barely making a living
Posted By: used and tired on 2006-10-12
In Reply to: making a living - SUBULL315
Used to make a decent living but lately (past 2 years) have not. Major pay cuts in all 3 jobs (per diem to hourly and page count to line count) and big expense of benefits for single mom and 2 kids.
I sort of lost all my incentive and feel very used. Thought my salary would increase over the years (or at least stay the same), not decrease. Keep trying to get motivated but can't seem to get there.
I am currently employed by a national, benefits are $550 a month and I have no control over how my lines are being calculated, plus it is on a 74 character line, not even 65 so my lines in my pay are way lower that what the company is calculating already.
Recently tested and interviewed with another national but they pay per page (which was way less than my page rate 10 years ago) and beneftis were more than $600 a month.
Any suggestions and ways to get motivated again would be appreciated.
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Oh, but its OK that the MTs barely make living wages?
Shall we feel sorry for the poor MTSOs now? Please...buying meat past the expiration - most of this winter I had to hit the FOOD BANKS, and while working full time.
making a living
Is there anyone out there supporting themselves and able to make living with a transcription company? i I have been wanting to make a switch but need a push. thanks so much 
making a living
I have been an independent contractor for over 20 years (MT for 30) and have 5 kids which I have raised alone with no support from their dad. I have bought my own house, have a decent car, pay all my bills and my kids have many excurricular activities (which runs into moocha dollars). Hope this answers your question.
making a living
I would definitely recommend Transtech for you, and if you are full-time, they offer you benefits, and can provide you with a computer if needed.
Can you do both and making a living there? In a word, NO nm
nm
You have no idea what you are talking about. My income tax return says I am making a good living
:+
I try and try and can barely do 200 lph with TT. Used to do 300+.
and it's not because they're all ESL. Something else and I don't know what.
barely at 800 a day after 8 months
and keep hearing promise of help... but the platforms are nasty... I need to move on.. but none of the other companies out there sound much better
Uh, not at Axolotl right now I don't. Barely
mention spouting all the facts, and I know most others on my team have no clue either, so I again am amazed at your talent for spouting facts that most of us don't know anymore, since things changed so much. I work with a lot of great smart gals, so I don't think its just us. Glad you're one of the few on the ball, but most of us aren't. Confusing enough figuring out how to change our personal health choices, let alone knowing what the entire company offers everyone.
Uh, not at Axolotl right now I don't. Barely
mention spouting all the facts, and I know most others on my team have no clue either, so I again am amazed at your talent for spouting facts that most of us don't know anymore, since things changed so much. I work with a lot of great smart gals, so I don't think its just us. Glad you're one of the few on the ball, but most of us aren't. Confusing enough figuring out how to change our personal health choices, let alone knowing what the entire company offers everyone.
I did, barely scraped by at 11,001 nm
Barely any work
I have to work for 2 companies at the same time, because of the lack of work. Has anyone else faced this problem?
Seems like it's barely a 35-hr week as it is due to
lack of work. Looks like we all need a 2nd job. They have always overhired for the 5 or so years I've worked there.
Really?? I've barely ever heard of them. nm
nm
You've barely scratched the
surface with one of those match box schools. You would still need Andrews or MTec, but like some others, I think this is a risky field to invest in at this point. I believe coding has more of a future. Andrews teaches that.
Not so. Can barely get 9 cents directly from the doctor!
Doctors see all these Indian companies offering 6 cpl, balk at 9 to 10 cpl, and they want it printed, free courier service, ect.
Offshore can barely do good dictators, which is why
x
9 cpl barely passable if an employee with bennies, but -
if you're an IC, don't forget you have to buy your own health insurance, no PTO days, and you have to own & maintain your own equipment. If it were me, I'd be asking 12 cpl, might (just MIGHT) settle for 11 cpl for the right employer, if the accounts are good line-producers.
My accounts have barely any work today.
I've managed 2 small jobs so far today. My account had picked up for about 2 days and actually had a good backlog, but then it was bombarded by MTs instructed to go there, so completely wiped out and nothing left for the primaries. And I see instructions for other MTs to come here for part of their lines again today as well, which means the primaries on my account have to fight them for work again. If my husband hadn't just had his hours cut also, I'd consider just taking a week off and getting stuff done, since I'm mostly wasting time babysitting my computer that I could put to more productive use elsewhere.
They have the accounts set up so that we can BARELY get our minimum lines required in.
If I want to camp out for 15 hours a day as I wait for work to trickle in I can make more. :-(
My husband has been on STRIKE for almost four months and we are barely getting by!! The union made
big promises and all I can say is we have lost our job! We are struggling to get by! If you go on strike and do WITHOUT you will see what I mean!
Ok - here ya go. I went from making $1800 per pay period to making just under $900.
