By Dana Prince

If you are currently weighing the pros and cons of going back to school so that you can attain the skills and knowledge necessary to start a new career in the area of court reporting, schools out there can prepare you for a career in this potentially lucrative career field. It could be very worthwhile for you to keep weighing the pros and cons while researching your educational options. 

There are many court reporter program offerings available to those fresh out of high school (you must be at least aged 18 or older to be a licensed court reporter in the USA) and it is also a popular career choice for mature students as well. Beyond court reporting credentials, many who choose this vocation also choose to become notary publics as well. An interest in the legal field as well as strong English and technical skills are necessary for this vocation. 

Getting a great job without a formal education is increasingly difficult. In many areas, the only individuals that are not licensed are those who are grandfathered in because they’ve been doing the job they’re doing for many years. Getting a formal education in court reporting isn’t just a good idea, it’s a necessity in most places. 

In terms of what can be learned in court reporter schools, not only can you learn skills to help you build speed and accuracy on stenography school equipment, but you can also learn how to parlay those court reporter skills into other areas as well. Beyond the obvious career choice of working in a court of law, you could use these skills in positions in government offices as well as the corporate world and even in the world of television, too. 

Closed captioning skills, known as captioning, particularly of live television broadcasts requires the skills of a court room reporter who can quickly work to bring information on an “as it happens” basis to those who are hearing impaired.   Captioning is one of the fastest growing segments of this vocation due to the increasing technology. It’s one of the most lucrative options and presents great options for those who want to telecommute from home, rather than work in an office or a court room. 

Areas that are taught in court reporting schools could include: 

• Using stenography equipment
• Courtroom procedures
• Legal terminology
• Voice writer / steno mask skills
• Transcribing live events
• Transcribing taped events
• Legal videography
• Practicing for building speed and ensuring accuracy
• Building on English and grammatical skills
• Captioning, for those who choose closed captioning careers rather than courtroom work
• And more 

Is it Expensive to go to Court Reporting School? 

Tuition fees for court reporting school will vary, depending on many factors. There are two year and four year programs and there are varying fees depending on where the school is located as well as what sort of training you’re taking. Any school that has a website will send you a free quotation for tuition as well as provide you with in depth details about their offering. 

Worried you’ll have to save up for years to afford court reporting school? You may qualify for loans and grants to help you pay for this education, which will help you get a job that’s both lucrative and interesting.  Court reporting schools often offer flexible learning schedules for those who can’t attend school full-time and will often provide helpful assistance to students that need help with planning for tuition, with extra assistance, with accelerated learning programs, and for job placement as well. 

Learning is Important!  

After your education is complete and you’re employed as a court reporter, learning isn’t over. You’ll be required to continue your education on a regular basis in order to maintain your credentials. Continuing education credits, also known as CEU’s in the court reporting field can be acquired through several methods, such as through workshops, seminars, and courses. Once you’ve become trained, you’ll probably want to join a court reporter’s association where you live. This will enable you to stay up to date on the field as well as maintain your credentials. 

The world of court reporting is expanding as technology advances so it’s important for those in this profession to consider continuing education so that they continue to build marketable skills. Learning is definitely powerful and it helps you find a career that you find interesting as well as lucrative. If you’re interesting in the world of law, have exceptional communication and concentration skills, and love to work in a fast-paced environment, court reporting is a career that might be perfect for you.

By Dana Prince

Court reporter school teaches a lot of skills that allow people to become court reporters. The profession of court reporting isn’t strictly limited to the courtroom though. And, it can be a very lucrative career option. 

What do Court Reporters Do? 

Court reporters who work in courtrooms create legal records of what happens in that courtroom. They may also be required to read back testimony at any time during the trial or proceedings. The reports are used during jury deliberation and they will be used when there are appeals as well. 

During recording, the court reporter can use various machines to record what’s happening. One option is the stenography machine, which they use to make a record of sounds. The shorthand transcript from the stenography machine is something that will later be transcribed into a full report.  Going to stenography school will help teach anyone to learn to build speed and accuracy on this machine. A stenography program is about more than just stenography, though. There are now other techniques for court reporting, such as voice writing, whereby the court reporter uses a stenomask to speak into a microphone during the proceedings. 

What is the Pay Like? 

Salary of a court reporter will vary, depending on many factors such as: location, experience level, and type of reporting. According to Salary.com, the salary ranges from mid 30k’s to mid 60k’s. Other websites also cite that this has the potential to be a six-figure salary job as well.  The position could be done either as a full-time position with a court or an agency, or could be done as a freelance position with a fair degree of flexibility. 

This is definitely a career that gives you the capacity to work and live just about anywhere. Every major city has a court house and the freelance opportunities in government as well as the corporate sector are abundant. 

Jobs outside the Court Room 

Other jobs done by court reporters could include doing instant translations into text, especially for television programmes for the deaf and hard of hearing. Closed captioning requires skills and many court reporters choose to go into this line of work as the hours can be flexible, and the work can be interesting. Some even do this from home. Court reporting professionals could work in government as well as any position that requires meetings be documented. Many people in this profession enjoy the flexibility, great earning potential, and the opportunity to freelance from home. 

