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TranscribeMe Reviews: $15/HR to Type? Not Quite.

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TranscribeMe offers fast, affordable, and high accuracy audio and video transcription services. It’s one of the many online transcription companies almost always hiring online transcriptionists. Yes, this transcription company is legit and has worked with hundreds of brands, many I am sure you have heard of.

If you want to get paid to type, let’s take a gander at this company and see if they are worth your time. I’m going to dive into the pay, what others are saying as well as how you can apply.

As always, I’m always honest, only promoting services that I would use. I don’t push crappy products nor will I bombard you with ads. I try to remain as honest as possible. After all, we’re the world’s most honest finance site.

With that out of the way, if you want to get paid to type and even have limited experience, this could be an opportunity for you as the job qualifications aren’t strict. It’s a great stepping stone if you want to start transcribing and make money in the comforts of your home.

TranscribeMe Requirements

Before you get excited and apply, there are some requirements. However, they aren’t as bad as you think.

If interested, the company asks that you meet the following requirements:

  • be at least 18+ years old
  • have access to a computer/laptop with a stable internet connection
  • access to PayPal account
  • pass the exam

As for country requirements, you can work from anywhere, again, as long as you meet the requirements mentioned above. You also don’t need any experience nor do you have to type a certain amount words per minute. The requirements are very lax.



How to Apply

To apply with TranscribeMe, you will be asked to create a profile so that you can complete your training and exam course. It will also be your log-in information to start working if you do get accepted.

This profile creation will include the basics, such as your personal information as well as your experience. It’s typical stuff and nothing should shock you here. While no experience is necessary, they still want to know a pinch about your background.

All applicants who successfully pass this exam will be contacted as soon as possible and will have paid work available to you. In some cases, albeit rare, you may be put on a short waitlist.

Creating a profile only takes a few minutes to do.

TranscribeMe Entrance Exam

Unfortunately, the company won’t accept everyone who applies. You will have to pass an exam, and this is standard among the many transcription companies out there. You can start this exam at any time.

Before attempting the exam, the company requires that you read two documents: the Style Guide and the exam instruction guide. Both of these documents will walk you through the process of taking the exam, so it’s so important to know what’s expected of you before you start it. You can also check out YouTube by searching for “TranscribeMe exam answers.” While you won’t get the answers, you can get ideas as to what to expect.

When you’re ready, the company does ask that you will need three hours to complete it. If you cannot complete it in one sitting, you can save your exam and come back to it later. They just recommend you pause it after completing a full section before doing so.

What if I fail?

The company does allow you to attempt the exam two times before you have to wait. In the case you fail twice, you will have to wait 30 days before you can try two times again.

So, technically, you can continue to take the exam, but if you’re failing, it’s best to read through the Style Guide and exam instructions to ensure you do pass.

What if I pass?

If you do pass, you will see your account activated usually within three days, according to the company’s FAQ. You will receive an email once your application has been processed.

How Does TranscribeMe Work

Like most transcription companies online, TranscribeMe works in the same way. You will be asked to listen to an audio file of varying qualities and then transcribe it as accurately as you can.

And, if you’re unfamiliar with this world, you will soon find out that these audio files can greatly differ. Some files can be crystal clear, almost as if you’re talking with someone in person, whereas another file can be highly distorted, making it hard to hear, or coming from a foreign speaker that mumbles. In many cases, it isn’t as straightforward as you want it to be.

Once you get approved, you will start working via its dashboard, known as the workhub. You will be asked to log in and then claim any TranscribeMe jobs that you feel you can complete. Most files are short, lasting anywhere from a few seconds to more than five minutes. The average job, however, is between two to four minutes.

While you won’t be asked to transcribe the entire audio file, TranscribeMe works in a slightly different way as they crowdsource audio files in snippets rather than in one large piece. That way, multiple transcriptionists can work on the entire file, making for a faster turnaround time. When the entire audio file is transcribed, then the quality assurance department will put together the final file.

Finally, after your work is submitted, someone from the quality assurance department will review your work, correcting whatever is necessary. In some cases, if your work is rejected, usually if it’s riddled with errors, you won’t be paid.

Requirements to stay active

The company does ask that you complete at least one job per 30-minute period. If you cannot meet this requirement for any reason, they do ask that you fill out an “Inactivity Notification” form so that you can remain active on the platform.

Other than that, you can work whenever you please as you are considered an independent contractor.

Transcribe Me Pay

According to the company, rookie transcriptionists will average $15 per audio hour, however, as there are different teams and projects, this price can go up. This pay rate is subject to change.

Remember, this is an audio hour rate, and it doesn’t mean per hour. Since it can take up to four hours to compile one hour of audio, your hourly rate may only be in the $3.75 per hour. That’s not good.

Do note that since every job only takes a minute or so here and there, your typical jobs, such as a two-minute audio file only pay $0.50 or so, whereas a four-minute file will pay $1. These small snippets can add up over time.

When do you get paid?

The company sends out payments once a week via PayPal once your balance reaches $20. After it hits $20, then you can request your payment at any time.

How do you get paid?

At the moment, the company only pays via PayPal. There are no other options.

What Others Are Saying

On Glassdoor, this site had the most reviews, with more than 228+ reviews at the time of this review. The reviews were subpar, with the company receiving a modest 3.6 out of 5. 86% did recommend the CEO, Yuri Pikover, however.

In reading these reviews, here are a few pros and cons I found:

The Pros

  • can work from home
  • flexible hours
  • minimum qualifications to get started
  • supportive community
  • some people say the work is easy
  • good support

The Cons

  • low pay for the industry
  • lots of editing on many jobs
  • not enough work

The main con I found was that the pay was very low, with some transcriptionists stating they could barely break a few dollars an hour. Another common complaint was the jobs available. In some cases, there were no jobs on the board, even if they logged in constantly.

Final Thoughts

5/10If you want to type online and you don’t have much experience, TranscribeMe is meh. The thing I don’t like is the pay. At $15 per audio hour, that can net you maybe $4~ per hour worked. That’s way less than minimum wage. Unless you feel you can type one audio hour in one hour, which is next to impossible, you won’t make much.

While the company is legitimate, and they will pay, I feel you may be disappointed if you sign up. While I won’t stop you, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

For now, check out the many other transcription companies out there as there are a lot of them.

This concludes our review. As always, if you want to comment, feel free to do so below. I’m happy to help if need be.

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Tom Nathaniel

Hi! My name is Tom Nathaniel, and I created LushDollar to help share my honest thoughts on everything money. You won't find gimmicks here. It's the Internet's most honest money site after all. I graduated from Arizona State University, and I have worked in the finance industry since 2006, consulting with multiple Fortune 5000 companies.

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