Literably Jobs
A lot of people have been inquiring about a recent work from home job lead for a company called Literably.
Literably is a program that is used in classrooms. It helps elementary school teachers monitor their students’ reading and comprehension levels. Students read aloud as Literably records them. The recording is then checked against the reading material for accuracy. A report is written showing information like the correct number of words per minute and accuracy percentage.
So what’s the job? Literably hires individuals to score (transcribe) these recordings. This is a work from home position and is a great opportunity for beginners.
Literably Transcriptionist
Since so many people were interested in Literably jobs, I decided to check it out for myself to see what it is all about.
Literably Job Details
The original job advertisement was posted on Indeed.
- The pay rate is listed as $10.00 per hour.
- No experience is required because Literably has a “training mode.”
- Jobs are being offered as people pass the testing phase.
To begin testing, you need to provide your contact information and upload your resume and cover letter. The job advertisement specifically states not to worry about including the perfect resume or cover letter. (They’re more concerned with your ability to pass training, not your past experiences). Once you submit the required information, you’ll be sent an email with testing instructions. That’s it.
Literably Sample Tasks
There are just four quick steps to get started.
- Open Google Chrome (not required but recommended–other browsers have not been tested with the program)
- Create an account
- Read the testing instructions
- Score six training recordings
Scoring for Literably
Although this is listed as a Literably transcriptionist position, you’ll be more or less scoring recordings for accuracy against the reading material. As you’re listening to the recording, you’ll follow along with the reading material and add, delete, substitute, or end text as appropriate.
By providing you with the reading material text, it helps save you time as the scorer (assuming the reader is actually attempting to read the given text–sometimes they might go off script in which case you’d have to transcribe what they’re saying). This means you’ll be doing more listening than typing. For the most part, you’ll only need to type to add, delete, or modify text.
Literably Phonemes and Phonetic Transcription
Honestly, I’ve never heard of a phoneme let alone phonetic transcription before. But if you were to think of language as building blocks, then phonemes are the individual sounds that are stacked together to create meaningful words. As part of their training and instructions, Literably goes into much greater detail about what phonemes are.
But why is it important to know about phonemes?
Remember, you’ll be scoring school-aged children reading. A lot of times they’ll be sounding out words and might come up with something that isn’t a word at all. You’ll be expected to type what you hear. This is where phonemes come in.
Phonemes will allow you to verbatim type non-words. Literably will provide you with a guide that will show vowel phonemes and consonant phonemes. The guide also shows the phonetic transcriptions of common words. For example, to spell “busy” phonetically using phonemes it would look like “bizee,” “circus” is “surkus,” and “moon” is “muen.” As part of your scoring responsibilities, you’ll need to use phonemes in order to transcribe non-words.
Literably Transcriptionist Training
It takes some time to get used to scoring, especially where phonemes and phonetic transcription are concerned. Literably understands that many people have not heard of this form of transcription before. That’s why they give you in-depth instructions to help you get a better feel for scoring as a Literably transcriptionist. There’s even a video to show you how to transcribe a recording:
You’ll need to score at least six training recordings and do so within certain accuracy parameters before you’ll be given real recordings to score.
After you score a training recording, you’ll be able to see within five to ten seconds how your transcript stacks up against the one completed by Literably. This let’s you see what you missed and if you correctly identified phonemes when phonetic transcribing. When you’re accurately scoring recordings on a consistent basis, you’ll be able to tackle non-training files.
It’s interesting to note, even after you score well enough to take on real recordings, you’ll still be occasionally scoring training ones, too. This is Literably’s way of making sure you’re still scoring with a high-degree of accuracy. As the scorer, you’ll never actually know which recordings are training ones and which are not.
Literably Payment
Payment is made once a week and is based upon the number of audio minutes you accurately transcribed during that week. Once you get used to scoring with Literably, you can make over $10.00 an hour.
