Indiana Court Reporting schools

Indiana Court Reporting Schools

Education, Training And Salary

The amount of training required to become a Indiana Court Reporter varies with the type of reporting
chosen. It usually takes less than a year to become a novice voice writer, although it takes at least
two years to become proficient at realtime voice writing. Electronic reporters and transcribers learn
their skills on the job. The average length of time it takes to become a realtime stenotypist is 33
months. Training is offered by about 130 postsecondary vocational and technical schools and colleges,
both on campus and online. The National Court Reporters Association (NCRA) has certified about 70
programs, all of which offer courses in stenotype computer-aided transcription and real-time reporting.
NCRA-certified programs require students to capture a minimum of 225 words per minute, a requirement
for Federal Government employment as well.

Electronic court reporters use audio-capture technology and, therefore, usually learn their skills on the
job. Students read manuals, review them with their trainers, and observe skilled electronic transcribers
perform procedures. Court electronic transcribers generally obtain initial technical training from a vendor
when it is placed in service, with further court-specific training provided on the job. If working for a
private company or organization, hands-on training occurs under direct supervision of an established
practitioner or firm.
Wage and salary
Indiana court reporters had median annual earnings of $45,610 in May 2006. The middle 50 percent
earned between $33,160 and $61,530. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $23,430, and the
highest paid 10 percent earned more than $77,770. Median annual earnings in May 2006 were $45,080
for court reporters working in local government and $41,720 for those working in business support
services.
Compensation and compensation methods for court reporters vary with the type of reporting job, the
experience of the individual reporter, the level of certification achieved, and the region of the country.
Official court reporters earn a salary and a per-page fee for transcripts. Many salaried court reporters
supplement their income by doing freelance work. Freelance court reporters are paid per job and receive
a per-page fee for transcripts. CART providers are paid by the hour. Captioners receive a salary and
benefits if they work as employees of a captioning company; Captioners working as independent
contractors are paid by the hour.

Employment of court reporters is projected to grow 25 percent, much faster than the average for all
occupations between 2006 and 2016. Demand for court reporter services will be spurred by the
continuing need for accurate transcription of proceedings in courts and in pretrial depositions, by the
growing need to create captions for live television, and by the need to provide other real-time
broadcast captioning and translating services for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.

Court reporters held about 19,000 jobs in 2006. More than half worked for State and local governments,
a reflection of the large number of court reporters working in courts, legislatures, and various agencies.
Most of the remaining wage and salary workers were employed by court reporting agencies. Around 8
percent of court reporters were self-employed.