They've been around for years. Some of us old-timers applied long

at a lot of places lately.  I got an e-mail from a lady whose name starts with an M, but she didn't identify her company in the letter.  She had my resume on the bottom of her e-mail, so I know it's someone I applied with, but I don't know which one!!  LOL  I'm thinking it's The Word Pros.  Anyone else apply to The Word Pros and get an e-mail from M?

I'd love to hear information about them as well.

Just Me

I tested with Precyse on Wednesday. How long should I wait until I hear from them. If I don't hear from them, how long should I wait before contacting them and inquiring about my scores.

Thanks

nm

QTer so I have seen lots of changes.  Not that I expect anything, but we've always gotten something for MT week and this year not even a card and the whole stink over Christmas.  The IRA thing doesn't have me really concerned.  From what I understand they only hire ICs now.  I know they've had some long-term people leave who might have been employees, so it might not be cost efficient to continue the program.   I haven't had a raise in several years and these days I'm just glad to have a paycheck.  I don't know how much of the work is being offshored, but you would think that would free up some $$, unless they have had to hire extra QA people.  I like not having lots of e-mails/phone calls, but I also would like to know what is going on.  I denied for months they were offshoring, but when I got proof it was a slap in the face and I felt like we should have been told about it.  There seems to be plenty of work on my account so the offshoring hasn't  affected me directly.  So far the checks are always on time and have never bounced. 

Things have definitely changed and I don't think for the better, though I've interviewed with several companies lately and haven't found one yet that is better than QT.  I just try to do my lines and be thankful for a paycheck and just accept the fact that the company will never be what it was. 

options available.   Lots of campgrounds have some type of connection.  Sometimes they just have a central jack for dial-up, sometimes they have connections at each site, though there may only be xx number of lines for the entire campground so that you are still limited with on-line time.  I found that even in this day of technology some dial-up speeds are really, really slow and it may take 4 hours to download a day of work.   A lot of campgrounds now are going to WiFi, especially in the bigger cities.   If you have a wireless card and the campground is a hot spot you can access their network (usually for a fee) and get high-speed access from your RV.   You can use your cell phone, which I have done in a pinch, but we often traveled where there was absolutely no signal of any kind like in the Black Mountains of SD.    There are wireless cards called air cards and this will allow you to access an open hot spot while doing down the road, though most hot spots are not open networks so you can't rely on that 100%.  Places like B&N and Starbucks are hot spots for a few.  You could access them from the parking lot so if you are traveling from point A to point B, you could just stop to rest or have a coffee and download at the same time.  You can also use satellite.  With satellite as long as you have a clear view of the southern sky you can get access, even in the middle of a field with no electricity (as long as you have a generator/inverter).   You can get a system similar to what you would have in a residential situation and set it up every time you move or you can have a system installed on your roof that makes it much easier for about ($5000 and $99/mo).  Downloads are not always high-speed and if weather conditions are severe you might not be able to get a signal or keep it, and uploads are much slower than downloads.   We have utilized all of the above at some time or other.  I had Earthlink as my ISP and they have lots of local access numbers and an 800#.  Only twice in the 9 months we lived on the road full-time was I not able to get a signal of some type (before we got out satellite).

I recommend getting a campground directly from Trailer Life.  You can find it at probably any parts/service center or dealership for campers and may find it at B&N.   The don't list all campgrounds, because you have to pay for a listing, but there are campgrounds all over the U.S. listed and they list amenities, such as if pets are allowed, if they have internet access and what type of access, etc.   This will help you make decisions about where to stay.  You can also go on-line before leaving and print out a list of B&N and Starbucks and the like that have hot spots to use in a pinch.  KOA campgrounds should all have some type of access, but they are more expensive and I don't think they are as nice a campground as some others.

If you don't already, you will want direct deposit setup and have all your bills setup to be viewed on-line, so that if you don't have to worry about having your mail forwarded so often or about paying bills on-time.  I had all regular payments automatically drafted and bills like credit cards I paid on-line.

Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions.

Others who have seen me type say they've never seen anybody type so fast in their life.  My typing speed has been described as truly amazing by others.  There's no question that I have true natural ability when it comes to being an MT, so my knowledge or abilities are definitely NOT the issue here. 

For years now, I have purposely worked for many of the companies out there in order to evaluate differences between line counts.  I've done every kind of work there is too (Basic 4, ER, radiology, etc...).  I'm a very well rounded MT.

I've found that MDI gives the absolute lowest line counts.  I was able to average anywhere from 250-400 lph with all the other companies I worked for and this was after only 1-2 weeks of working with them as compared to working for MDI for years and knowing the account up, down and sideways!!  So when I see people like you posting they average 300-350 at MDI, I really question this???  Also, I never had to pay long distance for anybody else either.  Most other companies offer an 800 number or went internet files a long time ago. 

I'm sorry you can't stomach the many negativities your company has, but in my experience, there's way better out there and I'm entitled to my opinion.

Merry Christmas :)

different that using a desktop.   I do use an external keyboard the majority of the time. 

 (guess I shouldn't call myself newer TT'r any more?) I haven't run out of work very often, or for very long. Oh, sure, over the holiday it was a little low, so I just took some much needed time off.

Other than that, the work has been as plentiful as when I started. I have a primary and 4 secondary accounts, but I'm rarely on my 1st seconday very much, and forget the other 3. I haven't seen a report from them for months! My primary keeps me very busy.

should know by now that in order to get the real skinny you're not going to get it from the recruiter, but rather the wounded.  Yes, some may simply be disgruntled, but those are usually easy to weed out.  When there is a pattern, you have to take some of that information into account when making your informed decision. 

A recruiter is nothing more than the car salesman.  His/her livelihood depends on bringing that MT in and unfortunately in some cases, he/she will do anything to accomplish that.  To a recruiter, the MT is just a piece of their paycheck.  Where is the incentive to tell the truth and answer honestly?  Heck, they probably feel like many MTs do, disrespected and underpaid.  I'd think after 20 years you'd summize that? 

that the same thing is said over and over and over again about this business.  I do it in my spare time now and if I had to do it over I would NEVER have become an MT.  There are MTs on this board who have been in the profession alot longer than me and they cannot believe the amount of pay ( OR LACK OF MONEY) to be made and how things are going downhill.  MTSOs want more of our time for less money.  Of course, I'm not telling you anything you didn't already know.