33 Best Transcription Jobs That PAY WELL in 2024

If you’re looking for some insight into the best transcription jobs and you are a beginner that wants to get paid well, you’ve landed on the right blog post.

Perhaps you type fast and have good listening skills, and you wonder if you can monetize those skills.

Or perhaps you are a student or a stay at home mom who wants to earn some extra money during your free time.

Believe it or not, I’m going to show you how to capitalize on all that texting and listening to tea.

Get your speedy fingers ready and ears perked because you never know if this article could be the stepping stone of a transcription career.

In this article, I’ll be giving you tips to get ahead of the game, listing the best transcription websites for beginners, the best paying transcription jobs for beginners, and the best part: you don’t need any experience!

Keep on reading if you want to start a career or side hustle as a transcriber.

33 Best Transcription For Beginners in 2024

1. Take Note Typing
2. Quicktate/iDictate
3. Scribie
4. Rev
5. Hollywood Transcriptions
6. Crowdsurf
7. Go Transcript
8. Upwork
9. Way With Words
10. Casting Words Workshop
11. eScribers
12. Babble Type
13. Transcript Divas
14. Tigerfish
15. Speak Write
16. Daily Transcription
17. GMR Transcription
18. TranscribeMe
19. Ditto
20. 3Playmedia
21. Pioneer Transcription Services
22. Averbach Transcription
23. Speechpad
24. Athreon
25. Ubiqus
26. Voxtab
27. AccuTranGlobal
28. Transcription ‘N Translation
29. BAM! Transcription
30. Transcriptionservices.com
31. eTypist
32. VIQ
33. Transcription Hub

DISCLAIMER

Some of the links on here are affiliate links and I may earn if you click on them, AT NO EXTRA cost to you. Hope you find the information here useful! Thanks.

33 Best Transcription Jobs Hiring Now 

Alright, enough talk! It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for, a list of the best places to find transcription jobs online for beginners!

Here are a few transcription sites for beginners:

*Disclaimer: the requirements and pay listed below are the rates as advertised on the websites at the time in which I am writing this article.

1.Take Note Typing

Requirements: Typing speed test, English language test, and transcription test.

Pay: $0.60 per audio minute

Take Note Typing is a UK-based company that hires transcriptionists, audio proofreaders, and copy typers to transcribe audio files for focus groups for market research, interviews, and conferences. 

They also have a section for legal and medical transcription work.

2.  Quicktate/iDictate

Requirements: Transcription test and typing test

Pay: Varies

As a transcriptionist working for Quicktate, you have the freedom to choose your hours.

You mostly work on voicemail messages, memos, letters, legal files, medical files, recordings of phone calls, conference calls, and other audio files.

3. Scribie

Requirements: Transcription test and typing test

Pay: Ranges from $5 to $20 per audio hour

Scribie pays a bit less than some other sites, but it’s a great place to start and get your foot in the door as a beginner. 

What’s nice about Scribie is all the files you’ll be transcribing are 6 minutes or less.

4. Rev

Requirements: Grammar and transcription test

Pay: Varies (lowest average earning per month is $245 and the top monthly earning is $1495)

Note: They provide free training!

As a transcription site for beginners, Rev is a great place to start! Especially since they offer free training that comes in the form of tutorials and practice jobs. 

To make it better, you’ll even receive feedback from experienced transcriptionists after you completed a gig.

5. Hollywood Transcriptions

Requirements: Speed test (65 WPM/word per minute)

Pay: Varies

Hollywood Transcriptions has clients in the academic, entertainment, corporate, and legal, fields so you’ll have some diversity in your transcription work.

6. Crowdsurf

Requirements: Speed test and transcription test

Pay: ranges from $0.03-$0.20 per audio minute plus additional bonus rates

Crowdsurf requires no previous experience, and all you have to do is pass their tests, and you’re ready to start transcribing. The audio files range from 5 seconds to 30 seconds per clip.

