Are you looking for a career that offers flexible hours, the freedom to work from home, the opportunity to learn, and a chance to make a difference? Then look no further than working in legal transcription.
Working as a legal transcriptionist is a great career for anyone. Whether you’re retired and looking to supplement your income or are a stay-at-home parent who wants to earn some income or you are looking for a career change – legal transcription is a great choice.
Can you tell that we want more people to benefit from a career in legal transcription? To say we’re excited about what a legal transcription offers, would be an understatement. Read on to learn more about the benefits of a career in legal transcription, the skills needed to be a legal transcriptionist, and how to choose a legal transcription company.
What Skills Do I Need for a Career in Legal Transcription?
Along with attending specialized classes and course in legal transcription, you must have the following skills to work as a legal transcriptionist:
- Comfortability with using specialized transcription software.
- Fast and accurate keyboarding skills, 85+ words per minute is expected.
- A proficient and solid understanding of legal terminology and the legal system.
- Superior English language skills – written and verbal.
- Professional proofreading and editing skills.
- Strong computer skills.
- Keen and attentive listening skills.
Most technical colleges offer legal transcription training programs, and you may be interested in earning an associate degree in legal transcription. If it’s not easy for you to attend a technical college in person, it’s worth researching the online learning opportunities. Learn more about getting nationally certified as a legal transcriptionist through the American Association of Electronic Reporters and Transcribers.
What are the Benefits of a Career in Legal Transcription?
Legal transcription is an ideal career for anyone who is looking for a new challenge that offers flexibility and excellent learning opportunities. Let’s take a look at the top benefits of a career in legal transcription:
- Family and life balance: it can be very challenging to find a career that is rewarding and that also gives you all-important family and life balance. Working as a legal transcriptionist gives you both of these huge benefits. Because you have the freedom to choose your hours and the amount of work you take on, you can be in control of when you work, ensuring that you have time for family, friends, and downtime.
- Income supplement: you might only want to work a few hours a week to supplement your current income or are looking for extra income that can help support you and your family during times when you need extra money. Legal transcription is ideally suited to this, choose the hours you work and know that there will always be lots of demand for your skills.
- Work anywhere: many legal transcriptionists work remotely. This lets you choose when and where you work. You can setup a home office, work in a co-working space, or even work in a coffee shop. All you need is a laptop, legal transcription software, and a good set of headphones.
- Flexible schedule: the flexible working hours and environment, are a huge draw for so many people interested in a career in legal transcription. Be confident that you have a career that lets you enjoy life while still earning a stable income.
- Accessible to anyone: so many careers demand years and years of expensive post-secondary education – this simply is not realistic for many of us. The great news about being a legal transcriptionist is that you don’t need to spend a lot of time or money on being certified. Yes, you will need to take courses and be certified, but this is a short-term situation.
- High employment demand: there is a high demand for qualified and skilled legal transcriptionists. This makes it an ideal time to explore your career opportunities.
Now that you’re sold on becoming a legal transcriptionist, it’s time to research legal transcription companies. Take the time to research the legal transcription companies in your area, reach out and find out what skills these companies are looking for, and ask questions about how you can get started.
It’s an exciting time to be working in legal transcription. Congratulations on making this career choice.