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GMR Transcription Review | Can You Really Earn $1000 to $3000 a Month?
Is GMR Transcription Legit?
When you first visit the homepage for GMR Transcription’s website they seem like they’re going to be a great source of income. The website promises that as long as you can quickly and accurately translate medical files, you can be assured of a great deal of steady work. (I have a big list you might want to look over of more transcription companies that offer work at home.)
GMR Transcription Services has been around for many years (founded in 2004 by Ajay Prasad) and their headquarters is in Tustin, California. Obviously, you don't need to live in California to become one of their independent agents. They're known for high-quality transcription services and translation services at affordable prices. They provide services for everything from government institutions to non-profit organizations. Human transcription with a fast turnaround time is still a very viable service.
They have several other offices around the United States, including New York, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Chicago and Dallas. I have friends in both Florida and Georgia that pick up work from GMR and GoTranscript quite often.
Pros of Transcription Work with GMR
The first thing I really like about GMR Transcription is that in addition to having a great deal of work available, they are also willing to accept people who don’t have a great deal of transcription experience. This makes it a great company for beginners. They also offer flexible hours of work.
GMR Transcription Test
Once you have passed the company’s qualification tests, you will find a lot of steady work. As you get better and better with your audios and accuracy, you'll find that work comes easily.
But what exactly is involved in the GMR test? Breathe easy. They couldn't make it any easier for you and they want you to succeed. Because they offer their clients a promise of 99% accuracy, you'll need to provide that kind of accuracy. I guess I really don't need to mention typing speed. Yes, you need to be a fast typist.
Their test revolves around sending you a sample audio for transcription. This is sent to you via email with all of their formatting instructions and their guidelines. Read over these carefully.
The audio sent to you could be one of poor quality in order to “test” your ability to handle just that. They want to see how well you work under less than optimal circumstances. Try and take that in stride and remember it doesn't mean all of the work you are assigned will be such bad quality.
If you are able to pass this test, you'll be brought in on probation. Just like most companies, this is a probationary period of time to continue to monitor your skills, accuracy and ability to complete your work in a timely fashion. Unfortunately, this probation period is not paid. It's basically a more lengthy “test” period.
Keep in mind, that on the other side of these 8-10 hours of further testing… is paid work if you pass. That's the goal… to become a freelance contractor and work at home and work your own hours.
There website states:
1. Continuous Growth and Learning
– Basically they will offer feedback to help you improve. This in turn will help you in the long run with gaining more clients and work.
2. No Registration Fees or Experience Needed
– Yep, they state that you DO NOT need to be an experienced transcriptionist to work at GMR. They do not request a resume, but have one ready.
You will need to have the following:
GMR Transcription Requirements — You must be a US or Canandian citizen with great grammar skills. And have the home office equipment below.
- MS Office
- A Foot Pedal
- Ear headphones.
- Computer or Laptop with and internet connection with high speed internet
3. Work From Home with Flexibility
– They allow you to work at your own pace. You work when you want to — so, it's up to you to decide if you want to dig in and work full time hours for maximum earnings, or take it slow and work just part time or when you can. Obviously, either way there will be a deadline for your work, but a flexible schedule is such a perk. Having consistent work is also a perk.
GMR Transcription Pay
First and foremost, you're an independent contractor with your own schedule. Though it's hard to pinpoint exactly how much you can make, there are some things we can look at here to give you a better idea of what exactly GMR pays.
Their site states, $1000-$3000 per month. That higher end is probably reserved for those that complete the work the fastest. As well, taking on the assignments with the poor quality audio or video probably pays more too. Do I think $1000 a month is doable, yes. That higher end — you're gonna have to be the best of the best and take on those less than easy projects. If you can turnaround fast work, that probably boosts earnings too.
According to a few forum posts, it's looks like $0.70 to $1.25 per audio minute is what you can expect. Again, the higher end is going to be for fast, accurate and more difficult projects. Not all projects will have good audio and some will even have accents.
There will certainly going to be good-quality audio projects too without the pressure of quick turnaround time. If you're ok with the smaller, lower paying side hustle assignments, there is nothing in your way of being selective. This is completely flexible work. You are your own boss and can choose the work opportunities that fit your goals and time frames.
They pay once a month using PayPal or bank transfer (direct deposit).
Drawbacks to Working for GMR
If you don’t have a background in the field of medicine, you’re going to have a difficult time doing transcription work for GMR. Most of the files that the company deals with involve a great deal of medical terms, all of which need to be translated accurately. Understanding the terms makes it easier to translate the information accurately. If you have a background in medical terminology, this issue isn’t a big deal but for the average freelancer, it could pose some problems.
A Few More Things to Consider
If you’re fluent in Spanish, you can rest assured that you’ll quickly become one of GMR’s favorite transcribers. The company is actively seeking out transcribers who are capable of rapidly and accurately translating files to and from Spanish. GMR Transcription employees that are bi-lingual are sought after for many projects that are, of course, not available to others.
I’ll admit that when I first applied to GMR, I was skeptical. I had heard a great deal of negativity about the company. The problem comes from the fact that GMR has a transcription course that they would like everyone to take. (Most of us loathe a sales pitch!) Since I scored well on my qualification tests, I was able to avoid the course. While I don’t care for how heavily the company pushes you to buy their course, it does make sense if you think about it. I’m guessing they constantly have to field applications from people who aren’t qualified to do the transcription work. This helps them weed out those that are under qualified.
I don’t do a great deal of work for GMR Transcription, I have other clients that pay better, but I do like knowing that I can do some transcription work for the company during times when things are slow. If you want to diversify your income, it’s definitely a job you might want to look at as an option. You can start the application process or learn more by going to their careers page here.
GMR Transcription Reviews
I did a little digging to find out what others are saying about GMR and what it's like to work there.
You can find some Reddit posts here and here. Though they are several years old. You can also check out what has been posted at Indeed, here. Though all are not positive reviews, for the most part they are.
Final Thoughts on GMR Transcription
GMR has been around a very long time. They are legitimate. But if you're unable to pass their test, or feel the deadlines are too stressful, be sure to check out other options like Rev and TranscribeMe. Don't forget to check out the job board here as well for not only remote transcription jobs, but remote jobs in all fields.
If you're unsure whether transcription is the right career path for you or you're just curious, I encourage you to check out this FREE 7 Day Mini-Course by Transcribe Anywhere. There is absolutely no obligation, and it might just be what you need in order to make a more informed decision.
GMR Translator Opportunities Too
As well — though this post was focused on GMR Transcription's opportunities in transcription, they also have openings in translation too. So if you're interested in that avenue for work at home, you'll want to apply for they translation career opps too. As you can see from their application snippet above – they need many languages. Good luck on your job search and may your new job be right around the corner!
@Michelle
Thanks for stopping by and giving more info. I have many visitors and readers looking for work at home transcription jobs!
Thank you for sharing. I work for GMR Transcription, and I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a flexible schedule. It is the perfect work at home opportunity, and it pays competitively. The only CON I found in the beginning, was the strict test they required as many other transcription companies don’t require it, but I totally understand why it’s necessary. GMR only wants the BEST transcribers so they can guarantee high quality transcripts to their clients.