7. GoTranscript 

Requirements: Transcription test

Pay: $0.60 per audio/video minute

One of the best transcription websites for beginners, GoTranscript, is always hiring. All you have to do is sign up and pass their quiz.

8. Upwork

Requirements: Varies

Pay: Varies

I’m sure you’re all familiar with Upwork. It’s the largest freelance marketplace in the world and there are countless transcription jobs on their job boards. There’s no base rate, and it’s all about what you and your client agree on. 

9. Way With Words

Requirements: English language test, transcription test

Pay: $0.45 to $1.73 per audio minute

Way With Words offers a welcoming support staff, fair pay rate, and steady stream of projects Reviews of Way With Words also indicate that the quality of the audio files is good. 

10. Casting Words Workshop

Requirement: Varies

Pay: Varies

CastingWords exclusively hires freelance transcribers through their website, thus any other sites claiming to provide employment there are not genuine.

The company advertises itself as a crowdsourced transcribing service to clients.

This simply implies that jobs are given to freelance transcribers who work on their own time.

Additional transcribing services in French and Spanish are now offered on the site.

CastingWords guarantees same-day service within twenty-four hours. So, if you’re a lightning-quick typist, send them an email.

11. eScribers

Requirements: Must be legally eligible to work in the US with a US bank account.

Pay: As below

If you think that legal transcription is your forte, then look no further as eScribers offers legal transcribing jobs that will allow you to work from home.

They have dealt with over 1000 contractors throughout the nation, both experienced and new to the legal transcribing industry.

12. BabbleType

Requirements: Have a high level of linguistic competence, listening capacity, and ability to work with more complex transcript forms.

Pay: Varies

Babbletype is a company that transcribes market research papers. They are selective with their hiring process. Professional work and dependability are all fundamental criteria for the transcripts created for the market research projects.

13. Transcript Divas

Requirements: Varies

Pay: Varies

This UK-based company is perfect for anyone looking to work from home. They are looking for someone with the capacity to produce on time, a desire to get things right, and an understanding that over-delivering to a customer.

Transcription Sites For Beginners That Hire U.S. And Canadian Natives ONLY

14. Tigerfish

Requirements: Varies

Pay: Varies

Tigerfish has grown from a one-person enterprise collecting up tapes and sending written transcripts to a transcription behemoth. If you are looking to be a part of a highly-skilled team, then check them out!

15. Speak Write

Requirements: Varies

Pay: Varies

SpeakWrite requires one year of office-based transcribing experience. You must also pass a typing exam with a speed of 60 words per minute (wpm).

The company makes it obvious that this is a home-based job, not just another freelance transcribing job.

SpeakWrite may have a role in your future if you find transcribing job gratifying and pleasant.

16. Daily Transcription

Requirements: Varies

Pay: Starting rates at $0.75 -$0.85 per audio minute.

This company takes pleasure in offering the best quality of customer service to each and every one of its clients. Its mission is to offer clients exceptional customer service and high-quality products.

If this is something you can do, give them a shot!

17. GMR Transcription

Requirements: Varies

Pay: Varies

This company is searching for transcriptionists that are interested in pursuing a profession. While no prior experience is required, a general transcriptionist might earn more money by taking on more difficult projects.

18. TranscribeMe

Requirement: Transcription Test

Pay: $15-22 per hour

This company offers audio clips for 2-4 minutes and you will be able to take on as much transcription jobs as you want.

19. Ditto

Requirement: Transcription Test

Pay: Varies

This company allows you to take on transcription jobs from multiple industries including legal, academic and also medical.

20. 3Playmedia

Requirement: Transcription Test

Pay: Varies

This company offers you to transcribe in either English or Spanish. You can help them to edit imperfect transcriptions too.

21. Pioneer Transcription Services

Requirement: Transcription Test

Pay: Varies

This company mostly offers transcription for one-on-one interviews.

22. Averbach Transcription

Requirement: Transcription Test

Pay: $1 – $1.50 per minute

If you have a good ear for heavy accents, then you should apply to this company because they are looking for transcriptionists who can understand words in heavy accents.

