The anxious excitement when you embark on a new adventure – we know all too well. For you, our new graduate, you took that big leap of faith as you started to train as a scopist. And now after you are done with your classes and you’ve passed your final, it’s time to start making the big bucks.
Well, first, let us say congratulations on finishing your scoping course! You probably think the hard work is done. We’d like to say, think again 😉 Don’t worry, you’re not alone. We thought the same. But just as you finish the final exam and get your passing grade, there is more work to be done, and that is the business of building your own scoping business.
We all came to this scoping career from a different road. And each journey came with pros and cons that had something to teach us. Rachel entered the world of scoping as a court reporting student and found her passion in developing software best practices and coaching new scopists. Coralie discovered scoping as a career after moving to a new country and training to become a proofreader. And Heidi was introduced to scoping through Coralie one day as they talked about finding well-paying, interesting work that they could do from anywhere.
After years working as scopists, the Scoping International team started talking about where scoping could eventually take them and how learning to scope could help so many people they knew. Before they knew it, they found themselves developing curriculum and working towards launching their online education platform.
And that’s where you come in – fellow lifelong learner in search of a new job that can pay the bills and offer you the flexibility to work from anywhere. We are so happy you are here and that you’ve committed to finishing the course. So, let’s talk about what comes next.
Once you’ve finished the final exam and gotten feedback from the instructors, it’s time to set up your business. Now, because you can be located anywhere in the world while scoping, it’s up to you to do your due diligence and find out what guidelines and laws are in place for people in your position. And for that reason, setting up your legal business will look different for each one of you.
Checklist for Setting Up Your Business
- Name your company
- Set up socials
- Open a business bank account
- Set up an app or account that can handle international payments such as PayPal, Zelle, or a US bank account if living abroad
Networking and Making Connections
Now it’s time to network and develop your connections. Hopefully, you started to do this while you were still taking the course. This career is one built on relationships. So the interactions you have with your instructors and peers while attending drop-in sessions really are the foundation of your professional relationships. You learned a lot about this in your final section of The Complete Scoping Course, but let us remind you, we cannot emphasize enough how much your connections matter. This industry is tight-knit, and your interpersonal skills will help you stay in demand.
Skills that will help you be successful:
- Be responsive
- Take the initiative
- Show courage in trying new things
- Be flexible
- Show integrity
- Stay humble
We really recommend connecting with a mentor early on in your career. Finding a scopist or a court reporter that is willing to take you under their wing will help you grow strong and fast. Scoping International is proud to provide this support for free to their students and graduates at the monthly drop-in coaching sessions. These sessions provide a safe place to ask questions and get feedback, and it’s a good place to network as well.
Constructive feedback is essential as you work on your workflow and your speed. As you work with different court reporters, you will start to define your niche. Maybe you decide to specialize in medical cases, tobacco or asbestos trials, or you might find that your niche defaults to the niche of the court reporter you like working with best. When you work closely with one or two court reporters, you build your skills in learning the different preferences of each reporter.
We cannot emphasize enough that your instructors at Scoping International are here to support you through the whole process.
Heidi, one of the instructors at Scoping International, recounts her first six months as a scopist. She says, “It was an extreme learning curve mostly due to the fact that the online scoping school I went to didn’t cover some of the basic things I needed to know to actually work as a scopist, such as sending and receiving files. This experience led me to seek out a network elsewhere. It was a struggle, but I was able to reach out to other working scopists and students to fill in the holes.” The Scoping International team insisted their student experience should be different than what was already on the market. That is why they are available for consultations and encourage all their students to attend the free monthly drop-in to ensure they are prepared for the start of their new career.
It’s not uncommon to struggle a bit when you start your own business, especially if you’ve never done anything entrepreneurial before. It takes a lot of tenacity to build your own business, but the benefit of building a scoping business is there is plenty of work. That is one thing you won’t have to worry about. By taking the initiative and building a good reputation with your first few clients and continuing to have that personal integrity as you gain experience, you will never be short of work.
One of Scoping International’s graduates, Abby, remembers her first months as a scopist. She says, “I started the course while I was working as a cleaner and rather clueless about scoping and English grammar, but I came out of the course with the ability and confidence to start my own scoping business that became successful within just a few months. Abby, from two years ago, thought the life I lead now was nearly impossible. The connections and marketing advice were truly priceless and really helped me get my business to a successful place.”
Notice that Abby wasn’t an overnight success. That’s an important detail not to miss. Reaching your business goals may take some time, but with the support of the Scoping International team, you will learn to navigate the industry and hone your skills within your first year of working.
We are curious about your first year as a scopist, whether you are a Scoping International graduate or not. Leave us a comment below and tell us about your experience.
