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Sorry, don't post here often and not familiar. I was saying I make great money and stay at home w

Posted By: I hardly think that is pitiful. on 2005-07-18
In Reply to: Double major - BA English/journalism. Did MT while in college and came back after layoff. - I work for lines and make 125K+/yr which I'd ha

Where do folks get these odd ideas?


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Some of us stay at home moms need the money too.
Just because I stay home with the kids, it doesn't mean I am working just for extra cash. My family is dependent on my income. I bring in the majority of our family's income with MT. Staying home for me is an added benefit since I am saving $1000 a month in childcare, which is money my family really needs rather than paying it out to someone else. Please, don't judge all SAHMs equally. Some of us do value our career choice and work hard to support our families.
I have to disagree. I make more money from home
The issue doesn't have anything to do with inhouse or outsourcing.


You CAN make great money
... if you are good and have a decent line rate. I made just under $70k last year working at home in my 2nd full year as a transcriptionist.
I make very good money at home with a small MTSO

Absolutely would. Love my job/career! Make great money. nm
x
great post - we have people that work at home in our hospital - sm
but getting them to work is like asking them to do a big favor. They constantly have the excuse "oh my kids are here, I have to play with them." "I can't work because my kids have a cold." "I can't work because my kids want to go outside and play."

I could go on and on and on. Those of us that work inhouse and have kids don't seem to have "the problems"
the tone of your post is so familiar
If you somehow follow my other posts, which are mostly just vents, and why you are following them so closely?  Who are you???
Make money? I'm not making any money because of my decision. You read my reasoning
You can agree with me or not, but don't make false assumptions please.
You're working to make money, not to spend money.
These people should be ashamed of themselves taking advantage of people this way!
I also blew some money signing up with Quixtar... The only way to make any money is to bug everyone

you know into signing up.  I felt like a snake oil huckster.  I hated it.  I was flushing money down the toilet from the moment I handed over my money. 


RUN, do not walk away!  I do an entirely different side business now that I really love (in addition to my MTing, which I also love!)  Find something you're good at and that you truly love doing.  Then make a business out of it.  That's the best way to have a side business.  Selling discount toilet paper through Amway/Quixtar?  Not so much. 


Stay at home DAD???

Any wives out there have a stay at home dad?  Or, any dads out there a stay at home dad?  Today is my husband's last day of work (YEAH!!!)  I am very happy, he was a branch manager of a huge company and was working 13 to 15 hours a day.  We readjusted and got rid of some bills and he QUIT!!  I told him to take AT LEAST 2 months off before he even thinks about working again. 


 


Since I work at home, any tips for making him feel great about what he is doing?  I happen to know that staying at home with kids is the hardest job in the world and I want him to feel appreciated.  Also, I am worried about us getting in each other's hair too much since I stay at home also.  Any advice?  I know it is kind of a strage situation, but we are very thankful and blessed that we get to do this.  He missed out a lot on my 5-year-olds growing up and he doesn't want to miss anymore (we also have a 2-year-old and planning for 2 more within the next 3 to 4 years)


The best stay at home Dad
My hubby stayed home with our 3 kids when our twins were born.  Our oldest was 5 when they were born.  Since I had the better job, he stayed home with them during the day and worked at night after I got home.  He is the best Dad.  The twins are now 9 and they all are so close to their Dad.  He cooks, cleans, does laundry, take the kids everywhere (the last favorite thing they did was a fishing derby when he left with the kids and all the neighbor kids at 5:30 am).  This week they spent a whole day at Grandpa's farm.  He even kept 2 other kids when he was a stay at home Dad to earn extra money for groceries.  It is wonderful to see how close children can be to their Dad.  These are memories they will never forget.  So bravo to all the Dads out there that have stayed home with their children.  It is not an easy job, but many blessings come with the job.
Oh you will love being an MT! Stay home,
xx
Stay-at-home moms
I have never understood how someone can stay at home with kids and do MT. I always had to give it my total concentration. I have 5 kids (all grown and married) -- and I never would have attempted to stay home with just one kid. There's too much of a chance for mistakes. The job deserves total concentration and perfection. There will always be some problems with understanding what a doc says, but the MT should give the job her best.
Stay at home with kids?
I do not know if you all got this from my post but I said nothing about staying at home with kids.  I don't even have any kids.  I just enjoy being able to work from the comfort of my own home.  Before I got into the MT profession, I worked for a bank in a call center.  I NEVER want to work like that again!  You think you are treated like crap doing MT, try working in a call center.  You are treated like cattle there.  I just feel blessed working from home doing something I love.  And it seems like you guys are putting down all the moms who do work from home doing mt.  I am sure their work is just as good as yours.  They just want to be able to be there for their kids and also be a professional.
To get to be a housewife & stay-at-home mom again.
x
stay home or go in house....