Is that significant enough for you? Believe us, we are not just being negative with a grudge or anything like that. This is real! A month later, I was gone from there fast!
Isn't that what we do for a living?
That's why keyboards were invented.
They will not hire MTs living in CA or CT.
nm
How can she pay living expenses on that? nm
X
Decent living..
In short....the answer about Is it possible to make a decent living with them, without having to work 40 or 50 hours per week?.... NO 
This is where living in a certain state...
makes a HUGE difference in such things. I currently pay for the insurance for my husband and I (no kids but still need family plan) through DeVenture and it costs me a brutal $136 per WEEK, and the copays for office visits and drugs are still hefty. This is one of the main reasons so many people in this state (Maine) are uninsured...it's just too frickin' expensive 
MQ looking to earn a living
With ASR making money is getting tougher and tougher. Years of transcription experience counts for nothing here.
You either need a job to fit your cost of living or a cost of living to fit your job. sm
While I agree that you cannot live in California on $35,000 a year, no one is forcing you to live in California. Suze Orman says either find a way to lower your expenses or find a way to earn more money. It's common sense :)
There was a post a few weeks ago about not everyone being cut out to be an MT. I agree.
The original poster needs to stop whining and either get a job that pays more or get a new career. She can make $15,000 on minimum wage at a mall or Walmart.
BTW, it was insulting of her to say that MOST woman don't need to work. How dare she? In this day and age, most adults need to work. This is not 1958, this is 2008. I am not a bra burner, but my husband and I both make similar money, clean the house, cook, raise our 3 children. I am just lucky to have a job where I can work from home. I hated commuting anywhere, hate traffic, no patience.
But that doesn't mean that I work less. I treat my job like a job. I work in my home office but I work all day. I do not do laundry, chat with friends, cook. I go to work each day by getting ready as if I were leaving for an office, pour my coffee, make sure I have everything I need and start. I take bathroom breaks and a lunch break and take the full hour that I would somewhere else. I work 8 full hours as I do not include my lunch hour, so my day is 8 to 5. When I am done for the day, I turn everything off, leave the room and close the door, as if I were in an outside office.
My husband has a salary of $71,000 and I make near the same as him each year. I do not work overtime except very rarely, an occasional Saturday here and there, just like if I were on salary in another profession.
I am not perfect, but I love my job and do it well. I also know that MT'ing is not for everyone, although it seems as if a lot of MT's who are not very good at their jobs have a sense of entitlement.
Try living in Delaware where the just
1,100 workers worked their last day on Friday. What do they tell their kids. You are worrying about a measly Christmas bonus and jealous of CEOs? What about these auto workers?
Have some dignity and stop with the 2-year-old me, me, me. Be lucky you have an income and are not being told sorry this is your last day a week before the holiday season.
No one is ever just happy they wake up in the morning these days. It's always want, want, want... 
Not sure what us living in the same state has to do with anything. sm
Everyone's experience with a company is different. I think it just all depends on what your specific needs are. It's disheartening when I hear that other people have had a bad experience with a company that I think highly of.
It's because they are living in a falsehood.
If the person just does a one liner to sound like they are bragging, they are just trying to ruffle feathers. Don't believe everything you read on this board. Its anon and it is open to the public.
Living Wage
I don't know exactly what I would call a living wage for a weekly amount. I can tell you that for my family of 5, the GOVERNMENT says that if I make less than approximately $40,000, that I qualify for various forms of government aid due to low-income status.
$40K divided by 52 weeks per year works out to about 1700 lines per day at 9 cpl.
If you're only making 5 cpl (case in point: That recent ad on the Jobs Bank!), then you would need to type 3076 lines per day in order to keep a family of five above the cut-off for food stamps and free lunches!
I think a living wage is
1 thousand dollars a week.
I guess I'm living proof
that past behavior is a good predictor of future behavior. Did you ever have your days in the beginning when you could have been one of their cheerleaders? I know I did. Yet, I still saw those unhappy posts and, rather than automatically think they were lying, instead I wondered how they got so unhappy. I think I found the answer.
Variables in cost of living
Some states sound good, but then check out the taxes - real estate tax, personal property tax, sales tax, cost of heating/cooling, transportation, license plates, insurance, etc. A lot of it balances out in the end. Some states have outrageous license plate fees, (I paid over $600 for my car last year). I also get a personal property tax bill each year for everything including my dishes and silverware. State income tax is out of sight. Cost of heating in winter is unbelievable. I have to have 2 sets of tires for the car, 1 for winter, 1 for summer. I have to have 3 complete wardrobes for the weather changes.
How do they make a living if they don't get paid for their
services. I don't know that they get a percentage of the line rate, doesn't make sense that it would be like that, but I'm sure they get a flat fee. The MT doesn't pay, the company does. I didn't ask them about getting paid because that was none of my business. Maybe they don't get paid unless the MT accepts a position. A lot of companies offer referral bonuses, could be the same thing with TM.
