Focus stands for Foreign

Focus is an Indian company, you know.  Most who have been there were not happy, and many MTs only go there because they are fresh out of school and find it hard to get the experience they need.  Just FYI.

• INDIA, INDIA, NEWBIE LOOKING FOR INDIAN-OWNED COMPANY-FORGET AMERICA COMPANIES HIRING NEWBIES!!!! - ELAINE
  • isn't SPI a foreign company - just me
    • yes, they are indian and they are losing employees left and right sm - former SPI
  • Ascend is Idian owned and hires newbies - - nm
  • You sound like a very frustrated newbie--sm - nn
    • I do work for an American company - ELAINE
      • It surely does not show...sm - nn
    • Great answer! - MTPockets
      • Thanks, but I seriously doubt that she will--sm - nn
        • ConeyIslandGirl strikes again - RadMT
  • You must be ConeyIslandGirl. - lol
    • Am I the only one who smells Hyderabad in her posts? - good grief.
  • If you want to live in a place where cows - not chicken little again
    • Are you a MT-typo error honey!!! - ELAINE
      • Uh, that would be *an* MT, not *a* MT. sm - GLFglf
        • and--sm - nn
  • Indian owned companies... sm - Dewglo
    • working - linda hamm
      • Focus stands for Foreign - MT.IC.OH
      • You misunderstood - I left the bad company...sm - Dewglo
    • I agree with you 150%..I did the same.... - MT.IC.OH
      • I question every company I consider...sm - Dewglo
        • US only companies - Regina
          • Email me...sm - Dewglo
            • I will never work for another company that supports offshoring to overseas countries - MT.IC.OH
              • Amen. Don't want my personal info out there either. nm - Dewglo

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can't remember.  I use this system.  My company provided my foot pedal/software.  I think the company has to provide the software, as I've never seen a single user software available.   Foot pedal will be $60-$80 depending on where you get it, may be able to find on e-bay cheaper.  

Do a Google search for DVI compatible foot pedal.  I don't recommend TVPS.com.

now I would not recommend this field to anyone, but I am not worried about not having a job, at least not in the next 5 years.  I am good at what I do and can do any work type, can do ESLs with little problem, have done QA, so I feel like there will always be a job as long as I want it.  The pay may never get any better though. 

There aren't that many jobs available, but there are so many people looking for work that a lot of companies don't feel like they need to pay to advertise.   Check with employment agencies or temporary agencies.  I worked for  temporary agency years ago and got offered full-time positions with every place I worked.

Not sure what your career of choice is in, but you can get just about any degree on-line, or at least do all the basic courses. 

Not sure of your financial situation, but if still paying for technical school, going part-time probably won't work for you so you could go to school or get in some type of internship for whatever you wanted to do.   

You can sit back and wait for someone to knock on your door and offer you your dream job, but you'll most likely die waiting, or you can get your goal and work towards it.  If you aren't willing to do that, then you are stuck where you are. 

It is transferring files.  You log onto the FTP site using software, such as Core FTP Lite that is free, then you can upload and download files on the company's FTP server.

Here's the link to the free download of Core FTP Lite.

http://www.download.com/Core-FTP-Lite/3000-2160_4-10256215.html?tag=lst-0-1

Oh, boo hoo!  Those foreigners learn our language so they can take our jobs and our money, you numbskull.  They aren't here to help us.  They take advantage of our laws which actually seem to favor foreigners over citizens, especially if the foreigners are "minorities."  (An interesting term since the only true minority in this world is white people.  About 85% of the world's population is non-white.)  

People like you who think you are so tolerant, are part of the problem.  In this country we would all be learning Chinese if the situations were reversed and China was the country with the open door policy and all the wealth. 

BTW, I lived and worked in Latin America and learned Spanish BEFORE I went there - I didn't expect the people of Colombia to pay to have everything I needed translated into my own language, which is precisely what these foreigners who come here to leech off us expect.

Yeah, we've all had our share of "those" guys.  I worked in Radiology for a Spanish guy for about two years.  He thought his English was perfect, so anytime there were blanks he went off of his latino-rocker.  So I finally get this guy "nailed" where I can transcribe his reports just as fast as the others, and then what happens..  ? I lose the stinkin' account to VR!  So he still sends me work on occasion and guess what .... he's crystal clear NOW, and why?  Voice Recognition doesn't DO gibberish ... it trained HIM!  HA!   (Course he has to speak slowly now, losing lots of "billable hours"  And of course, they had to hire an Editor to clean up the reports, punctuate, and correct his English.)     Go figure!  ');>

Seriously, though, if you can't stay with that ESL day-in and day-out for at least a month, you will never get him.  Why companies bombard MT's with different docs from day-to-day is just beyond me.  If QA were REALLY that important, they wouldn't do that.

