Court Reporting Schools Allow an Opportunity For a New Career

Maybe you don't know what career path you want to go into, or maybe you are looking for a change in career. Court reporting schools offer a great way to learn a new skill and land a new career.

Many people don't even realize that court reporters are still around. Many people assume that digital technology has taken over. But, the job is much more complicated that a simple typing job. There is still a need for quality court reporters, or stenographers. However, you will have to go to school to start a job in the field. There is a lot to learn and the school is not easy.

But, if you are considering a career in court reporting, here is some information on the career and the schools.

The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) is the leading authorities on information surrounding the reporting and captioning professions. The NCRA administers the nationally recognized certification program for court reporters and provides guidelines on continuing education.

The NCRA Website will also give you listings about NCRA certified schools brokend down by state. Recognize this is a vary specialized career and there are not a large selection of schools that offer a certified program.

With the availability of online access in the last 10 or 15 years, more online schools are becoming an option.

Check out the NCRA website for more information about the career and schools.

As a student of a court reporting school, the classes will cover all you need to know about a job as a court reporter. Programs can last up to three years.

You will learn all about legal and medical terminology, procedures and technology,transcript production, spelling, court reporting ethics, CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) and captioning terminology, and CAT (Computer Aided Transcription) realtime court reporting software.

You will learn the ins-an-outs of all the tools required, including the stenograph machine. The unique design of the court reporting steno machine keyboard allows court reporters to write at speeds of over 260 words per minute.  The steno machine keyboard consists of 22 separate keys and a number bar that are used to translate whole words, a skill you will learn in court reporting schools.

On the first things you should look at for a school is to determine if it is approved by Council on Approved Student Education (CASE) of the National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) as mentioned above.

The training program should have state-of-the-art, modern equipment and realtime theory, preferably with a broadcast (closed) captioning foundation.

The Council on Approved Student Education (CASE) has developed a comprehensive list of questions that a student might want to ask a prospective school. Some of these quesitons are below.

1. How long has the school been in existence?
2. What is the length of the program?
3. What is the average time to reach speeds?
4. What percentage of students who enroll graduate? How many become reporters?
5. If the state has a reporter certification requirement, what is the success rate of the school's graduates? after how many attempts?
6. How many hours of live and taped dictation per day per quarter/semester?
7. How often is multi-voice dictation given?
8. How many teachers are employed in the program?
9. What are the teacher's credentials and/or teaching or reporting experience?
10. How many court reporting instructors are CRI's (Certified Reporting Instructors)?
11. Is theory taught using realtime? If not, is realtime training given?
12. At what point in the curriculum is extensive Computer Aided Transcription (CAT) training introduced?
13. What are the school's graduation requirements?
14. Does the school have an internship program? Note: All NCRA-approved programs must have an internship program.
15. Is employment assistance available?

As a court reporter, there are a few options on what direction you want to take your skills. One option is work for state or federal courts as their official court reporter. Working in the courts, you will report both civil and criminal trials and hearings.You will receive a salary and in most states also receive a page rate for the transcripts you produce.

Others choose to freelance and either own their own court reporting business or freelance through a court reporting firm or agency where they will get charged a commission. In exchange for this commission, the firms or agencies will furnish some of your supplies, business cards, and assignments.

Freelancers typically report depositions primarily, but other assignments include arbitration, conventions, meditations, or even company meetings. Freelance court reporters comprise about two third of the total court reporters nationwide.

The career outlook for court reporting is excellent as indicated by the Department of Labor. There is still a need for court reporting jobs and they are expected to grow at well above the average rate for the next several years according to the Department of Labor and the NCRA.

In the last few decades, the court reporting career has evolved into a highly technical career that is essential for the legal system, as well as broadcast closed captioning for television programming, and CART Providing for the hearing impaired.

Court reporting schools can give you the skills you need to start a new career in the field of reporting and captioning professions.