MTSO feast and famine

After working for a hospital medical records department for over 15 years, which I know realize was a cushy job and not the norm, and now working for 2 services and still not making enough money, I'm curious to know if anyone else is struggling financially because of the constant feast or famine syndrome.  I realize that on my FT job, they basically want transcriptionists available 24/7 even though you clearly have set schedule, and being available 24/7 is probably the only way to make your quota with the ups and downs in the work.  Unfortunately, I have 2 jobs, 2 children, a dog and a significant other and really can't be strapped to this computer day and night...not to mention I need to eat, shower and sleep....

How is one to survive?  Should I be working 3 jobs? I need help.

• MTSO feast and famine - Tired MT
  • My solution to the feast or famine syndrome - sm
    • Great idea - Tired MT
  • No, you should not have to work 3 jobs - gourdpainter
    • On-site versus home - Tired MT
      • Where bouts in - SallyM
        • GA - Tired MT
          • Know it well, am here in - SallyM
            • GA - Tired MT
    • In agreement with the above, sitting working on work - Cattie

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The nature of the transcription business, from personal experience, is feast or famine, with usually not much in between.

In other words, learn to get while the getting is good so you're prepared for the leaner days and can carve out a decent average for yourself in accordance with your budget and paycheck you have to make to pay your bills. You DO have a personal budget and know the income you need to pull in on a consistent basis, right?

Having said that, if you're with a company for several weeks, and there is little to no work at all, that's when you begin sending out resumes and executing Plan B (you DO have Plan B, right? And C and D if necessary, right?). Cycles are expected. A consistent bare trickle that never picks up, is not. That means the company has really bad personnel management skills or is losing accounts and unable to pull any new accounts in, and so it's time for you to consider your options because things are not going to change.

If this is really your situation, then you should a) notify your current employer that you're scaling back to part time or per diem (and provide them with the times you will be available) and b) get another job ASAP to make up for it. I know a few MTs that work for more than one company, part time, and between the two pull in a nice paycheck. It's smart, especially if neither of them have guaranteed work for you to fill a full-time schedule and make a full-time paycheck.

Remember, you're working for YOU, not your employer. And you should have high expectations from yourself to meet your own needs instead of relying so heavily on other people, whether they send you a paycheck or not. :)

The nature of the transcription business, from personal experience, is feast or famine, with usually not much in between.

In other words, learn to get while the getting is good so you're prepared for the leaner days and can carve out a decent average for yourself in accordance with your budget and paycheck you have to make to pay your bills. You DO have a personal budget and know the income you need to pull in on a consistent basis, right?

Having said that, if you're with a company for several weeks, and there is little to no work at all, that's when you begin sending out resumes and executing Plan B (you DO have Plan B, right? And C and D if necessary, right?). Cycles are expected. A consistent bare trickle that never picks up, is not. That means the company has really bad personnel management skills or is losing accounts and unable to pull any new accounts in, and so it's time for you to consider your options because things are not going to change.

If this is really your situation, then you should a) notify your current employer that you're scaling back to part time or per diem (and provide them with the times you will be available) and b) get another job ASAP to make up for it. I know a few MTs that work for more than one company, part time, and between the two pull in a nice paycheck. It's smart, especially if neither of them have guaranteed work for you to fill a full-time schedule and make a full-time paycheck.

Remember, you're working for YOU, not your employer. And you should have high expectations from yourself to meet your own needs instead of relying so heavily on other people, whether they send you a paycheck or not. :)

I know that is tough to get used to, but even when you have your own accounts, the workload can wax and wane. It can also change overnight.  I have my own accounts that wax and wane.  You can never really count on anything being absolute in this field.  These companies can only offer you what they have because it depends on the dictator and how much work there is at any given time.  Almost any company will tell you this if you haven't already experienced the same.  It is unfortunate, however, this field does require some flexibility.  I guess that may come with more years of experience and being in the know upfront that nothing is forever.  A lot of time these larger companies only can sign 3-5 year contracts.  I am an IC (not for Transcend), and when there is a need, boy the e-mails come sailing through asking can I help, but when the work is low, my e-mail is dry.  Adapting and adjusting is all part of this field for sure.    

P/S:  I was a employee at one time for Transcend, but I do believe they are offering contracts at this point to IC as I did see a recent post. 

I work part-time with a daily number of lines to complete, no set schedule.  My work is usually pretty steady, but over the holiadys when things slowed down, I decided to get another part-time job.  I ended up in direct home sales.  I make more money at it than I do MTing and I get to set my own schedule.  I usually do 2 shows a week, averaging about $150 to $200 per show.  The shows take about 3 hours in total and the computer work is about an hour or less. 

It also gets me out of the house and gives me a break from my kids.  I will say that I'm pretty fortunate that my husband has a M-F 8-4 job, so he's able to be home with the kids on the evenings I do these. 

I keep a separate checking account for my business and it's really neat to watch it grow.  I'm saving the money for a rainy day (or famine) and when I get to a certain amount, we're putting in a pool.  I'm halfway there already.

No way would I stay attached to my computer.  If things are slow, I put that time into my new business and work on getting new shows booked or party games or invitations.  There's always something productive to do. 

Feeling just like you.  Look at the ones who complain about working weekends - how many medical professionals do you know that don't have to work weekends?  Why are they in this field if they don't want to work weekends?  It's a pity trip.  How about working in retail or restaurants?? You want a 9-5 job, go get it, away from home of course.

Would like to talk privately but I don't spend much time on this board and don't really know how to do so.  Let me know if you do!

I'm torn on this issue.  My company has just strictly forbidden us to use normals unless they were created by the client, since apparently some MT's have left text in the document in error by not editing correctly.  I can see how this causes a serious QA issue, but I can also see that my pay just got cut seriously yet again by not being able to use them.

So, what' s the answer here?  How does your MTSO handle normals/standards, and what happens if you make an error with one?

MTs!! Its your responsibility to divide up the work, and sorry, but most MTSOs I have dealt with have asked me to commit to XX amount of work. They know full well that is all I can handle due to MY other commitments, yet the MTSOs are more than happy to have me at my commitment of XX. That is OUR agreement. I am an IC and on my own. So it is not my problem if Sally has an earache or Dr. Jones has extra work. That is YOUR problem. MTSOs should ASK if we can handle more due to the above situation, but when MTs get dumped on with 2 or 3 times the amount of the agreement, it is WRONG, and very frustrating for the MTs. Thus why most quit and move on to a MTSO who will keep the agreement. Its only common sense, really. Which seems to be a lot to ask for in this day and age.

You should have a payroll account.  Any business person knows that you must have an account to pay out subcontractors.  My brother pays his subs (painting contractor) every week.  He doesn't see his payments for work done until sometimes 90 days, but why then should his subs wait? 

If you want to run a business, you must have a payroll account and not rely on what the client pays to you and when. 

If you do not have the capital, then quit using subcontractors thinking you are making a buck.  Do your own work! 

Just yet another view. 

your posts, management, supervisors, etc., etc., BUT anyone who Googles your name or anything associated with your post.  I have even gotten onto boards that are subscription only by Googling words and posts showed up on their boards.  True, I may not have been able to post on that board, but I sure could read whatever was associated with my search results. 

because this was my company being owed $10,000, which was at the time about 6 weeks' worth of work.  It was easy at that time to rack up that kind of money...that is also about the time I found out that a company has 30 days to pay another company each individual invoice.  I was billing, per contract, every 2 weeks.

This person is looking for an MTSO with subs or employees to do 5000 lines a day not one MT.