Working for Literably
This is not your typical transcription job. The nature of the work is unique in that you’ll be scoring elementary school children reading. Plus, with phonemes and phonetic transcription, there’s a bit of a learning curve. However, if you’re interested, it’s definitely worth a shot. You won’t need a foot pedal or special software to get started. The only thing you may want to invest in for this or any typing position is a decent headset
Literably Update:
So many individuals have posed some great questions about Literably that I could not answer. I decided to reach out to Tyler Borek, the founder of Literably. He was able to clarify the pay rate and shed some light about when they may be hiring again.
Here’s what I found out:
1. Literably is open to hiring international contractors.
2. Literably pay rate starts out at .50 per audio minute. This translates to $30.00 per audio hour. Tyler mentioned that, with practice, graders should be able to score 20 minutes of audio per real hour. This means that scorers would be making approximately $10.00 per real hour and not an audio hour like was originally thought. It’s also worth mentioning that Tyler and his co-founder are able to score 35-40 minutes of audio within an hour which come to about $17.50 to $20.00 per hour. Granted, they have a lot of practice, but it is a promising that scorers can earn up to $20.00 an hour as they gain experience.
3. Literably definitely plans on reopening hiring in the future. It all depends on scorer retention and how quickly the company grows.
4. Scoring for Literably is part-time or supplemental work–it is not recommended to count on scoring as a full-time source of income.
So there you have it. It’s always promising when a company cares enough to answer inquiries and provide insight. If/when Literably starts hiring in the future, I’ll be sure to let everyone know!
Note: Literably is once again hiring! Please head over to the job page to apply now!
@Levia C,
I’ve heard from so many how difficult it is to accurately score for Literably. I must admit, my head was spinning just trying to get a hang of phonemes and when to add, delete, end, or substitute text! This definitely isn’t your typical transcription position. I imagine it takes quite some time to get used to phonetic transcribing.
Like you, I got the email stating that they were “pausing” the application process as they had selected their first “cohort of transcriptionists.” The email did indicate that this is only temporary and will contact candidates if/when hiring resumes.
I haven’t heard back either regarding some questions I asked to the founder of Literably, Tyler Borek. Thank you for letting me know that you read in the instructions that the pay rate was $10.00 per completed audio hour–I must have missed it!
Thank you for sharing your personal experience! I think it will give interested individuals something to think about when Literably starts hiring another round of transcribers. The pay rate of $10.00 per audio hour coupled with the difficult nature of the work certainly needs to be taken into consideration.
I’m interested to read feedback from individuals actually scoring for Literably and how consistent work is–since this is a newer opportunity, there’s still a lot of unknowns. Again, thank you for shedding some light on the application process.
Ashlee Anderson
It’s pretty hard, at least it was for me, to get the accuracy they want. You use a list of their phonemes (phonetic sounds) and edit a passage that has been read to show if it’s read correctly, if they add words or sounds or don’t say words. You have to get less than 2% word differences and less than 10% phoneme differences than the person who transcribed before you on the trainings. It seemed like they weren’t using the instructions the same way I was. Sometimes they used phonemes, sometimes they used words.
Also, it is $10/ accurately transcribed hour. That’s what I read in the instructions.
I wasn’t able to score consistently high enough (tried 12 recordings) and sent them my questions since in the email it said to feel free to ask questions. Mine weren’t answered but I did receive an email saying they are stopping the application process and if and when they are hiring again they will contact me.
Hi, I was just reading the instructions about Literably and under payment it says:
“We will pay you once per week based on the total number of audio minutes accurately transcribed during the previous week.” But they do not mention what they charge per audio minute. But judging from their ad that states $10/hour I think you have it correct, .16 or .17 cents per audio minute seems like it adds up. Although it would not be considered a good wage, it is a good way to earn extra cash, rather than making a real income. But I guess that depends on how skilled you are. However, I agree, it is a good option for people without experience and a worthy cause to help students and teachers.
Thank you Ashlee, for posting very valuable information. Many people will benefit from your site!
