Pay with DICT8 extra

[Gally123]

Hello Ladies - hopefully a new thread for you... @Carosel2 @Whitestar55 @Chrissols @danblack87 @flutterby18 @wfh21 @workingfromhomenow @cherryblossom114 @Lovemydaxie @homeworkmum and anyone else I have forgotten.

@deewu, agree with this, I managed to hit my monthly target by working one weekend thus allowing me to avoid the RTX fiasco. I think they might be NHS clinics in the community done by consultants A friend who is a consultant does this type of work, she says it's less stressful

I think mine are NHS catch up on the backlog clinics, although there are still a few DNAs and people turning up in the wrong clinics! Its such a waste of money.

has distinguished itself over the years as a result of the high standard of transcription that it supplies. We therefore take the quality of our typing very seriously and we hope that the above will help you in the pursuit of this, but we expect you to slog your guts out for practically balls all in the process.

@Whitestar55, has also distinguished itself as a high standard low pay company who take the piss out of their typists.

Over the last two weeks my bills have gone up by 1500 !!!! and that's not the end of it and whether I like it or not if this company doesn't put their per line up I am going have to go back out to work, the perks there would be sick pay, holiday pay and salary, all of which I will need to keep up with the bills 🤷‍♀️😞

Hi everyone, I’ve stumbled across this thread as it was on active. I’ve also just googled dict8 and had a very quick look.

Just wondered if anyone could advise me as to whether this might be something that would suit my situation.

I’ve worked as an NHS medical secretary for 8 years and have typing experience from a variety of different departments. I’m currently on maternity leave and not planning to go back. I am looking for some flexible part-time work, not sure if dict8 might be worth looking into?

Do you need to do a set amount of hours/dictations a week? Can you do them whenever it suits you? How much do you earn realistically? I understand you may not wish to answer that last question!

Apologies for any typos - I’m typing with left hand while feeding baby!

Thank you

@Lemongrass9 - there is no set lower limit for DICT8, you can type as little or as much as you are able. I used to work full time for them but now some days I do not type anything as the quality of the work on offer is so poor (I also type for Tpro, which does have limits). Recently I have only been earning about £5 a day with DICT8. It all depends on what your specialties are - they normally start new people off with just one - and the quality of the dictation. You can log on and work whenever you want to - if there is work available.

@Lemongrass9 - im sure from you reading our thread you can see there are a lot of unhappy transcribers!! You can make a little bit of money but not enough to live on. I think a good week from my perspective is £75 and that is sitting at a computer trying to understand shocking dictation at least 7 hours a day, it never used to be so dire. Also, lets not forget the bombardment of their so 'constructive criticism'. Its humiliating and degrading. I also work for Tpro and funnily enough get such warmth and excellent feedback time and time again, I really am doubting the proofreaders of this organisation's ability to rectify the queries we submit with such proficiency. I think their system is so out of date and making the mistakes they say the transcribers are making. Go for it by all means who knows you may be one of the lucky ones who get good work/dictation depending on your speciality

@Lemongrass9. Just to give you a different perspective - and soley based of my own experience of a decade - I average £75-£100 p/d. The only thing that predicts your income is how much work you do; that in turn is based on what is available and/or what you choose to work based on the opportunities within that. It is not something i would have done when i had a mortgage etc as the variables are too high (recent covid bring a case in point) but for me, the flexibility is priceless. Why not give it a try during your mat. leave and see how you get on? You may find competing demands with a young family stressful, but at least you’d get an idea of sustainability.

@choice456 - No, the only thing that predicts your income is clear dictation

It's unpredictable gig economy work, supposedly self employment, and you need to work twice as hard as you would to earn the equivalent in the NHS, despite the company insisting that you have that level of experience and work to high standards. You are not paid for some aspects of the work, as the rate per line no longer compensates for the extra tasks outside of entering data into the main letter box, as the rate of pay has remained the same for around 15 years. It's bloody time consuming hard work trying to make a living and I find it also takes a toll on your health. The only good thing about it is that you can do it from home when you want, one aspect that is exploited in order to justify the poor pay. If I could go back in time I'd choose a different career!