23. Speechpad

Requirement: Transcription Test

Pay: $0.25 – $2.50 per minute

This company offers superior customer support with 24/7 support staff attending to you. They also make sure to provide good transcription tools for you.

24. Athreon

Requirement: 2 years of experience.

Pay: Varies

This company offers superior customer support with 24/7 support staff attending to you. However, they do require 2 years of transcription experience before you can apply.

25. Ubiqus

Requirement: Transcription Test

Pay: Varies

This company offers transcription jobs from the US and Canada. They have more than 130,000 projects a year so do make sure you apply to them.

26. Voxtab

Requirement: Not stated

Pay: Not stated

This company offers transcription jobs from multiple services including legal, medical, academic, business, podcasts, videos and more.

27. AccuTranGlobal

Requirement: Not stated

Pay: Not stated

This company offers transcription jobs from multiple services including legal, medical, financial, conferences, interviews, meetings and more.

28. Transcription ‘N Translation

Requirement: Not stated

Pay: Not stated

This company offers transcription jobs mainly from the entertainment industry.

29. BAM! Transcription

Requirement: Not stated

Pay: Not stated

This company offers transcription jobs from the entertainment industry. They accept most forms of media for transcribing services.

30. Transcriptionservices.com

Requirement: Not stated

Pay: Not stated

This company offers English, non English, legal and medical transcription services.

31. eTypist

Requirement: 3 years of experience

Pay: Not stated

This company offers mainly legal transcription services.

If you have experience working in a law firm, then you are welcome to apply. Otherwise, you will need at least 3 years of transcribing experience.

32. VIQ

Requirement: Not stated

Pay: Not stated

This company offers Legal, Criminal Justice, Insurance, Government, Corporate Finance and Media transcriptions.

33. Transcription Hub

Requirement: Transcription test.

Pay: $0.71 per minute

This company rates its transcribers on Bronze, Silver, and Gold level based on the quality of the transcription work.

Well, there you have it, ladies and gentlemen, all the best transcription jobs for beginners.

With the right mindset, a laptop, headphones, and Microsoft Word, you can make a living transcribing. 

My #1 tip is to invest in yourself, whether that be in the form of training or a foot pedal. The way I see it, it will make your work easier and more efficient, meaning you can transcribe faster and make more money. 

I’m a firm believer that any investment in yourself will only make its way back to you.

Transcription jobs are easy and require little to no experience, so what are you waiting for? 

Let’s go out there and show those baby boomers how all that texting has paid off. 

FAQs On Best Transcription Jobs For Beginners That Pay Well

What Is A Transcriptionist?

First things first, what is a transcriptionist? 

A transcriptionist is someone who listens to audio files of people talking and types out what they’re saying.

That’s it. I kid you not. There are companies out there willing to pay you a handsome sum to do this. 

There is a lot of transcription work for beginners out there, but not all of them are worth the time. That’s why I’ve compiled a list of the best transcription jobs in this article. 

Like any new job, transcribing is one of those tasks you get better at with practice. That only means that with enough persistence and practice, anyone can become a transcriptionist.

Transcription assignments don’t only fall in the medical or legal industry anymore. There is also general transcription work and the newest most sought-after genre: transcribing videos and podcasts for blogs. 

Transcription work categories:

• General
• Medical
• Legal

Is Transcription A Good Job?

If you’re a competent typist with strong hearing and listening abilities, and you’re comfortable using a computer for tasks like research and downloading information, then being a freelance transcriptionist might be a great fit for you.

According to Zip Recruiter, the average work-from-home transcriptionist earns an estimate of $ 58,441 a year. So even if you are content with your 9-5 job and would like to try freelance transcription jobs, if you are determined and resilient, you can earn amazing additional income!

There are certain transcription companies that need you to transcribe on-site, while many others enable their transcribers to do so from the comfort of their own homes.

Many businesses in the general transcribing industry, such as gmr transcription, will enable their employees to work from home. Online transcription work is also a flexible profession that does not need a lot of phone work, which is something that a lot of individuals want and need.

