** The only main issue I have is that everything is communicated in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) which is about 7 hours ahead of me, so I have to always remember that when meeting a self-imposed goal or deadline.
** You must be a good and attentive listener. If you are unable to focus for more than a couple minutes at a time, this might not be for you.
** Not a great amount of offline work available, so you must have reliable internet access.
** You must provide your own hearing equipment. Computer speakers generally aren't good enough. I just use cheap ear-buds and they work as well, or better than others who spend a great deal more on headphones.
** Pay is only low if you are looking for this to be your main income, but higher than most other transcription companies I am familiar with. This is supplemental at best, but would be a great way to practice and improve on many language skills. I made a bit over 1K last year and I don't feel I worked very hard every month.
** You have to have a quiet surrounding, or at least quiet children. I work in the morning, at nap time, and in the evening. Sometimes when we go outside I will work out there as well..
** No benefits or insurance. The benefit to me is they are paying me for work that I can do while sitting on my couch, drinking coffee, and watching my kids play with their dolls and planes.... This internet stuff is incredible.
** I've never had a delay in payment, but I have heard it happens, but I've worked here just over a year and it's never been a problem.
** Pay-out-day is on Friday. They require you to have earned a minimum of $10 before you withdraw (again, not a big deal for me). There's a 3% fee and $0.30 charge added by Paypal to each transaction. I generally wait until I've earned $100 before withdrawing that money and having it sent to Paypal.
** As a QA or Reviewer you do sometimes have to deal with people who are not very good at their job, so you may be asked to reject their work. This happens, so being smart about which transcription you do becomes important as does your be-nice-to-others skills.
** Negative co-workers do exist in all jobs, but I find that most of the people I work with at TranscribeMe are excellent and loving people. Every single person in administration has always been positive and encouraging of me.
** They don't pay you for good reviews. I wish they did. I was shocked there were so many negative feelings about TM, so I decided to leave my impressions as well.