@choice456 -@carosel2 is correct, clear dictation is the key - I work full time, all day, five days a week and used to earn about £1,100 per month with Dict8, last month it was under £100.

@lemongrass9 I would take mat leave as an opportunity to try it out. I managed £800 last month alongside a 15 hour job at a GP which I have just resigned from as it wasn’t good for my mental health. I also go to a Pilates class and art class once a week but I will type at the weekend if the dictation is clear which it often is. Good luck:)

@deewo - I never get weekend dictation and im supposed to have two of the busiest specialities. Every day I log on with nothing showing and when I stay logged in the work starts coming in albeit shocking dictation. Go for it @lemongrass9 I would be interested to know how you get on. It doesnt cost anything and who knows you may strike a gold!

@carosel2 - the clear dictation would be factored into the choice component of whether you choose to do it. It is important to recognise there are likely many different people working for dict8 whose ears may be attuned to different dialects and styles of dictation, if that were not the case you could assume swathes of work would be left all the time. Its useful for people asking for personal experiences when thinking about taking this up to not be in an echo chamber .

@lemongrass9: Go for it whilst on Mat leave -- There is definitely a bonus to working from home. I ,like @Gally123, used to earn around £1200/mth. Since pre-Covid my average has dropped to just under £100/per week. Even if you do go back to work at the end of ML you will still be able to type for Dict8 evenings/weekends, etc; giving you a side-line for Xtra cash without leaving the house.

@choice456- exactly that why its good people can also put the bad side across as well as the good

I think quite a few voices in the "echo chamber" are based on facts not false information !

You cannot get around the fact that the clearer the dictation is the easier and quicker it is to transcribe, regardless of your proficiency in understanding dialects and styles and your knowledge of terminology and hearing ability and the fact that the dictation can be raised or lowered in sound and speech. Dictation standards generally have deteriorated across the board, in both speech and sound recording quality and ability to use a dictaphone correctly without interference and all that slows the transcriber down.

@carosel2. Of course, that is what balanced discussion is about. The negativity is prevalent however and positive comments of personal experience risk getting lost in the noise; I think if I were scoping it out today i would lend weight to the fact that the most negative commentators are still doing this work. I suspect this will be met with the ‘i have no choice’ brigade but i would hope we all had an idea of a plan B if these companies closed tomorrow.

We have a choice to negotiate better conditions and pay or to shut up, be grateful and put up with it like good little female subordinates.

@whitestar55 - or choose to do something else that would hopefully bring greater contentment? Have you entered into negotiations with the company yet Whitestar55? Has anyone? I think if you are relying on them to read this thread as a method of communication with them you may be disappointed. In which case the majority are likely to be, by your definition, good little female subordinates. (I’d have used person).

You are proving the point that it's a case of like it or lump it (leave and find something else) instead of coming to an agreement over better pay and conditions, and like it or lump it is the way most companies would operate if constantly given the opportunity. Many on here have entered into negotiations with the company, yes, plus I don't feel the need to be PC, most of us doing this are female and it's generally females that have lower paying jobs and are seen as being more willing to shut up and accept. Are you a DICT8 director/employee BTW, you seem to be gravitating strongly in that direction and in their defense?

@whitestar55 - it was sadly predictable that the suspicious perceptions would follow. But no, i am not. I, like you all, am self employed and responsible for my own decisions. And of course its like it or lump it, or enter into dialogue, or leave. That is what choice is all about. Can you see however how positive comments attract a flurry from the core dissatisfied? This is why its important to accept that everyones experience varies - and exercise your right of choice.

@lemongrass9 Another consideration is your headphones, your keyboard, your internet connection and your computer. I do not have a foot pedal. Mine are all excellent (I am not boasting about this just the facts) my partner is an IT consultant and works from home so I am fortunate to be supplied with good equipment on his advice. I have a gaming keyboard and full headphones (Bluetooth) and also full wired headphones just in case. I find I can increase the volume on a task considerably with my secondhand newer computer which really helps on the very quiet whispering. I still get the goldfish bowl stuff and the mumbling and very technical dictated too fast which there isn't anything you can do about apart from try to send it back (occasionally this works).

We have the choice to give our opinions even if seen as negatives, as they are actually the reality for many of us and the facts, which you just don't seem to want to accept.