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A Month With McGowan Transcriptions
Hands up at the start; this is shamelessly copying the theme of a previous blog post by Marian Cleary (September 2015). But one of the main reasons I applied to McGowan Transcriptions was because of her blog post. So I think that writing my own contribution is a good way to pay it forward, and hopefully show others that it’s possible to earn good money working from home with a lovely, friendly company.
I’d like to share what went on behind the scenes which led me to McGowan Transcriptions’ website. I made a resolution in January 2016 to get out of debt. I’ve been in debt my entire adult life and my parents were in debt my entire childhood. Overdrafts, credit cards, hire purchase agreements, tax credit over-payments… It seemed an inescapable fact of life. Obviously, I’d noticed along the way that there were plenty of people not in debt, both wealthy and poor, but somehow, without even noticing it happen, I assumed I would always be in debt.
When I was staring at the post-Christmas online bank statement, I noticed this belief hiding in the dark depths of the back of my brain, so I pulled it out to look at it. I decided it wasn’t a helpful belief and it didn’t fit in with my world view that anything is possible if you set your mind to it. The first challenge to prove to myself that anything is possible was to get out of debt, because that’s the one thing I felt would just never happen to me.
I realised that feeling poor all the time was getting in the way of so much. We hardly ever went on family outings, repairs in the house were being ignored, we did everything on the cheap and spending money on anything caused a paradoxical mixture of huge anxiety and total indifference. Because I ‘knew’ I would always be in debt, it didn’t really matter if the credit card debts got slowly higher and higher.
The resolution got the ball rolling. Then I told everyone, because it would make me accountable. People would ask how it was going. If I didn’t do it, my words would be worthless and I take pride in saying what I mean. So I set myself up, knowing I would never be able to admit I hadn’t even tried.
The other thing I decided was that I was going to be the one to do the school run with my four-year-old son every day, and I would be the one he would stay with on inset days and sick days. Some kids cope well with babysitters and some don’t. My son just doesn’t. How was I going to be at home and start bringing in money? Now??
I looked up ‘audio transcription’ in Google and up came McGowan Transcriptions. I looked casually through the site, not really intending to apply, until I came across Marian’s blog post about how much she was loving McGowan Transcriptions. So I emailed Joe, the owner. She was very welcoming and friendly, and gave me an audio transcription test to have a go at. That was the beginning. I was transcribing live files as soon as I’d passed that test and my security forms were approved!
Ever since then, work has been brilliant. Alright, pretty good. Obviously, not as brilliant as winning the lottery, but every day I feel lucky that I’m working at home, I’m always there for my son, and, very importantly, all the communications from staff at McGowan Transcriptions have been positive, upbeat and super-helpful to a newbie. If you’re thinking of having a go, have a go. The worst that can happen is you fail the test or realise it’s not for you. The best is a hefty slice of freedom and the chance to earn money whilst sitting in your pyjamas, munching Coco Pops.
And now for the happy ending … My first invoice to McGowan Transcriptions was paid on the first of this month and the next day I settled one of our family’s longstanding debts (at 50% of its total, woop woop!). I actually did a little dance! Thank you, McGowan Transcriptions!
Written by Maya Souter