We have to make a freakin' living
..
living "in the sticks"
I too live where there is no DSL or cable option. I use wild blue satellite. It is fairly affordable, though more expensive than DSL, but it works great - I started out downloading with dial up, and the difference is wonderful. You can Google search wild blue to check out the service closest to you.
does anyone know the cost of living in Bangalore? I need a job... lol nm
x
Cost of Living Increases
I work for a large MTSO and after four years have not received a cost of living increase. Is this standard operating procedure? Things cost more than they did four years ago. Do you think CEO is getting the same pay as four years ago? Any thoughts?
Yes, you are living in a dream world, but you might get 11 cpl
nm
Terrible....can't make a living on that.
`
See the TransRAD ad for 7 cpl? No one can earn a living on that! If you see this
How many foster children are living with you?
The two comments made after my initial post left me so frustrated that I debated on responding. In the real world, most consider me to be kind hearted and easy going. For that reason, I usually avoid controversial issues for the sake of arguing.
This particular subject matter just hits very close to home and I have zero tolerance when misinformed people offer unwarranted advice. I feel it's very inconsiderate. The OP just asked about companies with insurance plans that covered IVF. She didn't come here asking for opinions or the blessing of MT Stars. What she is going through is difficult enough without complete strangers (probably sitting home with their 2-3 kids)telling her that wanting to start a family with her husband is completely unnecessary. I'm still amazed at how cold people can actually be.
Now to respond to your post.
First of all, if you did any research at all on the foster care and adoption systems in this country, you would not only be saddened, but you would not have posted. I'm not trying to be mean at all, but you are truly so misinformed that I don't know where to start.
My husband and I actually looked into foster parenting and even took the classes. We have a couple of friends as well as my in-laws who are foster parents. First of all, becoming a foster parent IS NOT a permanent situation. The small percentage of adoption that does result from being a foster parent can take up to 5 or 6 years! Plus, a very high number of foster children have special needs, severe behavioral problems, or mental issues caused from abuse. I do have one daughter who was 4 at the time we were taking classes. After spending years being protective parents, researching, and taking classes,we were afraid of exposing our small child to the abuse (physical, mental, sexual, drugs), that put these unfortunate children in foster care to begin with.
Yes you are right about so many beautiful children that need homes. There are literaly 1,000s of childless couples in this country that would love nothing more than to get serious about caring for them. Have you tried to adopt in this country? Good luck if you decide to take your own advice. You are looking at a long waiting list, tons of red tape and buracracy, not to mention a few grand. Oh and there is that chance after you have brought that sweet child home and bonded with him/her, that the crack-head bio-mom will decide she wants to play house and ger her an attorney (that you are paying for with your tax dollars.) After the court hearings are finally over (1-2 years later) you can kiss that little one good-bye. I've seen it happen to people very close to me...not on Lifetime. It does happens.
Seriously, why do you think so many Americans pay obscene amounts of money for international adoptions? Think about it.
Out of curiosity, do you have children?
and when you can't make a living anymore--sm
due to schloping American jobs to third world countries..it will be too late for ANY solution.
Can you make a living at home?
I have been an on-site MT for 15 years and have clinic-only experience in several specialties. I am considering a change to working from home. I am wondering if it is possible to work from home and still make good money. Do you folks feel that you do just as well as you would working on-site?
Has anyone made a substantial living off of an MLM?
I am talking about those companies where you sell and recruit...mainly recruit. My cousin has been a real PITA. She just signed up on one and has been on me to have a party or grab this golden opportunity and make lots of money. I really hate her speeches because she tells me like I have never heard it before but it is the same verse I have heard by many different at-home sales opportunities. They all say that you can make tons of money working part-time from home. They show people with fancy cars and fancy homes with swimming pools all thanks to this particular MLM. I have seen so many people join up with these things but never have seen anyone succeed. Has anyone else? Anyone else would have gotten a door in their face or a click and a dial tone if this was done by call but I cannot seem to do this to family. I have bought toys from her but I cannot buy every time. Boy does she make a person feel like a but-looser for it too as in No I don't want to spend anymore time with my kids.. No I don't want to buy educational toys for my kids. No I don't want to make 10k working part-time from my home. UGG
Do I paint gourds for a living s/m
I do and love every minute of it.
Then I guess I have been living in a cave...sm
too huh? What the h** is up with you? Let me guess, you are of Oriental descent? I have still not figured out what is wrong with the word Oriental.
Does anyone really make a good living doing VR??? sm
I currently work for one of the larger MT companies that is mostly VR, platform isn't bad, but just not able to get my line count up. I was curious if it just me or if there were MTs out there who were doing good on VR and glad they have made the switch. Thanks.
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