Curious
about closed captioning jobs? It's exactly as you might have guessed
–creating the television and video captions for the hearing impaired.
While it
may seem like something fairly easy to do, it's harder than you'd think and
it's something that you can't really get into without some schooling. Still,
it's an industry that can pay well and may also allow you the luxury of working
from home!
Today I
have a list of companies that hire for work from home closed captioning. Next
to each company, I've tried to include some additional information.
If you're
not familiar with how captioning works, you'll probably be surprised by the
high words per minute requirements for each company. Captioning is generally
done with a stenotype machine (something court reporters use) and if you are
trained to use one, it is possible to type well over 200 words per minute.
Before we
get to the companies, I want to break down for you the two different types of
captioning. Below I've shared all the details.
Offline Closed Captioning
People who
do offline closed captioning transcribe pre-recorded TV programming and/or
movies (things that won't be airing live).
To be
successful as an offline captioner, it's important that you type fast, have
great English skills, are very comfortable using computers, and have a good
understanding of time codes.
A time
code is defined as, “A coded signal on videotape or film giving information
about such things as frame number, time of recording, or exposure.”
Offline
captioners may transcribe a program first (listen to it in it's entirety while
preparing a script), and then use the script for captioning. Sometimes there
will already be a script prepared for the transcriber to use.
Real-Time Captioning
Real-time
captioning involves live programming. This is closed captioning for news
broadcasts, sporting events, or anything taking place live.
As you can
imagine, real-time captioning involves a great deal of speed and skill and
because of this, it's known to pay far better than offline captioning does. In
fact, some real-time captioners make upwards of $100K per year!
Just as it
is with offline captioning, you'll need to be fast and accurate, and you'll
also need to have stenographic skills because real-time captioners typically
use stenographic shorthand while working.
To get
into this line of work, you'll have to have been trained at a school that
offers captioning courses. Many court reporting schools do offer degrees and
certifications in captioning.
Companies That Occasionally Offer Closed
Captioning Jobs
#1 –
Aberdeen
Aberdeen
pays up to $75 per hour for real-time closed captioning from home. You need to
have experience in captioning with a speed of 180-220 words per minute.
Most of
the captioning you do for them will require you to have some knowledge of
Bible/Christian terminology.
Go here to check for openings at
Aberdeen.
#2 –
Caption Max
This
company hires both realtime and offline captioners. It looks like the offline
captioners have to work from the Caption Max office, but realtime captioners
may work from home.
To be
considered, you must have attended a court reporting school and have
a minimum of an A.A. or B.S. in Court and Conference Reporting or
satisfactory completion of other 2-year equivalent program.
Go here to
check for job openings at Caption Max.
#3 –
Caption Media Group
Caption
Media Group occasionally has openings for US-based closed captioners with a
minimum of 2 years of experience.
They
handle all kinds of captioning — everything from films to corporate materials.
The company website does not appear to have a Careers page where you can check
for openings, but you can sometimes find the listings on Indeed when they're
hiring.
Go here to visit the Caption Media Group
website or here to check for openings through Indeed – (not always
posted).
#4 – ASC
Services
This
company has regular openings for at-home workers. The job description sounds
more like transcription than captioning, but if you have an interest in
transcribing entertainment and news broadcasts, this company may be an option.
They do
require three past years of experience in transcription before they will
consider you.
Go here to check for openings.
#5 – Vitac
Vitac is
one of the more well-known captioning companies. Many of their positions are
in-house, but they do hire remote realtime captioners as well.
However,
to qualify for a remote position you have to be trained and have experience in
captioning. Another thing that's interesting about Vitac is that their captioners
are employees of the company, not independent contractors. This is a little
unusual because most of the captioning jobs I find are independent contractor
positions.
Go here for more information on
captioning jobs at Vitac.
#6 –
National Captioning Institute
NCI
(National Captioning Institute) has regular openings for court reporters and
voice writers with experience to work at home.
This
company offers benefits (insurance, etc.) and paid training to their workers.
To qualify, you must have at least an Undergrad degree, HS diploma plus
three years related work experience, OR training/certification in court
reporting or voice captioning.
Go here for more information on
captioning work at NCI.
#7 – Rev
This is
one of the few companies that will hire beginners for closed captioning work.
However, the pay is not great compared to what you would earn doing this for
one of the other companies that insists on experienced and/or trained workers.
According
to Rev, you will earn $0.40-$0.75 per video minute. Paid weekly, via PayPal.
Go here for
more information on captioning jobs at Rev.
#8 –
CaptioningStar
If you are
an experienced real-time captioner, you may be able to get freelance work with
CaptioningStar. You can fill out the simple form on their website and wait to
hear back.
Go here for
more information on captioning jobs at CaptioningStar.
2 Places to Find Closed Captioning
Jobs
#1 –
Indeed
I
frequently find online captioning jobs posted at Indeed, one of the most
popular job search sites.
#2 –
FlexJobs
FlexJobs is
a popular job search site specializing in remote, flexible work that I've often
used for research. FlexJobs promises 100 percent scam-free job postings. I
have seen several remote closed captioning positions posted there before.
There is a
fee of $14.95 to sign up for a membership and gain access to all the listings,
but you can set your account up so that it does not automatically bill you
monthly if you just want to try it for a month to see if it's worth paying for
on an ongoing basis. Note you can use promo code AFFILPROMO to get 30 percent
off of a one-month membership.
Go here to browse closed captioning positions on FlexJobs. Note you won't be able to see the
names of the companies unless you are a paid member, but you can get a good
idea of how many positions are open.
Where To Get Trained
If you
don't already have the training and certification you need to qualify for the
above jobs, you'll want to check out the National Court
Reporting Association website
(NCRA).
From what
I've gathered, this is a good, reliable online resource for anyone wanting to
break into the court reporting and captioning industries. You can find
information there on schools and certification programs as well as employment
opportunities.
Don't Think Captioning Is For You?
Then be
sure to check out this massive list of 100 transcription
jobs. This is a
related field that's a little easier to get started in.
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