A while back I created a post with kind of an overview of work from home closed captioning. You can read it here, but to summarize, this is basically where you work at home creating the captions for the hearing impaired for television, videos, etc. While it may seem like something fairly easy to do, it’s harder than you’d think and it’s something that you can’t really get into without some schooling. Still, it’s an industry that can pay well and may also allow you the luxury of working from home!
Below is a big list of companies that do hire for work from home closed captioning. Next to each company, I’ve tried to include some additional information. If you’re not familiar with how captioning works, you’ll probably be surprised by the high words per minute requirements for each company. Captioning is generally done with a stenotype machine (something court reporters use) and if you are trained to use one, it is possible to type well over 200 words per minute.
Aberdeen pays up to $75 per hour for real-time closed captioning from home. You need to have experience in captioning with a speed of 180-220 words per minute. Most of the captioning you do for them will require you to have some knowledge of Bible/Christian terminology.
Go here to check for openings at Aberdeen.
This company hires work from home captioners in the US and Canada. They are willing to hire brand new captioners who have just completed captioning training. Some old job postings for Caption Colorado state that your wpm speed should be at least 225.
Go here to check for openings at Caption Colorado or here to read reviews of the company from existing employees at Glassdoor.
This company hires both realtime and offline captioners. It looks like the offline captioners have to work from the Caption Max office, but realtime captioners may work from home. To be considered, you must have attended a court reporting school and have a minimum of an A.A. or B.S. in Court and Conference Reporting or satisfactory completion of other 2-year equivalent program.
Go here to check for job openings at Caption Max.
Caption Media Group occasionally has openings for US-based closed captioners with a minimum of 2 years of experience. They handle all kinds of captioning — everything from films to corporate materials. The company website does not appear to have a Careers page where you can check for openings, but you can sometimes find the listings on Indeed when they’re hiring.
Go here to visit the Caption Media Group website or here to check for openings through Indeed.
There is very little information on the company website for Talking Type regarding their captioning jobs. However, they do hire realtime captioners, offline transcribers, and translators. They encourage anyone interested in a position to contact them.
Go here for more information on Talking Type Captions.
Vitac is one of the more well-known captioning companies. Many of their positions are in-house, but they do hire remote realtime captioners as well. However, to qualify for a remote position you have to be trained and have experience in captioning. Another thing that’s interesting about Vitac is that their captioners are employees of the company, not independent contractors. This is a little unusual because most of the captioning jobs I find are independent contractor positions.
Go here for more information on captioning jobs at Vitac.
If you don’t already have the training and certification you need to qualify for the above jobs, you’ll want to check out the National Court Reporting Association website (NCRA). From what I’ve gathered, this is a good, reliable online resource for anyone wanting to break into the court reporting and captioning industries. You can find information there on schools and certification programs as well as employment opportunities.