From one blondie to another--I couldn't agree with you more!

Drives me crazy, not to mention my so-called "productivity!"

I learned OJT in a small hospital with a PDR, Dorlands and a boss with an attitude from &*^%&*^.  There were only about 7 doctors on staff, 4 of which were foreign.  I started off learning to cope with a Thai accent in a physician who had had a speech defect, a Nigerian, a Swede and a Czech.  It was a painstaking way to learn, but I am greatful every day that accents have become a way of life for me.  I almost prefer them to some of those mealy-mouthed speed demons. 

I can remember cursing when they would say "Go back up and change this".  Just rip that paper out of the typewriter and start again. 

My children can't imagine a time before computers.  Will have to take them to a museum someday and show them what life used to be like.

The fault lies with the big US corporations who are the greedy SOBs that have outsourced the jobs so they can save billions over what they would pay workers in the US. 

So, to be rude to and cuss out these working people is not going to get us anywhere.  What we should do is boycott the corporations who are sending the work overseas.  Maybe if they lose enough business they will get smart to themselves and bring the jobs back to the US workers. 

This is NOT racisim.  This is plain common sense and courtesy. 

On the negatives!  What about the children who were born into this poverty through no choice of their own?

You take the negatives only in this tragedy, what a very closed mind you have

I have worked at Focus for just over a year now as an IC and I really like it there.  Everyone is very pleasant and helpful.  Any problems or concerns that I may have are addressed right away.  I have plenty of work to keep me busy.  They offer benefits if you are employee status, but you can also choose to be an IC.  They also have direct deposit.  I do transcription only, but they also have VR if you want to do that (you don't have to if you don't want to).  I work on the Dictaphone ExText platform but I know they have other platforms as well.

The bottom line is that they are a great fit for me.  I have had a really great experience with them.  No complaints at all.   

I also work for Focus, and I have to agree that they are the best company that I've worked for (or interviewed with) so far.  So far, I've worked for 3 other online companies and one local hospital.  Plus, I've interviewed with (and ended up turning down positions at) at least 10 companies since January of this year.  Add to this number those who won't give me a chance because I only have 2 years of experience (it apparently does not matter that I've had between 99% and 100% QA ratings in every MT job that I've had so far) or don't live in the required state or don't own a C-phone, don't have access to unlimited long-distance phone service, or some other such thing. 

The flexibility at Focus can't be beat.  I don't have to get permission to change my schedule to fit my needs.  Whenever I have a question, someone is available via IM, email, or telephone.  The pay on my favorite shift (third) is better than I've been offered anywhere else.  I also have 5 accounts, so if one doesn't have any work, I can generally find work on another.  I am an IC, but they do offer the employee option, last time I heard, and the premium for health insurance for a family was less than $400/month. 

My only fear is that they are sharing the work with so many other companies that I'm afraid of what is going to happen to the individual MTs like myself.

These are my experiences and my opinions, and are not open to debate.  But, I am happy to share the good, the bad, and the really UGLY about any experience that I have had with any MT company in the past 2 years.  Overall, it has been a true temporary nightmare, but I am very happy now at Focus, and have decided to stop searching for greener (USA-based) pastures; I'm not so sure there ARE any.

Focusing and not getting distracted is my toughest chore.  When I'm on point and working, I'm a great producer.  It's the getting there and staying there that's an issue for me.

I found a clock chime program that chimes every hour.  I initially got it to remind me to get up and stretch so I couldn't get so stiff, but it helps me stay focused, too.   When I want to get silly and I let myself get distracted, I know that I'll have 5 minutes coming with the next clock chime, so I get myself back to work a little bit easier.

I don't think these kids are anything more than a fashion accessory/photo op for these phonies. I'm sure she and the other "stars" who adopt these kids for whatever attention/approval-seeking reasons have a full staff on hand 24/7 to take care of the kids when the cameras aren't rolling.

I doubt Angelina's ever been vomited on or crapped on (at least not by her kids anyway). 

Like it should be standard practice for transcription services to require hospitals to ask------------------

Dr. Pammmmbogmamajama - would you like your dictation to go to India.  Check YES or NO.

Dr. Filiyambo - would you like your dictation to go to PHILIPPINES.  Check YES or NO.

Dr. MacIntiremeout - would you like your dictation to go to IRELAND.  Check YES or NO.

Dr. Chinese - would you like your dictation to go to CHINA.  Check YES or NO (we have to know they are creating offices in Shanghi as we speak)

Hey, I can deal with "the boys" from home.  But I'm sick and tired of  feeling like I chose the wrong profession and should be working in the State Department as translator and should certainly be drawing down lots more salary and getting a WHOLE lot more respect. 

That way we could keep the English dictation in the United States and have it being done by people who have English as their first language.