How to Get Paid to Type: A Complete Guide to Turning Your Typing Skills into Income
In today‘s digital economy, fast and accurate typing is a valuable skill that can be turned into a steady stream of income. From transcribing audio files to writing product descriptions, there is no shortage of online typing jobs for those looking to get paid to leverage their keyboarding abilities.
In this comprehensive guide, we will explore over 25 websites and platforms that offer legitimate paying typing jobs. Whether you‘re a student, stay-at-home parent or someone looking to supplement your income, typing jobs provide flexible opportunities to earn money from home.
Overview of Online Typing Jobs
From quick microtasks like solving CAPTCHAs to more complex services like legal transcription, here are some of the most common typing jobs available:
- Transcription – Converting audio or video files into text documents
- Data entry – Inputting data into databases and computer programs
- Virtual assistance – Administrative work like managing emails and calendars
- Captioning/subtitling – Adding text captions/subtitles to videos
- Document conversion – Turning scanned or handwritten docs into digital text
- Copywriting – Writing advertising or marketing materials
- Freelance writing – Writing articles, blog posts, website content
- Proofreading/Editing – Reviewing and correcting written documents
- Resumes – Creating professional resumes optimized for applicant tracking systems
- Email management – Handling, responding to emails for clients
These are just a sampling of typing-related services in demand today. The common thread is they require strong typing ability, attention to detail, and ability to communicate clearly in writing.
Now let‘s dive deeper into some of the most lucrative typing jobs where skilled typists can earn over $20/hour or more.
5 Highest Paying Typing Jobs
1. Medical Transcription
Overview: Medical transcription involves listening to audio recordings from doctors and medical professionals and converting them into detailed reports for patient records and documentation. This critical role in healthcare requires a keen understanding of medical terminology and anatomy.
Pay Rate: $16-$25 per audio hour. Full-time salaries range from $30,000-$50,000.
Requirements: Knowledge of medical terminology, anatomy, transcription software. Certifications like CMT demonstrate skills.
Where To Find Work: MModal, Accuro, iMedX, Transcription Outsourcing LLC
2. Legal Transcription
Overview: Legal transcription involves producing written legal documents from recordings of trials, client meetings, legal hearings and dictations by lawyers. This requires a precise command of legal terminology and proceedings.
Pay Rate: $1.50+ per document page; $25-$40+ per audio hour
Requirements: Legal vocabulary, accuracy, fast typing skills
Where To Find Work: Scribie, SpeakWrite, Welocalize, Verbal Ink, Legal Transcription Services
3. Finance & Accounting
Overview: Finance and accounting pros rely on skilled typists to input figures, produce financial documents like budgets, maintain records and ensure numeric accuracy. This field values precision and familiarity with apps like QuickBooks.
Pay Rate: $15-$25 per hour; more for those with accounting knowledge
Requirements: Math and accounting skills, Excel and QuickBooks expertise
Where To Find Work: Accountemps, Robert Half, AppleOne, numbers and details
4. Software & Tech Documentation
Overview: Technical writers produce instruction manuals, user guides and process documents for software products and high-tech tools. This role bridges the gap between complex technology and end users.
Pay Rate: $23-$33 per hour
Requirements: Superb technical writing ability, expertise using software and tech tools
Where To Find Work: Technical Writers Inc., Scribble Media, Scripted, Technical Writing Hub
5. Academic Writing & Research
Overview: From students to professors, typing skills are vital within academia. There is demand for transcribing long lectures, archiving handwritten notes, writing essays or literature reviews, and assisting with new research.
Pay Rate: $15-$35 per hour depending on academic level
Requirements: Subject matter expertise, research abilities, academic writing fluency
Where To Find Work: Scribbr, Academized, Unemployed Professors, Scholar Advisors
As the demand for highly-skilled knowledge workers continues growing across industries, typists with specialized expertise and mastery of niche terminology can earn higher wages. Let your unique interests guide you toward the typing jobs aligned with your innate talents.
Getting Started as a Paid Online Typist
If you have solid typing abilities and are motivated to earn income from home, here is a step-by-step process to begin working as a paid typist:
1. Self-Assess Your Skills
What‘s your typing words per minute (WPM)? Accuracy percentage? How‘s your grammar, spelling and punctuation? Be honest about assessing areas where you excel or need improvement. Testing sites like Typing.com provide free typing tests to benchmark your speed and precision.
2. Pick Your Niche
Do you want to do general transcription work or specialize in a field like medical, legal or technical writing that leverages domain expertise? Decide where your talents, knowledge and interests lie, as that _:_wn determine the best typing job opportunities.
3. Build Your Profile
Create accounts on popular freelance platforms like Upwork, FlexJobs and Fiverr where you can showcase your skills, services offered, experience and portfolio work (samples of transcripts, documents you typed, accuracy metrics, client reviews etc.)