I got offered a job in a small neurology office starting at $17/hr with a raise in a few months.  No working weekends or holidays and lots of vacation days.  Low stress.


I currently work at home for a pretty decent company with a pretty decent line rate, but am starting to feel pressure to produce more...my average pay at home is between $13 and $15 an hour.  It also adds stress when there is little to know work available and I am having to alter my schedule to "make up" time.


So, I would be making a bit more money, but I will have to have child care for the summers and for after school, so I don't know if it is worth it. 


Can someone give me some insight as to whether they were faced with this decision...what they decided and why?  I would really appreciate it. 


Stay home or go in-house?

Help! What do I do?  I currently work for a pretty good national company and I get to stay home and work in my PJs, but then... we ran out of work for a few days and I panicked.  I applied for an in-house position doing radiology, which I have never done before.  I am fairly certain they will offer me the position to work 24 to 32 hours, with many more hours if I want them.  It pays about 18.50 per hour during the week and 19.39 on the weekends, which I will work one weekend day.  So now what???


Do I give up the comfort of my home for a guaranteed paycheck and work in a cubical typing radiology notes for 8 hours a day?  UGH!  Tough to have such choices in this economy. 


Any insight or thoughts on this?  I do have young children, but they spend a lot of time at grandma's while I work anyway.


 


JUST to stay HOME with your kids is NO reason to

get into this profession.  You sound like one of those many women who think just because they have a computer, can type and put two words together they can be an MT.  As I am sure you have discovered, there is so much more to this career than that. I agree the benefits of being available for our children is truly a blessing and when mine were young I was SO thankful to have that flexibility, but to all the newbies out there:  Do the research before you delve into this.  It is not as easy as some make it out to be.  Perhaps you should try running a daycare instead. Or put your children in one part-time until you get comfortable with MTing.   


Yeah, but getting to be a stay-at-home mom is just one of the perks.
I would gladly have done this had I known about it when my children were little in order to get to stay at home with them.
Me too - when do we go? Hubby would have to stay home with the kids

Is it really? That's great! So did you stay
here during the hurricane? I have friends who live nearby and stayed. They were pretty scared. I read about that boy who died due to the tree falling on the trailer, so sad. :( I think all those trees out there would be the worst thing to deal with in a storm.
how do you stay consistent and productive working at home?
Just wondering.  I have a hard time lately with being disciplined enough to sit and do what I am supposed to.  What do you guys do if that happens to you?
Not stay at home, but opposite shifts. My advice:

Make sure you always say thank you.  It's a MUST for a man.  My husband and I decided to work different shifts years ago so that the kids wouldn't have to go to daycare.  Now I'm at home, but he still works 3rd shift for the same company that he's been with for 7 years because he likes it.


I've always thanked him.  I'd get home from work and he'd have dinner cooking and I'd say, "I"m so lucky to have you!"  And even if I didn't care for the dinner choice, I'd shut up and eat it. :)


Even just little things now, like if he washes the dishes or vacuums because he knows I'm on a deadline, I'll always say, "Thank you for doing that, you're such a big help."


Trust me, boost the old ego and those pots and pans won't sit in the sink. Complain one time that he missed a spot and you'll be scrubbing the broiler pan.


I turned down a hospital job to stay at home and regret it. sm
The hospital jobs are much more stable, and you have the same docs over and over. Even if they are ESL, at least you can get good at them. Take the hospital job - the PTO and benefits are worth it.
Stay where you are - it is a great deal. sm
You may see other line rates posted here, but with little to no work and other variables. You have a great company - be happy and keep on transcribing!

Best of luck to you and keep it up!
Great Job! You will stay in my prayers!
You are a strong woman. Keep your eye on the ball and your Faith in your heart. Will keep you and your kids in my prayers. xo
I guess we'll stay home and eat Ramen. Hadn't though about food going up too.
x
I dont care if you stay home because ofyour kids, a health issue - sm
or because you just like to work in tne nude. The fact of the matter is, settling for a lower rate jsut for the convenience of working from home is BS. I've been doing this for 25 years and have been home since 1996 and while I know I am not making the same money I did in the haydays, I sure as he11 will not work for less. Many of these companies are bluffing if they tell you they have to lower your rate. In fact, if you hold your ground and have a decent reputation, you can even make more.

