Basics of Scoping
Scoping is a word used to describe the work that scopists do for court reporters. A court reporter sends the scopist a rough translation, sometimes along with a digital audio file, audio tapes, or supporting notes, documents, and exhibits used during the official proceedings. The scopist must use the resources provided as well as any other related materials available in order to produce a clean transcript to return to the reporter. A good scopist should be fairly well-trained in machine shorthand to accomplish
this goal. While a scopist is expected to produce the cleanest possible transcript, in the larger picture of things a scopist is really working in the midway point of the process.
After the scopist has performed their scoping functions, a transcript will then usually go to the person performing the final proofing of the transcript, which is most often the reporter themselves, or in some cases a hired proofreader. In any event, the goal of a good scopist is to completely minimize the need for finalizing corrections, because that's what they have been hired to accomplish.
At this point you may be wondering if scoping is the right work at home profession for you, and you should know that not many people have what it takes to become a successful professional scopist. First of all, the job and the matters covered must be of interest to you. The interest is important because if you lose the lines of thought being discussed during the proceedings, you may miss the context of the conversation and use the wrong words or punctuation in the sentence.
Another important factor in the scoping profession is flexibility with your work hours. Sometimes you may be required to work several days straight without time off, but then when things slow down you may have a couple of weeks time with no work. This is also another aspect of scoping to consider not only when it comes to time on the job, but for money management and household budgeting.
If you are now convinced that scoping is something you would like to pursue, then there are several types of jobs that scopists can acquire depending on the needs of the scopist and the reporters in their area. Some scopists prefer to work in-house for court reporting firms, sometimes at an hourly rate just like a regular office job. The majority of scopists, however, prefer to work freelance. Freelance scopists are responsible for generating their own work, client lists, and volume of work depending on their needs and schedules.
If you are interested in pursuing the scopist profession, there are a couple of ways to go about it: on the job training and scopist school. Some community colleges have started offering certificate programs in scoping ranging in curriculum from a few months to a year. There are also scopist training schools where you can learn at your own pace in the comfort of your home, many of which will help you find work upon completion of their courses. On the job positions are harder to find unless you know a court reporter personally or are referred by someone, however some students gain experience by working as proofreaders while attending scoping school.
To get started in scoping with no connections in the court reporting industry, research the online scopist schools and check for trade schools and community colleges in your area that may offer financial aid to those who qualify. Some schools may also offer financial assistance and guidance in acquiring the necessary equipment and CAT system software.
The CAT (Computer Aided Transcription) software has proved to be a setback for some who would like to pursue a career as a scopist. There are several popular CAT systems that court reporters use, and a scopist needs to have the proper system for their
clients, which does not come cheap. Currently the low-budget end of these software packages designed for scopists only start at least around $2,500, however, all of them offer leasing terms for their software or hardware/software packages. Some scopists own several types of software to support different reporters and increase their clientele, while others only support one system and work with reporters who match their systems accordingly.
While the startup costs can be expensive, the payout of being a scopist can be great. The average pay ranges from .85 cents to 1.50 per page, and a good scopist can transcribe anywhere from 25-45 pages per hour depending on the difficulty of the subject matter. Another benefit to scoping is that you can work at home, set your own hours, and have the flexibility to work freelance and accept or turn down work depending on your schedule. All in all, the scoping profession is one of the best kept secrets in the world of telecommuting.
For more information on scopist careers visit http://www.scopingcentral.com
.