Should You Work for Castingwords?
One of the hardest things about earning an income from home is figuring out how to get started and finding legit job opportunities. If you have even the slightest interest in adding transcription work to your skill set, CastingWords is an excellent starting point. Not only are they a legit transcription service, but they have a fairly steady amount of work available. That can prove to be a helpful supplemental income in lean times.
Pros for Working for Castingwords
Unlike some of the transcription websites I’ve reviewed in the past that seem to expect an almost immediate turnover, Castingwords has generous deadlines. Just keep in mind that the generous deadlines means there is no excuse for turning in work that’s not accurate. (Don't forget you can check out my list of online transcription jobs for more ideas.)
You can also listen to the entire audio file prior to accepting the assignment. This saves you from thinking you’ve selected a file you can transcribe quickly only to find that the quality of the file deteriorates part way through the recording.
After browsing the listings, you'll find that there’s a great deal of work available. Even if you don’t work for them steadily, you'll find that when you have a day where you haven’t gotten as much work from other jobs or clients, you can turn to Castingwords and can always find a few files to transcribe.
The company has a rating system for transcribers. Clients who submit files to transcribe can insist on using transcribers that have a very specific rating. If your score isn’t high, you will have a harder time finding work. However, if you are really accurate and produce high-quality work, it will pay off with high ratings.
Cons of Working for Castingwords
I love the fact that Castingwords pays steadily, however it would be nice if they paid a little quicker. It can sometimes take more than a week for funds to be deposited into your account. I also wish they paid a bit better. The company pays per minute of audio file that has been transcribed. They do have a rolling payscale so it will vary depending on the jobs you take on.
Audio files that are low quality and can be difficult to transcribe pay $1.20 per minute of file. Good quality files that can be transcribed quickly pay $0.60 per audio minute. All things considered, these rates are not too bad if you are a skilled transcriptionist.
Glassdoor reviews has a 3.5 star rating out of 5 for CastingWords. That's not an awful rating, but a 4-star minimum is nice to see in my opinion.
Final Thoughts
If you’re new to working at home, you should take a few minutes and apply to Castingwords. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Fill out their short form to get started.
Also, just a suggestion – if you're not sure if transcription is the right career move or something you'd like to do, you can learn more about it. There is a FREE 7 Day Mini Course offered by Transcribe Anywhere. There is NO obligation, you're not paying for anything. It's just to give those interested in transcription a better picture of what's involved, the skills you need etc.
I am interested in joining CastingWords. I have never transcribed before, but am eager to learn. I’ve worked in Computer Graphics, typesetting (old school) and typing since 1973. Retired now, but due to retiring early in 2014, my pay check does not cut the bill. Again, eager and anxious to learn a new skills.
Please advise.
I have done work for them about six months ago. I am wanting to go back into it again. I just printed off 40 pages of basic transcription rules that I need to study first.
CastingWords doesn’t pay anywhere close to sixty cents/min for high quality recordings. There isn’t a single job posted right now that high.
@Akhila
You can certainly try. They do have a rating system though and transcribers get more work if they have a higher ranking. So keep that in mind. I also think transcription does require some training at minimum. But I could be wrong. Any transcribers wanna chime in on this one?
Can i start up with castingwords even though i have only heard of transcription n not actually done it.can it be a starting point for transcription or do you need to be a professional??
I also like the fact that casting words is on MTurk (Amazon). (Although I haven’t found them yet). Thank you Kelly! You ‘Rock’ as always.