Another reason why individuals go toward a transcribing job is that there are many firms that recruit newcomers, even if you do not have transcription experience.

This basically implies that if you pass their transcription tests, you’re employed and ready to begin.

However, just like any other job, being a transcriptionist is not all rainbows and butterflies. It is not a job where you just have to put on your over the ear headphones, listen to some short audio clips, type out some words, and you are done.

Most clients have a set of extremely precise criteria that you must master in order to style the paper according to their specifications, be it with legal transcription work or general transcription jobs.

This has to deal with the writing style and grammatical norms, as well as a variety of other preferences that your employer will outline for you.

Be prepared to be very exact in this work since you may have pages long document that you must go to over and over to make sure you are following it to the letter for each and every file you transcribe.

Bear in mind that you will need a reliable internet connection to ensure a seamless transcribing experience.

What Are The Requirements For Transcription Jobs ?

The nice thing about applying for transcription jobs at an entry-level means that you don’t need to have a college degree or any prior experience to become a general transcriptionist.

Some first-hand training is always beneficial, but ultimately there are only a few skills you need in your toolbox to start applying for transcription jobs for beginners.

They operate in a variety of businesses as freelancers or full-time employees, although those in search of legal transcription jobs or medical transcription jobs will require particular knowledge. Transcribers utilize a variety of software and are often responsible for administrative duties.

Skills you’ll need to become a transcriptionist:

• Typing skills
• Focus
• Listening skills
• Determination

To give you a rough idea of the requirements of an online transcription job, these are the things that may be expected of you:

• Prior to finishing the transcribing, understand the client’s instructions and make a note of any formatting or notation needs.
• Attending planned meetings to keep up with any changes.
• Completing transcriptions on schedule and checking draughts for spelling, grammatical, and formatting problems, as well as other discrepancies.
• Following all confidentiality requirements and treating sensitive information with care, be it with an audio file or any video files.
• Maintaining up-to-date transcribing software and attending refresher sessions as needed.
• When there are problems, the key is to communicate.
• Providing clients with finalised work and addressing any problems based on their input.
• Be able to handle constructive criticism and improve transcription services.

If you don’t tick all of the boxes above, don’t worry, especially if you do not have previous transcribing experience. With time and practice, any of those skills can be improved and cultivated.

Do I Need To Take A Transcription Test?

I’m always honest with my readers.

Although you may not need any experience to become a transcriber, most companies will test your transcription skills with an audio test and your proficiency in the English language to ensure you qualify to work as a transcriptionist.

Here are some FREE practice websites to help you get started:

• GoTranscript Practice
• Listen and Write

Tip: Do a few of these practice tests, make a list of companies you want to apply to, and start out by applying to your least favored company as you get better at transcribing and move on to your top picks.

Also, for you multilingual out there, if you can speak more than one language fluently, you will have the opportunity to land more jobs.

Depending on the transcription company you are applying to, you will most likely have to submit a cover letter or a resume, and complete a test utilizing transcription software with an audio sample.

On your resume, be sure to mention any typing or administrative experience, should you have them.

The minimum typing speed for transcribing jobs is around 60 words per minute, so if your currently typing speed is below that, searching for online typing tutorials might help you increase your typing speed.

Instead of utilizing the very sluggish one-finger-at-a-time approach, your hands and fingers should be arranged appropriately on the keyboard without causing any discomfort.

Memorizing the locations of letters and numbers on the keyboard will aid in the learning process.

What Tools Do You Need For Transcription Jobs? 

Alright, if you’re almost on your way to qualifying for transcription jobs at an entry level.  All you need are three more things to get transcribing:

• A computer
• A solid internet connection
• Headphones
• Microsoft Word

Yup, that’s it. I’m sure you have all of that right now.

Here are some optional but recommended time (and life) saving equipment that you could invest in to make your job as a transcriptionist easier: 

• Transcription foot pedal

Think of this as a mouse but for your foot. With a foot pedal, you can control the audio playback with your toes, keeping your fingers free for maximum transcription efficiency. 