@Deb,
Thank you for clarifying about the pay rate. I agree that scoring for Literably is a good way to supplement your income each month. Plus, it’s pretty neat that you’re helping elementary school kids and their teachers. Although the pay rate isn’t amazing, it’s a unique opportunity and I imagine once you get used to it, you can get through files pretty quickly.
Many, many people were interested in this work from home opportunity–no wonder their first round of hiring filled up pretty quickly! However, Literably seems pretty confident that they’ll be reopening hiring in the near future. I’ll be keeping tabs on this work from home opportunity to let everyone know if and when they start hiring again.
Thanks for reading and sharing, Deb!
Ashlee
Does this company hires only in the U.S ?
@Tiago,
Great question! I’ve sent an email to Literably directed at its founder, Tyler Borek, to find out whether or not hiring is open outside of the U.S. If/when I hear back from him or anyone at Literably, I’ll be sure to let you know.
Ashlee Anderson
Still no responses? I have qualified and they called me and it all went just fine, but never got any news from then.
@Tiago,
Good news! I received a response back this evening from Tyler, one of the co-founders of Literably.
He stated that they are open to international contractors. At this time, they have paused the hiring process. Maybe you qualified right as they stopped accepting new transcribers? I sent my questions out to Tyler about nine days ago. So if you recently inquired about the status of your application, you might want to give it some time.
Tyler also provided some additional information, which I will include in an updated blog post. Let me know if I can be of any further help!
Ashlee Anderson
hello i wish to confirm if it is per hour or per audio hour?
thank you
@Mike,
Hi Mike. The $10.00 pay rate is what transcribers can expect to make per real hour and not audio hour. Scorers are paid $0.50 per minute which translates to $30.00 per audio hour. Transcriptionists should be able to score about 20 minutes of audio or so within an hour. That’s where the $10.00 per real hour comes in. The faster you are the more you’ll make (just as the slower you are the less you’ll make). With practice, you should be able to make at least the $10.00 per hour consistently. If you plan on applying, Good Luck! Let me know if you have any further questions!
Ashlee
I have transcribed 14 audios and my pay rate says it’s .37 per audio minute. I’ve not received an email or anything from the company tho. My account shows I have made 1.40. Does anyone know if I am “in”?
Looks like they have reposted for “Transcriptionist (Remote)” on Indeed.com in case anyone is interested.
Hi Ashlee:
Has anyone worked for Literably? I’ve looked online, especially at WAHM, which has a few posts about applying but no one has indicated that they’ve actually been hired. There are no reviews about what it is actually like to work at this company (which is odd) and only a few reviews about this service from the teachers’ POV.
The BBB doesn’t have anything about this company either.
Before I send a resume and other personal information, I’d like to know if Literably is really a legitimate company. Does this company have enough work to keep transcribers busy?
Thanks!
Hi Monique,
Thanks for stopping by! I’m glad you’ve researched the company BEFORE sending your personal info 🙂 Yes, Literably is very much a reputable company. I have spoken with one of the co-founders, Tyler Borek, on several occasions. And Rat Race Rebellion also pre-screened the listing before posting it to their site — so, it is safe to say, Literably offers legitimate work from home jobs.
With that being said, there isn’t always a ton of work to go around — especially going into the summer months. Now, during the school year, there’s a lot of work to go around. So, of course, this is seasonal work and shouldn’t be counted on as a full-time source of income.
I hope that alleviates any worry you have about applying. Let me know if you have any questions!
Ashlee
Ashlee, thanks for answering so quickly. It’s good to know that the companies posted on your site have been vetted either by yourself or other reputable sites.
Thanks again.
Hi Monique,
You’re welcome. That’s what I’m here for 🙂 Should you ever need anything (and I do mean anything), don’t hesitate to ask. You can always reach me directly at ashlee@workfromhomehappiness.com
Best wishes,
Ashlee
Hi, Ashlee
Can you give me idea of how hours of work that got per week, during the school year? Is it fairly consistent during the school year, or do you have times when there just isn’t any work?
