? No. Can you imagine how much money they make? And that this site mentions nothing about having to pay to apply makes me wonder why?
This is not going to be a site that I go to when looking. That’s for sure.
@Ashlee
Thanks so much for telling us more about your experience!! It’s so helpful to hear from people actually going through it!
I am going through with the test. I will give more information. The company charges $39.99 or something close to that for the test exam and they explain why. The reason they do that is because they are only interested in taking serious typists at any level and if you’re not serious about it, then you won’t pay. I think it’s a smart way for them to ween out people who aren’t willing to pay a little to get a lot.
You do not need a foot pedal, it says that right in the faq area of the job description. It’s optional. They do want you to have express scribe and yes there is a free version. You do not need the paid version which is around $60 or so. It is recommended that you get the paid version. All you need for headphones is whatever you have. Doesn’t need to be expensive or fancy. It is also required that you have an laptop or computer that’s been updated in the last 5 years and they will ask you for this information.
They also express there is NO MINIMUM WPM REQUIRED. They just want you to be accurate and to take your time with the clients projects so that it’s as close to perfect as possible.
And those of you complaining about the entrance fee and any other fees you might encounter, I’m gonna tell you now WORK AT HOME JOBS ARE NOT FOR YOU! If you expect it to be an easy push button system that gets you $100 or more, keep dreaming. You have to invest a little to get a good work from home business, including transcription. Depending on the things you might already have, this job will cost you up to $200. Realistically. It may be less.
This blogger is close to spot on in her description of the website. Those who are only here to bitch, go elsewhere.
exam fee is $59. no thank you.
Does anyone know what their wpm requirement is for the test? Thanks!
This was not misleading at all! She plainly wrote audio hour.
@Amanda
Thank you for the update! I’ll update the post as well.
Fee is now $35.
This is all very confusing. I read your blogs mentioning this company and went on their web site and, unfortunately, authorized their charges. PLEASE NOTE: There are TWO charges: $35 for the application fee and another $35 for them to review your transcription tests. I emailed a question and was told I didn’t have to have a foot peddle to take the transcription test, so I assumed it was an online typing test. Instead, I received a 4-page email with instructions. As a former newspaper editor with a journalism degree, I’m very familiar with AP guidelines, so that wasn’t a problem. However, my computer opens the audio files in iTunes. It takes forever to transcribe the file, jumping back and forth from the required Word template to iTunes to rewind the file and re-listen to it. It’s not like having a transcription peddle where you can pause to catch up, rewind to jump back, etc.
Does anyone know of a better way? I hate that I might have wasted $70!
Also, if you can explain the timestamp, that would be great. Surely, we’re aren’t supposed to stop transcribing to manually check and record the time, right?
Application fee is now $25.00.
Has anyone actually worked for this company that can give more information?
@Susannah
Thanks for sharing your experience.
So much of whats written about these transcription companies is misleading. This post is, as well. Another (scammy) transcription company I tried to work for gave a target completion time of 7 minutes for 1 audio minute. This is very very good time. So at $.60/audio minute, which is the lowest rate offered above, at this break-neck transcription speed (hard work and needs to be very accurate), x 7 minutes to complete each audio minute, you would be earning $4.80/hour of your time. $36/audio hour = $4.80/hour of your time if you make excellent, excellent time. This is better than other transcription companies, believe it or not. Just want to inject some reality into these misleading reviews
I think that you guys are being rude to a nice person, that is helping people for FREE
If you go to the link I provide at the bottom of this post — it’s goes to their FAQ page. It states:
“How much do you pay? We are one of the highest-paying transcription companies on the internet. Our lowest pay rate is $36 per audio hour, and this only applies in cases where clients will only agree to pay $1 per audio minute or $60 per audio hour. “
I went on the 1-800-type it up website and watched the video. It says you only make $10-15 working hour so I’m not sure where the $36 an hour came from.
I’m disappointed to read the comments. It’s like you’re playing with people. My need to make extra money is quite serious. Always be honest…. the truth comes out eventually. Write honestly and allow individuals to make their own decisions. Come on Kelly, were all grown-ups. Glad to know the information from the comments….won’t be wasting my time. Always keep it real.
@Patricia
It must be new. They weren’t doing that before. I wonder if it’s because they’ve been overwhelmed with applicants and the time it takes to process each person or interview them etc is just becoming too much for them — so they are trying to appeal to serious applicants only by charge a minimal fee. I’ll try and get more info.
I would just like to add that they now require you to pay a $10.00 non refundable fee before submitting the application and for each time you reapply. This seems to be new because I have looked at that application page numerous times and never saw that before. So I think I might give this a miss. Shelling out $10.00 and you don’t get a job? No thanks.
@Liz
My intent is never to mislead – only to open up new possibilities to others that may not have any idea those possibilities are out there. And though someone might not pass the test initially, they could get more training or practice and maybe eventually get hired. As well — I would think someone that is indeed a very good typist (with no transcription experience) might be able to do this kind of work. I could be wrong – but it seems possible. I’m not an amazing typist myself — but I know several people that are such amazing typists… it should honestly be a sport! As well – I state in the post that it’s “audio hour” with Important Note next to it and clarification.
Very misleading for those whom may not have transcriptio experience. There is a HUGE difference between $36 an hour and $36 an audio hour. As a full time, happily employed transcriptionist, I am quite disappointed that you would mislead others like , especially those with no experience.
Liz
Just FYI for those who don’t have experience with transcription, one audio hour can take multiple hours to transcribe. So while an average of $60 per audio hour will still translate to a pretty good hourly rate, don’t go into this thinking you’ll make $36-$60 per hour :)