4. Apply to Typing Job Listings
Search for open typing positions on sites like Indeed, ZipRecruiter and Monster that match your abilities. Having a stellar LinkedIn profile highlighting your qualifications will aid the job hunt.
5. Offer Your Own Typing Services
Rather than waiting for jobs to advertise openings, you can market your own transcription, writing or virtual assistant services. Platforms like Fancy Hands and Zirtual allow you to list your services so clients can hire you directly.
6. Continuously Improve Your Skills
Even the most adept typists can benefit from further developing speed, accuracy and mastery of industry tools like foot pedals, transcription software and style guides. Never stop actively honing your abilities.
To maximize earning potential while avoiding scams, focus your job search on reputable websites known for connecting qualified typists with clients, including:
- Upwork – Freelance services marketplace
- Fiverr – Buy and sell digital services
- FlexJobs – Telecommuting job board
- CloudPeeps – Freelance job board
- RatRaceRebellion – Work from home job listings
- Problogger – Bloggers community job board
- We Work Remotely – Remote work listings
- Contena – Technical writing jobs
- TranscribeMe – Transcription jobs
- Scribie – Transcription jobs
- Rev – Transcription, captioning
- GoTranscript – Transcription jobs
- SpeakWrite – Transcription, dictation
This is just a sample of the many sites that offer legitimate paid typing and transcription opportunities. The key is finding specialty sites focused specifically on your desired typing niche.
For example, medical typists would benefit from sites like AMN Healthcare Jobs and Practice Match that post healthcare-focused typing jobs.
To maximize your efficiency and hourly pay rate as an online typist, leverage tools like:
Transcription software: Programs like Express Scribe and Transcribe allow you to control audio playback, adjust speed, insert timestamps and automate formatting while typing transcriptions.
Foot pedals: Hands-free audio control with a foot pedal device frees up your hands for faster typing. Brands like Infinity and Olympus offer affordable USB-powered pedals.
Speech recognition: While not 100% accurate, speech-to-text tools like Otter.ai allow you to speak freely and autocorrect as needed, achieving faster throughput.
Accounting software: For finance typing jobs, expertise using programs like QuickBooks desktop and online provides a competitive edge.
Grammarly: This digital writing assistant checks grammar and catches hard-to-find mistakes in real-time as you type.
Productivity methods: From keyboard shortcuts to transcription best practices, there are many tips to complete typing tasks more efficiently.
Embracing technology for heightened accuracy and speed will enable you to take on more typing projects and increase earnings.
To offer insights from the front lines of making money typing, here is advice provided directly from people working successfully in this realm:
“Find a niche that interests you. I love animals so started out transcribing veterinary research lectures. That kept me engaged and willing to push myself to capture industry terminology." – Mary F., transcriptionist
“Stick to a schedule rather than typing sporadically in fits and starts. I commit to working 2 hours each morning which helps me stay consistent versus trying to fit it in haphazardly around other things.” – Tara A., virtual assistant
“Don’t get distracted! Stay laser-focused on typing tasks so you maintain momentum. Things like email and social media quickly derail productivity.” – James C., general transcriptionist
“Continuously invest in improving your typing skill and speed. After 27 years, I’m still fine-tuning by memorizing keystroke combos and keeping fresh through an ever-changing landscape.” – Deborah S., medical transcriptionist
“Have a dedicated workspace. Though many assume typing can happen anywhere, having an ergonomic desk and chair that supports long durations of typing made a huge difference for my efficiency and accuracy.” – Samantha P., court reporter
These tried-and-true tips from seasoned typing professionals reinforce key themes like time management, leverage technology, keep improving, find work you enjoy and optimize your workspace. Applying this wisdom can enhance your success.
For continued education, job leads and linking up with fellow typing professionals, participating in online forums and groups can prove invaluable. Here are some to join:
Staying plugged into your industry’s online community provides moral support, troubleshooting tips when technology issues arise, and networking opportunities to find new typing jobs.
For those eager to begin earning money by typing from home, the possibilities are wide open in today’s digital economy. With billions of web pages, documents, audio recordings and videos being created globally each day, demand for talented typists to generate written content continues rising.
By determining your personal interests and natural talents – whether that involves healthcare, law, IT, academics or a general business environment – you can identify the typing roles offering the best income potential aligned to your innate abilities.
With technology making it possible to work from anywhere, leveraging skills like fast typing, attention to detail and written fluency can lead to untapped opportunities, flexibility and income.
We hope this guide illuminated myriad ways you can get paid to type using platforms and websites thirsty for responsible and diligent typing practitioners. The resources exist; now go utilize your talents to prosper in the emerging online typist economy!