It's too bad that so many people don't believe in their abilities and worth to hold out. You should never base your decision on fear. Use logic and common sense.
Great post. I swear by both Advantage and Frontline Plus-- both work great! - sm
I don't know about "natural" approaches for the house. I have always used flea bombs in the past before the miracle of Advantage and Frontline changed my life. Have not had a flea problem at all since I began using those products about 10 years ago, dose all the dogs religiously once a month with the Frontline Plus except in Dec.-Feb. to save a few bucks and because the ground is generally frozen by then and no fleas are scurring about. -- Hope you get flea free soon.
I will stay in Podunk and make a living wage if you will take it to a blog. sm
Is that concept so hard to understand?  I you cannot understand that simple idea, maybe that is why the lot of you don't have the sense to do something about your situation other than just whine.  Take it to a blog, where maybe between you will be able to help yourselves.  Or better yet, think of it this way,,,  take it to a blog and then you won't have to navigate around the other posts to whine to each other.
Great post -great job of wording your answer! (sm)
Original poster - I completely agree with this answer, especially the part about finding yourself and using all that you have learned intellectually and connecting that to something that you will also enjoy with your heart!! You have so many wonderful options for your future - much more than many of us.
Disciplined at home=money. (nm)
X
Wouldn't you bring home more money at 10 cpl? nm
:
Does anyone else earn extra money at home doing something along with MT work?
I need some ideas.  Fall is coming and I will have some extra time and getting burned out on MT.
How really do you make money?

I know I'm new but at least I have a job Right???


Anyway editing VR at 3 cents a line and not being quick is frustrating... I have been working for a week and I think I made maybe if I'm lucky 200.00, now I left a job making 500.00 a week after taxes... Boy I am stupid... So much for this great career working at home blah blah... I guess I'm totally frustrated considering no one will hire you new and when you get a job they say here is some chicken feed... I can't live off of this, does anyone have any suggestions... I will there is something to be said for getting paid by the hour


I don't make any money and I am

I am paid an hourly rate based on the number of lines I edit.  I'm trying to go back to being an MT.  I took a job for this company that pays $12/hr.  I am supposed to average 300 lines per hour.  I can only get a raise if my average is more than this for 6 months.


I don't know about anybody else, but I don't see that I will ever be able to edit more than 300 lines an hour because it takes time to provide feedback.


 


You cannot do it well and make money sm
by constantly stopping to work to attend to children, errands, family business.  If you want to make money, you have to treat it like what it is, a real job. 
i make my money on them.
they are easy and i rarely have to look up words.
you won't make any money

if you cann't understand what they are saying.  You will sit twiddling your thumbs, going ARHGGH!  7 cpl is not good either, but at least you could be making something compared to nothing with ESL.  Making < $5 an hour typing ESL  versus maybe $10 an hour at 7 cpl... Hard choice..


When did you make the most money?

Was your line rate higher when you started, halfway through, or now?


Exactly! The money was great, but the stress...
and long hours were certainly not worth it.  I still don't get why JJ or whoever would care about anyone's bb name.    Personally, I have more important things to get my panties in a twist over.  We all have our hangups I suppose. 
While I have made great money doing MT,

if I had it do over, no I would not go into MT.  I would have finished college and gotten my degree instead.  I am back in college now to get my degree, but it would have been so much better if I had done it years ago.


I agree with the MT who says after 25 years she is working harder and making less.  It's the same for me.  I am getting burned out after all these years, I can't type the long hours I once did, I can't see doing this for another 20 years.  If the money was there like it used to be, that might be different.


One year and you make decent money? What is decent money to you?
k
I am a very social person and I entered this job at home because it paid more money
than the jobs in the office and I was a single parent. I just learned to balance my life outside the work environment with things that did allow me to use my social skills
Have done both, and still prefer at home, making more money and setting my own hours. (sm)
In-house your required to meet a productivity of nothing less here on the east coast of 135 to 155 lines per hour, not to mention the QA's done weekly!! Yes, weekly, random 10 reports per MT!! I never had a problem with the QA's always between 99.6% and 99.8%. But, you work straight, no talking, in your little box (I call it). Yes, the benefits are a perk, but not that much and I worked 2nd shift always, so it was 18% of my base wage. I am still making more at home productivity wise and take a break when I want to. But, like you said circumstances change. Good luck!!
Needing to make some money.....
I just started a new job and really like it when I have work but the problem is that I do 2 or 3 reports and then it's gone for 20 or 30 minutes.  I can't make any money doing a report here and there....I've asked for a backup account but they are saying everything is low right now.  What do I do?  I don't want to switch companies again when I just started this one, but my bills aren't waiting simply because I don't have any work.  I didn't get to work Friday or Monday at all.  Yesterday, I finally did my minimum (I want to do a lot more than that) but it took me until 11:00 last night to do it because I had to work here and there all day long..........Just wondering if this is the case for a lot of people.  Guess I just needed to vent. 
How to make money MTing