Foot pedals can be as cheap as $20 or reach an eye-watering $300. The Infinity USB Digital Foot is moderately priced and it’s a favorite amongst transcribers. 

Express Scribe is an excellent alternative as it is a commonly used industry tool for professional transcribers. It is free to download and install on a Mac or PC, and it allows you to control everything with your keyboard or a foot pedal.

It offers an intuitive user interface and a wide variety of hotkey options for increased speed and efficiency. Express Scribe is available in both a free and a premium edition. The free version supports foot pedals and can play a variety of audio file formats.

• Transcription software

This allows you to control audio playback using keyboard shortcuts or your foot pedal, so you don’t get a headache going back and forth on a program like Windows Media Player. 

Some companies will give you this program or you can find it here for free.

• Freemake Audio Converter

The free program is used to convert across different audio formats, merge audio files, and extract audio from video files. 

• Slice Audio File Splitter

This free tool may be used to cut audio files.

This is a useful tool if you have a team of transcribers and want to send them pieces of hours-long audio recording so they can return the transcripts fast.

You may slice the audio files into numerous pieces, such as a few segments, or by time, such as 15 minutes.

If there are extended intervals of quiet in your audio, it can recognize them and clip them out, allowing you to work faster.

• Audacity

Another free audio editing and recording program is Audacity.

It’s capable of capturing live audio, converting records to digital forms, and cleaning up audio recordings. You can use it to combine audio files that some of your clients send to you into a single file.

• Internet Download Manager

Raise your hand if you have ever tried to download something only to have the power go out.

You may enhance download speeds by up to five times with the internet download manager, and it can also restart any unfinished downloads because nothing is worse than interrupted internet connections.

This little software will prompt you to download music, video, or document files from web pages you visit.

As a result, if a customer gives you a huge audio or video file, the internet download manager will appear when you view the page with the attachment, prompting you to download the file.

How Much Can You Get Paid For Transcription Jobs?

Do transcriptionists make money? Are they well paid? Are they in demand? Yes, yes, and yes. 

There are plenty of transcription websites for beginners on the web, but not all of them are the best paying transcription jobs for beginners. 

That’s where I come in. I’ve shortlisted the companies best transcription sites for beginners so you won’t have to go on a treasure hunt on the world wide web.

Contrary to popular belief, transcription can be a well-paying career or side hustle, and there are plenty of opportunities out there.

If you’re a beginner, you can make at least $15 per hour. However, if you have some experience, you can make $25 or more.

If you work 2.5 hours a day for a month, you could easily earn $1,500. 

Please keep in mind that your earnings depend on the company you’re working with, how much they charge, and how many jobs you can complete.

If you can transcribe faster, you can earn more.

Top Tip:

The newest (best paying) transcription work is done for bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, and content creators. Throw caution to the wind and make a cold pitch. 

Think about it: content creators release something new once a week on average if you’re their go-to transcriptionist, that’ll guarantee you a gig each week. 

How To Get Started As A Transcriptionist? 

To get hired on the best transcription sites out there, you’re going to have to prove that you can type fast. The first thing you’ll want to do is know how fast and accurately you type.

10fastfingers.com is a free website where you can test out your accuracy and speed in typing.

How To Get Paid More As A Transcriptionist?

• By getting trained up
• By working in a high paying niche like law or the medical field 

Side hustle or career, investing in yourself is always the best thing you can do for yourself. 

Online courses can be an easy and quick way to get certified and make more at transcription jobs at an entry-level.

You can easily secure transcription work for beginners without experience, but some training or certification can put you way ahead of the herd. 

• Getting trained up

The Transcribe Anywhere course is perfect for newbies or even intermediate transcriptionists who need additional training.

I particularly like that this course trains you on the basics, gives you easy-to-use templates, and also shows you how to find higher-paid jobs. 

You can try their FREE General Transcription Mini-course to get a taste of what the training will be like. 

