Working from home can sound so enticing. Never having to set an alarm clock, never having to get dressed (or go to the dry cleaning) ever again. However, it can be hard to find a legitimate online job these days with so many people willing to take advantage of the average mom looking to make a few bucks to fuel her Target addictions (is it just me?!?). As an introvert, I am especially picky in what jobs I am looking for; I don’t want to have to talk on the phone, no cold calling or sales please, and definitely not interested in customer service.
Work from home
Ever since I heard of people earning money online I knew I also craved the flexibility of being able to earn money from anywhere in the world (even if it’s just on my own couch!). Finding legitimate work online has always been the biggest stumbling block for me in making this dream a reality. However, I am a dreamer and I still frequently find myself surfing the net looking for new ways to earn online.
I dream of chilling in an RV parked on the beach and clicking away on the laptop in between long walks with sand in my toes! For right now I am at my kitchen table while the little guy naps. But all in due time right?! Also, as an introvert I have always wanted to be able to just stay home and yet also earn money online.
Get Started
Anyway, I heard of this new (to me anyway) job opportunity from one of the FB groups I am in and I jumped on the chance to try my hand at online income. Rev is a completely free website (my motto has always been – if you have to pay for a job – run!). They offer general transcription services to their clients, so they are always looking for new transcribers to take on the many projects they have. They are looking for anyone who can type very quickly and accurately. Two things at which I happen to excel and if you can type quickly too then you should seriously check them out. Head over to Rev.com and take the test to see if you too can work from home in your spare time.
This new job is not nearly as passive or as mindless as my other favorite way to make money online – Swagbucks! But I can make quite a bit more money this way too. My littlest just turned three and is a handful – to say the least! He is not one to play quietly on the floor while I type away with headphones on. So unfortunately, my work times are very limited right now. One of the reasons I love Swagbucks is I can watch videos on my phone or answer simple surveys while I sit next to him on the couch watching Caillou for the 10,000th time! Plus, when I need to stop what I am doing to get him yet another bowl of fruit loops I can do so without really feeling interrupted.
Beginners Welcome
I have high hopes for my new job and look forward to hearing if anyone else has had success with them as well. I know there are other companies out there that pay more, but there are no fees to join and no expensive software to purchase. These are the main reasons I chose Rev. There also aren’t any educational requirements to apply, just the ability to type quickly and accurately.
The test to apply to work with them is not easy, and definitely not something to take lightly. Be sure to plan out at least 20 minutes of uninterrupted time to take the tests and complete the practice transcription job. The tests just make sure that you do know some baseline level of English and grammar. Don’t worry, it’s not timed and since you are just online, be sure to open a second tab so you can Google the answers.
Without having to shell out any money up front for a training course, or having to upgrade my old computer or purchase any special software/equipment, I am not complaining about the low rates of pay. As a rookie in the beginning I made $0.40 per audio minute. And like I said my time availability is extremely limited so it took me about two weeks to complete the rookie training.
They had said it could take as much as a month, but I went a little slower with my submissions and made sure they were perfect. You get graded on everything you submit as a rookie and you can’t pass until you get a certain amount of minutes transcribed accurately. So I focused on my accuracy in the beginning over speed. I think in the long run this is why I was able to finish the paid rookie training in two weeks versus four like they initially said.
Pay scale
The effort was worth it at Rookie status because once I got bumped to full-on Revver status, I earned a 20% raise. Also at the new status the amount of jobs available to me went up ten-fold. The raise sounds really great until you do the math and realize that 20% of 40 cents is only 10 cents!! But still compared to the measly 2% cost of living raises I used to get at my old day job, twenty percent still sounds impressive. I have really enjoyed the promotion to Revver status, the options are so much better. There are so many more jobs available at this level that if I had more time to devote to it I know I could make quite a little bit of money each week.
Did I mention you get paid weekly? Every Monday through PayPal, this is very convenient in my book. If nothing else, at least the few bills I have each month that go through my PayPal will be paid for (hello Netflix and Hulu!). This job seems completely legit and I recommend it if you are looking to make a few extra dollars each week to help offset some bills.
If you are looking for a full-time job and need to make a decent amount of money each week, I would not suggest this job. The carpal tunnel issues alone would deter me, but also the hourly pay is not great. However, as a stay at home mom who is just looking to help out with the weekly budget, this is a great opportunity to bring in an extra $100 each Monday morning. Be sure to head over to Rev.com (*not an affiliate link…it’s free!) and check it out then come back and let me know how you like it!
