This archive report was first published on 28 June 2020.
From Stay-at-Home Mum to Successful Transcriptionist: Frida Mwangi's Journey ¶
When Frida Mwangi's children started attending school, she found herself with a crisis on her hands: she didn't know what to do with the free time she had.
Published on June 28, 2020, Frida, a stay-at-home mum, wanted to work but was determined not to take up an eight-to-five job.
She began researching online work and discovered the world of transcription, which she found to be the perfect fit for her skills and lifestyle.
After a month of research, Frida connected with a Facebook community in Kenya comprising people who worked online and discovered the world of transcription.
She reached out to one of the ladies doing transcription training for tutorials and learned the craft.
In 2015, Frida began working as a transcriber in one of the leading global freelancing market spaces, where she became top-rated after only four months in the job.
She built a website and registered her own online company, Kazi Remote, in 2017, which expanded her customer base and attracted clients from Europe, Canada, and the United States.
Her website has also attracted clients from Europe, Canada, and American clients, some of whom have come to the country for research and are looking for a person who understands and can write Kiswahili.
She notes that one hour of recording can take four hours of writing and two hours for going through the work if one is a very experienced transcriber.
The standard time given in transcription is 24 hours, hence one can plan on the amount of time they can spend on work.
She charges clients Sh1,000 an hour of recorded work, but notes that there are clients paying Sh6,000 or even Sh10,000 an hour, especially if you are working with business companies.
However, working indoors came with the challenge of people dropping in her house all the time thinking that she was free with nothing to do.
She managed to resolve this issue as family and friends began taking her work seriously, but even while others understood she was working, there were those who branded her a mzungu, because of this strict way of living.
She notes that the reason most people fail in online work is because they treat it as a side hustle instead of a main gig and also don’t conduct enough research while at it.
She explains that online work is something you can do as a career, and that there is a lot of demand for it, with some jobs paying up to Sh15,000 per hour.
Her customer base increased after she created her website as people were able to find her on Google.
She notes one reason transcribing is not established in Kenya is because unlike in the West, it is not included in the laws.
In countries such as the US, there are laws which ensure that videos, audios are also texted so people who can’t read or write can access the information.
She was listed among the Business Daily 40 under 40 Women in 2018, which she says was a great recognition of her hard work and dedication to her career.
