1. Is there any sort of screening test for prospective students?
ISS does provide a word skills test on the website that we ask each prospective student to complete. A successful scopist must have good English skills. If the course does not screen applicants, how do you know if you should invest the time and money in training to be a scopist? Some people have poor enough word skills that they may want to consider a different profession; many need to brush up on their spelling, punctuation, and/or vocabulary. Wouldn't you like to know one way or the other before you pay a couple thousand dollars for training?

 

Training programs often make it seem like they're giving you a lot for your money, but the benefits students receive really don’t mean much. Compare on a dollar-for-dollar basis the benefits that are included in the training program.  Which course offers the type of benefits that will lead to work for you as a scopist and give you the most credibility among court reporters? That’s the program I’d choose.

 

 

Many people who are interested in becoming scopists previously went to court reporting school and already know how to read steno notes. Others have extensive backgrounds in medical terminology and don't need training in that area. Choose a course that allows you to skip over sections that you don't need and spend your time and money on the material you do need.

 

7. How qualified is the instructor?

While a great deal of experience in the profession does not guarantee the most thorough scopist training course, we do tend to learn more the longer we work at something. Compare years of experience as a scopist to see who is the best qualified to teach you.

Not everyone has taught in the past, obviously, but if the instructor has past experience in teaching scopists, she's had time to learn a few things about how best to do it. It may just be a little plus in choosing one course over another.

 

To my way of thinking, I would prefer an instructor who is involved in promoting and bettering the scopist profession, because this is going to benefit me as someone who seeks to join that profession. Many people never do anything that isn't aimed at promoting their personal business and making them money. I would prefer an instructor with a little more global viewpoint who is involved in speaking, writing articles, getting press for the profession, and constantly building contacts in the reporting field. This type of instructor probably has a better chance of promoting me as a graduate of her course because she is known in the profession.

 

There is training provided by some software companies; however, I would seek training specifically directed to scopists, as our needs are different than those of reporters. I would prefer a teacher who is certified by the CAT company because I know she has had to study and pass tests to achieve that distinction. The better trained the instructor is, the better she can train you as a student.

 

- What contacts does the instructor have in the reporting profession?
If the instructor has been involved in the profession in terms of serving on committees, speaking at conventions, writing articles, and otherwise promoting and seeking to improve the scoping profession, she has undoubtedly made contacts among other professional people in the field. These contacts often lead to contacts and work for graduates of her course. While it isn't always "who you know" in a profession, the more people who know of and respect the instructor, the more credibility you will have as a graduate of that person's course.

 

8. How do graduates of the course and professionals in the field feel about the course? If you privately e-mail students and graduates of a training course, they have no reason to be anything but honest with you about their satisfaction - or dissatisfaction - with the course. Ask them about thoroughness of the material, student support, marketing opportunities, etc. You're much more likely to get an unbiased viewpoint when you get it "from the horse's mouth." 9. What sort of support do the students/graduates receive? You will want to choose a training course that provides ongoing, quick-response support to you as a student, and also is there to lend guidance and support after you graduate.  In addition, scoping as an independent contractor tends to be quite isolating.  Getting to know and have contact with other students of the training course provides you, as a new scopist, with a network of peers you can use as backup and with whom you can exchange referrals.