If you’re looking for a job you can do remotely, you may have started to look into work-at-home transcription jobs. These jobs allow you the flexibility to work from home, and if you’re a quick typer, they can be a good way to bring in some additional income.
Allegis Transcription is one of the bigger companies in the online transcription space, and job seekers will want to know if it’s a great place to work or not.
In this article, we’ll go into transcription, as well as some of the tools you need to transcribe at your best. We’ll also give a breakdown of Allegis Transcription, working for them, how to apply, and requirements they may have. We also answer the question: Is Allegis a scam?
A Brief Guide to Transcription
A transcriptionist is someone who takes audio files, and then accurately writes out what is said in those files, verbatim.
Transcriptionists are judged on their work for accurate outcomes and how clean the copy is. The transcript must be formatted correctly and delivered in a timely manner. Transcriptionists can make more money for promising quick turnarounds, as “rush jobs” are often requested by people looking for fast results.
There are also specialized transcription services in several fields, like medical transcription or transcription for legal industries. These fields require specialized transcription for several reasons:
- They often rely on shorthand and jargon a layperson might not recognize or understand, while a medical or legal transcriptionist would
- The medical field especially often has hard-to-spell medicines and equipment that a trained ear would recognize and be able to write out correctly
- Technical knowledge can result in better-formatted, cleaner copy
Basically, knowing what is going on is going to make you a better transcriptionist. If you have a legal or medical background, or have been trained to transcribe in those fields, you can often make more money than a standard transcriptionist.
Working for Allegis Transcription
A popular transcription company for people looking to work at home is Allegis Transcription. They are often hiring, and while they have more employment requirements than many other online transcription companies, they pay at a competitive rate and are one of the better reviewed transcription sites out there for workers.
Let’s get into some of the details about working for Allegis.
How Allegis Pays
Allegis, like most transcription companies, pays by the audio hour as opposed to the working hour. This means that the quicker you can transcribe, the better money you are going to make. While their pay rate varies depending on the scope of a project, turnaround time, and more, they say transcriptionists make between $13 and $17 an hour.
This rate is decent, but the problem with this and more transcription services is that there often isn’t enough work to go around. Some days you may have hours of transcription to get through, other days it might just be a couple minute audio file you need to transcribe. It’s because of this that transcription work often isn’t feasible as a full-time job, at least for someone just starting out.
Allegis Transcriptionist Requirements
Job seekers looking to join the Allegis Transcription team may notice that they have quite a few more requirements than many other transcription companies out there, including equipment that you need to have.
While this may seem a bit frustrating at first, it’s totally understandable from Allegis, as they want to make sure you are fully equipped to do the job. And if you are going to take transcription seriously, these are the tools you should probably have to do your job well.
The first requirement is that all transcriptionists for Allegis must be based in the United States. This is for payment and tax purposes (more on that in the FAQ section).
They also require:
- Windows-OS computer and internet connection
- Over-the-ear headphones/headset
- Compatible foot pedal
- Anti-virus software
Allegis uses its own software to assign out and collect transcriptions, and because of this, they need to make sure your computer works well with their software. As of now, this means computers must be PCs (sorry Mac users). They also want you to have anti-virus software as the Allegis software has a connection to your computer, and they don’t want to be infected if something happens to your computer.
You may be asking: Why the foot pedal? Foot pedals allow transcriptionists to pause, rewind, and play back audio without taking their fingers off the keyboard. Just about every serious transcriptionist has one, and if you want to do this even as a part-time job, it’s a wise investment.
Allegis has a handy guide to foot pedals, if you’re wondering which ones are compatible with their software (and the best to use).
Applying to Allegis Transcription
Allegis is often, but not always, accepting applications for new transcriptionists. If you are interested in working for them, you should check out their jobs page on their website.
On the right hand side, you’ll see if there are any job openings available. If there aren’t any listed, you can sign up for email updates to let you know when any openings come up.
If you’re accepted, you’ll soon start the onboarding process where you’ll be trained on their software.
Is Allegis a Scam?
There are always concerns with online job sites that they might be scamming you. From all our research, working for Allegis isn’t a scam, though there have been a few tough Allegis Transcription reviews on Glassdoor. (The company is much higher rated than many of its competitors, it should be said.)
The main complaint we’ve seen is one that a lot of transcription companies see — the work isn’t as fun or well-paying as people thought it would be. This doesn’t make Allegis a scam, it’s just a fact of this type of work.
Transcription work isn’t glamorous. Audio files can be of poor quality, and are often hard to hear. If people speak with heavy accents, it can take a long time to transcribe. Transcriptionists make money based on how quickly they can turn around transcriptions, and if the work takes longer than you think, it may be frustrating. Even a 10-minute audio file can sometimes take close to an hour to transcribe, especially if the audio quality isn’t great.
As a part-time gig, transcribing can be a great way to bring in a little extra cash. For people expecting this to work as a way to quickly make a lot of money, they may be disappointed.
Frequently Asked Questions
We’ve covered transcription, what Allegis Transcription is, and the company’s requirements for employment. We’ve also looked at whether the company is a scam or not. Let’s get to some frequently asked questions.
1. Do I need transcription experience?
While experienced transcriptionists are often favored, Allegis often lists for entry-level transcriptionist jobs. Check out their jobs page to see what openings are available and if they require any experience or special training.
2. Do I need to have a certain word-per-minute (WPM) count?
There isn’t a minimum WPM threshold for working for Allegis. You’re paid by audio hour, not work hour, so having a very fast WPM count is great for making money, but unless it’s a rush job, Allegis will often give you more than enough time to get transcription done.
3. Does Allegis automatically withhold for taxes?
Like many work-at-home jobs, Allegis classifies its employees as independent contractors, meaning you will need to file taxes yourself. If you take on this work, read our guide to filing taxes as an independent contractor.
Work at Home With Allegis Transcription
If you’ve got some extra time in your life and are looking to bring in additional revenue, you may want to look into job openings with Allegis Transcription. While transcription work isn’t as lucrative as some people may like, it’s steady work that can provide solid pay.
Allegis does have more requirements than some other competitors, but the company offers consistent work and pays fairly, and the equipment they want you to have is necessary for anyone who wants to do transcription work well.
After reading this article, you should have a good sense of what it takes to do transcription work well, if it’s for you, and if Allegis is a company that you should be looking to work for. Sound like something you might be interested in? Go out there and get transcribing.