Hi Jeanine,
Thanks for stopping by! The volume of work will fluctuate quite a bit at Literably, even during the school year. It really just depends on how many parents/teachers are using Literably and submitting recordings to be scored.
So, one week you may have more work than you know what to do with and the next be fighting for assignments — and then there could be nothing.
Literably is a great company to contract with, but I don’t think you’ll want to rely on scoring for them as your main source of income. It is, however, a great way to supplement your income during the school months.
Let me know if you have any questions!
Happily,
Ashlee
I signed up today and transcribed about 6 recordings but have not received any emails from them at all. Does anyone know if they are currently hiring? I thought they were for the next school year.
Hi..
I dont know how to start transcribing. Did signed up already. Could you help me?thank you!
Thanks for the wonderful guide
A couple of weeks ago I happened upon Literably and began an application. Today I received an email from Habib Moody, Founder, literably.com, mentioning that I haven’t yet done any training recordings and encouraging me to do so. That makes me think that they are doing some hiring, in case anyone out there is interested. Thank you for all that I read in these postings about them, though as others mentioned, it would be great to hear from someone who does actually work for them!
Please advise why they are only hiring internationally? Thank you
Thank you, Ashlee, for providing information about Literably.
In a very short time it will be three years since this blog was originally posted and I find it very interesting (if not disturbing) that there is not one single person in that time period who has commented on working for Literably. Earlier in this thread commenter Monique expressed her concerns about this company and I must say I share her concerns.
The only information I have found was on GlassDoor and it appears the average ranking is 2.45 out of 5. So sad. The job looks very interesting, but I am afraid it would not be worth my time.
If anyone out there has worked for Literably, please share your experience.
I’m a professional reader, working for several blind attorneys. I spend some time reading aloud, but most of my day is actually spent transcribing inaccessible electronic material, researching websites, and editing. I am an extremely fast, accurate, comprehensive reader. I’d be very interested in learning more.
Thank you.
I guess I’ll be the first person who’s actually worked for Literably to write a comment. I’ve been working for them since October 2018, and I just use it as supplementary income. It is legit, I get paid on time every Friday through PayPal, and the supply of recordings definitely fluctuates based on the school year (when kids are in school vs. when they’re on break). I’ve really enjoyed working for Literably, the recordings are mostly clear enough to score and the kids are also very funny/adorable! On a good week when school is in, I easily make $50 in 5 days (only working about an hour a day), but when it’s slow, I suggest having a backup finance-wise. Hopefully this information helped people looking to apply!
Hi Marisa,
This is great! Thank you so much for giving your honest review of working for Literably. Sounds like a great opportunity to earn extra income 🙂
Happily,
Ashlee
Why would it matter what state you live in to work for Literably?
Hi Lisa,
Great question! So, even though a job allows remote work, it doesn’t mean you can necessarily work from anywhere. Each state has its own unique set of hiring laws and requirements. Some companies simply cannot accommodate those laws or legally hire someone within certain states. That’s why you’ll often see large companies, like Amazon, hire remote workers in the majority but not all of the States.
Happily,
Ashlee Anderson, CPCC
Hi, are there companies offering remote jobs that hire people outside of the United States?
I live in the Caribbean.
Hey Andrea,
It’s hard for me to say since I live in the US. However, you should check out Remote.co where you can find a way to sort through job listings that are international-friendly. Good luck!
Hi, may i know if i didn’t passed in literably when can i re apply again? Same email is okay?
Hiii, i like to asking where i can click to get 6 recording after sign up in literably?which one
I wonder if Literably gets free work from their 6 recordings, and that’s why most people don’t hear back from them. I’ve heard of companies using their screening as a way to get free work out of people.
Hi Cyndi,
Good point! I’ve heard of this before too. I hope this isn’t the case with Literably. Their mission and company values don’t seem to align with that kind of behavior. I’ve also known quite a few people that have signed on to work remotely for them. I think it’s more likely that Literably gets a TON of applicants every day and it’s nearly impossible for them to respond to each and everyone.
Happily,
Ashlee