Transcription for Pay: 9 Steps From Test to Payout

1. At Wordibly, rates run from eighteen to sixty-five cents per audio minute

Nine steps to get paid to type audio; the top grade pays triple. Number nine: at Wordibly, rates run from eighteen to sixty-five cents per audio minute. You turn recordings into text, from meetings and focus groups to TV logging. By our count, ten audio minutes pay $1 eighty to six fifty.

AI-assisted work pays the lowest rate, while foreign language translation pays more. CastingWords pays eight and a half cents to just over a dollar a minute. SpeakWrite pays per word instead: half a cent, and many shifts add 10%. On CastingWords, pay depends on the type of job, your level and your grade.

So the rate per minute is the first thing to compare before you apply. Next comes the gear, and a computer and headphones cover most of it.

2. With a computer

Number eight: with a computer, internet and headphones, you work from home, on your own time. A foot pedal to control the audio is optional. SpeakWrite asks for a computer with at least six gigabytes of memory. It also asks you to be available four hours or more each week.

By our count, four hours a week is sixteen hours in four weeks. Next, the level the tests look for.

3. Typing sixty words a minute at ninety percent accuracy is SpeakWrite's bar

Number seven: typing sixty words a minute at 90% accuracy is SpeakWrite's bar. By our count, that's fifty-four correct words a minute. Wordibly gives a grammar and typing test to see if the work suits you. CastingWords checks accuracy, correct English and whether you read its style basics.

SpeakWrite also wants fluent English with strong grammar, spelling and punctuation. It asks for a year or more of professional transcription or word processing work, so it's a later step. It takes typists from only two countries. Subscribe for more step-by-step guides like this one, each checked on the sites' own pages.

Next, the style rules that decide your grade.

4. On CastingWords' standard jobs

Number six: on CastingWords' standard jobs, you remove stutters, filler and false starts. Verbatim jobs are the exception, where every word stays. Words you can't make out get a special tag, and you never add timestamps. A speaker label is the name, then a colon and a space.

Paragraphs stay at 400 characters or fewer. So the same audio becomes two different transcripts: clean or word for word. These tags are CastingWords' own, and other sites can differ. Next, the test that opens the door.

5. Wordibly starts you with an unpaid test file of about ten minutes

Number five: Wordibly starts you with an unpaid test file of about ten minutes. You complete it in the word processor its page names. CastingWords sends some new workers to a short audio test after a brief bio. SpeakWrite gives you thirty days to finish its evaluation, at your own pace.

So two of the three always test you first, and one only sometimes. Next, your first paid jobs, and short ones work best.

6. Short, clear files of one to three minutes are CastingWords' tip for first jobs

Number four: short, clear files of one to three minutes are CastingWords' tip for first jobs. You choose a job yourself and assign it with one click. By our count, a three-minute file there pays about twenty-five cents to a bit over $3. On SpeakWrite, jobs arrive through its typist app, around the clock.

Typists there choose their own shifts, up to twelve hours a day. We're halfway: six steps done, three to go, and each site's own page lists its rules. Next, the review, where your grade sets your pay.

7. Your work is graded first

Number three: your work is graded first, by freelancers, staff or an automatic system, and approved work is paid. Grades run from zero to nine, and zero to four means the work is redone and not paid. Most workers get a few low grades at first, and that's normal. Approval can take a few seconds or up to thirty days.

New workers go through more grading, so it takes a bit longer. Most transcription work there is bonus-based: a grade of seven pays twice the base, and nine pays three times. By our count, a job worth a dollar at grade five pays $3 at grade nine. Seven more sites that pay you to type are in our earlier video, linked on screen.

In one breath: compare the rate, check your gear and level, learn the style, pass the test. Next, how the money reaches you.

8. CastingWords sends your pay to PayPal every Friday

Number two: CastingWords sends your pay to PayPal every Friday, and it covers PayPal's fees. You can ask for a transfer once you have a dollar and a week as a member. Wordibly pays twice a month, in the middle and at the end, by PayPal or Payoneer. SpeakWrite pays twice a month by direct deposit or check, and doesn't use PayPal.

By our count, work approved on a Monday can be in that Friday's transfer. CastingWords is taking new freelancers in only one country right now. Wordibly's page says it accepts freelancers worldwide with an active PayPal or Payoneer account. CastingWords asks you to be at least eighteen.

Before number one, a guess: how many badge levels does each skill have?

9. Your first approved job earns a Beginner badge

Number one: your first approved job earns a Beginner badge, the start of the climb. There are five levels in each of three skills: transcription, editing and grading. They run from New and Senior to Expert, Master and Perfect. Ten completed jobs earn a Working Hard badge.

By our count, ten short jobs of one to three minutes add up to ten to thirty minutes of audio. Fluent French or Spanish speakers can also get jobs in those languages. SpeakWrite also hires for legal and Spanish transcription. As freelancers, you handle your own taxes, and tax rules differ where you live.

So, nine steps: compare the rate, check your gear and level, learn the style and pass the test. Then start short, pass the review, get paid and move up. One site pays every week, and two pay twice a month. One small step today: open one site's apply page and read its test rules.

Which step would you start with? Tell us in the comments. Rates, rules and countries can change, so check each site's own page; this is information only, not financial advice. Next, watch seven apps and sites that pay you to edit videos, linked on screen.

It shows each one's steps, fees and payout rules from its own pages. Subscribe so the next step-by-step guide reaches you. This is Wealth Filings.