| To become a court reporter means getting into a | | | | with the stenotype machine to be 33 months. The |
| rewarding profession. It has a few notable advantages. | | | | stenotype machine is ideal for other proceedings such |
| For example, court reporting is one of the few of | | | | as arbitrations, judicial meetings, and pretrial hearings. |
| positions that cannot be outsourced to other countries, | | | | Examining Court Reporting Schools |
| unlike jobs in computer and customer service | | | | When identifying a court reporter school, a student |
| industries. Also, many experienced court reporters | | | | ought to determine whether or not a school have |
| work freelance for flexibility in work hours. But they | | | | proper accreditation. It should be recognized by the US |
| also have the ability to maintain a staff position in a | | | | Department of Education. Also, the curriculum should |
| firm or courthouse if they choose to. Basically, in | | | | also be certified by the NCRA (National Court |
| today's reality of hectic, double income family, a flexible | | | | Reporters Association). Certification is a periodic |
| career in court reporting helps with the family life, as | | | | review of the classes to make sure the study |
| well as bring in income. | | | | materials are kept up-to-date. |
| But what exactly do court reporters do? | | | | Furthermore, an ideal class is small, say, 15-25 students. |
| You should view court reporters as archivists. Their | | | | Small settings provide students a close knit |
| documentary skills are concentrated on the narrow, | | | | mentor-mentee relationship to foster learning. The |
| but important, field of court trials, hearings, and | | | | school should also use actual and updated equipments |
| meetings. Any official communication within our justice | | | | for teaching. There is nothing worse than learning with |
| system depends on recordings made by thousands of | | | | 1980's technology while workplaces use today's |
| court reporters throughout the country. The records | | | | technology. |
| must be accurate because they must be able to | | | | Additionally, students learn best when their teachers |
| withstand the scrutiny of both the judicial and political | | | | are actual practitioners or have real world experience |
| system when necessary. | | | | as court reporters. Nothing supplements classroom |
| To that end, court reporters are highly trained in | | | | materials better than wisdom and experience. |
| various methods of documentation. The primary skill | | | | Lastly, the court reporting school should have a |
| they learn is stenography or short hand. While it only | | | | successful student placement service. Jobs nowadays |
| takes less than a year to become a novice | | | | are tough to come by and court reporters are not |
| stenographer, it takes at least two years to become a | | | | immune. Established schools, however, have reputation |
| very proficient real-time stenographer. | | | | that can bolster a student's resume. But just as |
| In court trials, most court reporters use stenotype | | | | importantly, they have long standing relationship with |
| machines that allow them to write approximately 225 | | | | local courthouses, law firms, and private agencies that |
| words per minute. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics | | | | can help students find court reporting jobs after |
| estimate the average length of time to be proficient | | | | graduation. |