• Working in higher paying niches 

Some niches pay better than others, law is one of them.

If you want to get started as a legal transcriptionist, you can take this Legal Transcription course.

Which Is The Highest Paying Transcription Jobs?

1. Medical transcription: Translate medical jargon and check for mistakes.

2. Legal transcription: Create legal records of important legal recordings.

3. Online transcription: Captioning videos and podcasts

4. General transcription: Work on a variety of projects such as transcribing meetings, speeches, lectures, or interviews.

5. Multilingual transcription: Transcribe documents from multiple languages into one another.

Do Transcription Jobs Pay Well?

Transcription is a well-paying career with many opportunities. 

Transcriptionists typically earn around $19.02 per hour, with the more advanced transcriptionists earning between $25 to $30 per hour.

With an average working hour of 2.5 hours per day for 24 days, you can earn around $1141 in a single month.

Is Transcription A Stressful Job?

Transcription can be a stressful job at times.

Their work may be stressful because they need to ensure that reports are accurate and completed within a quick turnaround time.

Medical transcriptionists can choose to work from home, receiving medical recordings, dictations, checking for errors, and submitting drafts and medical transcriptions electronically online.

How Long Does It Take To Transcribe 1 Hour Of Audio?

The average time to transcribe one hour of audio is approximately four hours.

Some transcribers often quote 4 hours as the minimum time for a piece of transcription work, and it can easily reach 10 hours depending on the length and difficulty.

Transcription time varies because each audio file is different.

Can You Make A Living Transcribing?

Yes, you can definitely make a living transcribing!

Beginners who started out as transcriptionists often earn $10 or less.

However, there’s potential to earn over $25 an hour as you gain experience and enter into higher-paid specialties.

Other specialized transcriptionists such as medical, legal, and multilingual ones can wage higher due to their specialties.

How Much Can A Beginner Earn From Transcribing?

Most transcriptionists can make between $15 and $25 an hour when they’re just starting out without a specialty or expertise.

Each transcription job varies based on various difficulties and the length of the audio file.

For highly specialized industries like legal and medical, transcriptionists often get paid higher for their expertise.

Is A Transcription Job Hard?

Transcription can be difficult to master, especially in the beginning stages.

A lot of beginners who started out as transcriptionists find the concept of listening and typing up audio files at the same time difficult.

Through vigorous training, you will be accurately speeding through your transcription projects in no time!

Can You Be A Transcriptionist Without Training?

Yes, you can!

You can be hired for a transcription job without any formal training or experience.

However, certain higher-paying specialists, like medical or legal transcription do require you to pass a certain assessment and get appropriate certifications. 

Medical transcription jobs typically require a one-year certification program or an associate degree in medical transcription.

How Much Does Beginner Transcription Pay?

The industry starting price is about $0.75 to $0.85 per audio minute.

Advanced transcriptionists can make between $250 and $950 per week depending on the amount of work they take on. 

Some companies require you to pass a “skills assessment test” as well as a transcription test before getting started as a transcriptionist.

There are so many websites to become a transcriptionist we mentioned, you just need to get started!

A comprehensive list of the best transcriptionist jobs is listed down for you!

Not everyone is cut out for remote customer support positions or making hundreds of sales calls. So if you are looking for a job that gives you the freedom of earning money and being at home, then providing transcription services might just be the job for you.

A transcription job is great as it gives you the opportunity to monetize activities you are most probably already doing in your everyday life.

If you are one to have a desk job, or you are a secretary, chances are you are already typing and listening on a daily basis.

How about taking on online transcription jobs instead?

It is a great way to supplement your existing income or turn this into a full-time transcription career.

Either way, I hope this article benefits you and guides you into obtaining online transcription jobs.

Good luck!

Related Posts On Best Transcription Jobs:

• How To Become A Transcriptionist : Monetise Your Listening Skills!
• 13 BEST Transcriptionist Courses Online 2025 (Tested!)
• Transcriptionist Tools That Will Save You Money And Time
• Legal Transcription Training: All The Things You Need To Know