Do You Need Special Training 

Court reporter schools exist, both on their own, as well as part of college programs. Court reporter training programs tend to be two years and there are also four year programs as well. 

Skills that are needed include: excellent focus and listening skills as well as good reaction time along with good English and grammatical skills. At times it may be difficult to listen and comprehend what’s happening in a busy courtroom and training and education provides a court reporter with the skills to be able to create accurate records of the goings on during a proceeding.  Courtroom proceedings can last for many hours so it’s important that the court reporter is able to work for long periods of time without losing accuracy. 

In order to get a job as a court reporter, most states in the US have a requirement of being able to achieve at least 225 words per minute on a stenography machine. 

The more knowledgeable you are on the legal field, the better. You can pick up experience as you go but a solid foundation in law is going to help you attract a great job and / or great assignments. 

About Court Reporting Schools 

Court reporting schools teach skills regarding the techniques for effective reporting such as using stenography or other technology such as voice writers.  You’re taught about legal terminology, correct records management, and correctly using the courtroom equipment, whether it’s a stenography machine or a voice writer. Beyond terminology and skills, you’re also taught to build speed and accuracy, which are both essential for courtroom jobs. 

How do you choose a great court reporting school? Doing some research online can help you. Many court reporter program listings exist online to give you course outlines, prerequisites, tuition information, and help understanding the available career opportunities. 

Think you don’t have time to start fresh and get a two or four year degree in court reporting? Today’s court reporter school options are abundant and flexible. You can do training through online education, through night classes, or other options as well. Today’s learning institutions understand that different students learn at different paces so you may also have options for self-paced training which can help you take your time at learning new skills or get into an accelerated learning program so that you can get into your new career sooner. Whatever you choose to do, understand that investing in your education is equivalent to investing in your own success. Learning more about court reporter schools can help you decide if this career sounds like a good option for you.

After graduating from court reporter school, getting a license, and starting your new career, what might a typical day’s work look like? Those who are considering embarking on a new career should consider more than a job description that’s summed up in a few sentences. Learning a bit more can help you determine whether or not it’s suited for your personality type as well as your career goals. Let’s take a look at the job of court reporting so you can decide if investing in getting educated in this area is right for you. Schools who teach the required skills advertise throughout the internet but what’s the job really like? 

People who like fast-paced work and who have a keen eye for detail are best suited for this type of work.  And, court reporters are professionals that can do more than work in court rooms alone. They often work in other locations and work both before and after courtroom proceedings to ensure that the transcripts they’ve worked on are complete, accurate, and secure. 

The court room might be the most likely place for someone in this vocation to spend their time but other job opportunities also exist, such as: transcriptions for various events and conferences as well as captioning positions for live and recorded television shows that require text for the hearing impaired. You may work directly for someone, may work for an agency, or you may be a freelance court reporter that works from home as well. 

The job can offer flexibility and plenty of opportunities. Job placement rates are high and unemployment among qualified court reporters is extremely low. In a time where many people are concerned about job security, finding a career that offers you security in an unstable economy is akin to peace of mind. The career choice is also interesting as well as well-paying, which makes getting educated and attending court reporting school a worthwhile investment. 

What’s taught in Court Reporter School? 

Court reporting training may have been referred to as stenography school in the past, but there’s a lot more to this profession than learning to use stenography equipment. 

You will learn use of stenography equipment, electronic reporting, or voice writer software package applications at accredited court reporting schools. Being able to use the required equipment and software for creation of transcripts is important of course, but court reporters also need to learn other skills as well, so that they’re best able to perform their job. 

Skills taught at court reporting schools could include: 

• English skills
• Shorthand
• Law foundations
• Legal terminology
• Speed building
• Policies and procedures relating to document and information security
• And more

It can take on average two to four years to complete your course and become licensed. Skills taught at court reporting school will prepare you for an exam that qualifies you to work in this profession. After passing that exam, you’ll need to follow local guidelines to keep your skills updated in order to maintain that license. 

Finding Work 

There are direct employment opportunities, agencies, and plenty of freelance opportunities as well. Once you’ve built the skills and expertise required for this profession, you can work just about anywhere and for a decent salary as well. 

Note: Many court reporting professionals choose to become notary publics as well. Having these skills complement one another and can provide further career opportunities.  The court reporter program you enrol in could also provide job placement opportunities, making it easy for you to get employed quickly after graduation and passing your exam. 

Skills Needed 

You’ll need to accuracy skills. You need to be able to think fast, especially if doing real time reporting in a court room or at a hearing and you’ll need to be able to use reporting skills flawlessly. Those with these skills can get lucrative positions.  There’s zero room for error in this field when you’re doing live reporting. A court reporting and stenography school will help students build the foundation of skills needed and then help them practice to build speed while ensuring accuracy. 

If your job consists of more than straight stenography, you’ll be able to put plenty of skills into practice. It can be a very interesting job, particularly if you’re interested in the legal field as well as criminal justice. 

If you’re doing voice writing, you’ll need to learn how to use speech recognition software. Not all court reporters use stenography machines any longer and as technology matures, new skills can be acquired to help you to continue to have marketable skills in this field.