I'm an occasional lurker and infrequent poster. I see so many posts regarding inability to make money that I thought I would post some ideas in the hope it might help someone. However, I don't expect my post to ever see the light of day as every time I do post, my post disappears faster than a snowball in the desert.


I believe anyone can still make money doing MT provided:


1. You take the time to thoroughly learn your terminology, not just words, but a thorough understanding. You will never make money if your fingers are flipping through books instead of being on the keyboard. Learning takes time and effort. IMHO learning can't be done with small children underfoot any more than you would take your children to a classroom and expect to learn. Once you are a seasoned MT and know your job the way you know the back of your hand, then, yes, you can work with the children (or a tornado) around you.


If you aren't willing to commit to #1 then there is no use reading on.


2. You MUST work for a company that isn't constantly running out of work. No work, no money, doesn't matter how much knowledge you have or how fast you type. If your company consistently runs out of work, do yourself a favor and move on. I would suggest keeping the old job until you try out the new company lest you find you have jumped from the frying pan into the fire.


3. Nevermind "how I've always done it." Right or wrong, your obligation is to the place that signs your paycheck. If you "can't remember" changes, make a macro that will remind you. Same with verbatim. Forget what you "have always done" and condition yourself, right or wrong, to type exactly what is dictated, no more, no less.


Now to increase your pay:


1. Really work at increasing your typing speed. There is something to be said for learning to type on an old standard Underwood typewriter and doing the exercises "the quick brown fox jumped over the hollow log" and "now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their country." It really works.


2. Use your word expander to the max. I first use all the accepted medical abbreviations. I then go to what I can easily remember as my abbreviations. For instance I use ASHD2 to spell out when dicitated. I use the first 2 letters of each word in a 2 word phrase i.e. stco (stable condition). Pay attention to anything a given physician dictates consistently and put it in your word expander. Most people can edit faster than they type.


3. Learn to proof as you go. It can be done. My kids used to laugh at me because they said my mouth was constantly moving when I was typing. Still does. That's because I'm also reading as I'm typing. Train yourself to do this and you won't have to waste time going back and proofing.


4. Learn to be an accurate typist. You will be surprised how much time you spend backing up to correct typing errors. That is what spellcheck is for but that also wastes time. Don't waste time backing up to correct typos, wait for spellcheck and remember that the seconds you spend correcting typos, even with spellcheck, makes a big difference at the end of the day.


5. Take your job seriously. If your fingers aren't on the keyboard, you aren't making money. My routine is that I work as hard as I can until I reach 1/2 of my daily goal, which is twice the minimum that is required. Once I have reached that point I allow myself to do other things. Like I will type 2 or 3 reports, do a load of laundry or whatever. I also DO NOT answer the phone until I have reached the 1/2 mark. That includes visiting this or any other board. I've already reached my 1/2 point today and I'm feeling a little bored, it being Friday and all. Even then, I am mindful that time is money and I limit the time I spend on doing other things.


6. Get over the excuse that you are constantly changing accounts. You're paid to do whatever comes across your screen. Teach yourself to "file" account specifics in your brain so they automatically come up with the account...it can be done. Don't be afraid of new accounts or new dictators. Remember it's all the same WORDS just spoken by different voices.


It doesn't matter how much I make because that doesn't help any of you. Let's just say it's up there with the highest producers who post here and I am also an "old dog". I've been MTing probably about as long as most of you have been on this earth and believe it or not, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks. :)


Hope this little bit of info will help someone and I hope it stays up long enough to do so.


Can one make money at etransplus?

Hi,


I am pleased with the benefit package and the line rate for insurance, but I was astounded by style they prefer.  It is just so much.  Can one make money there? 


and, i didn't make THAT much money nm
nm
Most of the men I know in this field make more money than
I think they do less bonding with coworkers and seem to focus better.