Finding transcription jobs in South Africa, whether in Cape Town, Johannesburg, Durban, Gqebera, Bloemfontein or anywhere else in the country, in 2021 is a lot easier than you think. Speaking from experience, I’ve found jobs from advertising on Gumtree. My clients have been from most of the large metropolitan areas, but mainly from Cape Town. People who received tenders to transcribe documents for state institutions have contacted me through Gumtree to join their teams. Others outsourced work to me when they were oversubscribed.
I’ve been working as a transcriber on the Transcribeme online platform for around five years now after starting out with Scribie a few years ago. I’ve moved through the ranks to become a QA (Quality Assurer), which means more work and at times a higher rate of pay. I sort of see TranscribeMe as my regular income and the other work as my supplementary income. The beauty of being a freelancer in South Africa is that I can choose my projects. I’m not obligated to work for TranscribeMe if I have other work. If you’re away for an extended period of time, you just fill out a form to inform them. No sick notes or excuses needed.
In between, I have found transcription jobs by advertising my services on Gumtree. I’ve received lots of work from university students to transcribe their research interviews for their master’s degrees and PhDs. I’ve also received a few assignments for disciplinary hearings, some interviews, podcasts, speeches, you name it.
I try to keep things as simple as possible by advertising exactly the jobs I do and my rate. And even if there are people charging lower rates, I stick to my rate, since that is what my time is worth. If someone else values their time less, then that’s their choice.
I’ve tried advertising on OLX and other a few other advertising sites without any success, so I’ve stuck to Gumtree.
Through Gumtree, I’ve also applied for transcription jobs for local transcription companies and worked with them on a short-term basis. I chose to keep those relationships short since I like having varied work, which I already get at TranscribeMe.
Another way I’ve found work, or rather work has found me, is through LinkedIn. I keep my LinkedIn profile up to date and have had people contact me directly for transcription jobs. I have received quite a few jobs through word of mouth, usually from satisfied customers who recommended me to their friends and/or colleagues. It’s very important to do a job well and on time so that people will recommend me to others.
Lastly, I have a website with my address which is good for geolocation tracking. Many of my customers are in my general area and found me through a Google search. I have my business details on Google Business. I also have a few clients who have rated me on Google. Fortunately, they all left good ratings!
I haven’t really tried finding transcription work on social media, but many other people do. Just find the right business tweets or posts to link to and advertise your business. The most important thing is to network, especially online. And practice. Most importantly is when you have a client, to complete the work on time or communicate with the client if the work takes longer than usual.
