new freelance reporter needs advice!

[Elyse Wachsman]

hoping some experienced court reporters can help me with what is probably a common situation. i have been working for one agency for about a month. they have been giving me jobs once or twice a week. i want to be doing more work so i called another agency and i told them i could work as much as they wanted. the problem i am going to have is telling them no at the last minute if i have a job from the other agency. i dont want to burn bridges with either because i would like to get as much work as possible. i also don't want to say i'm sick and can't work because i think they know that is an excuse, but they told me when i first started interning with them that their reporters only work for them and no other agency. should i be honest and say i am also working for another agency now because i need more than one or two days a week work? the second agency is also paying more and they told me they have a lot of jobs but i dont know how many this will turn out to be in reality. any suggestions are welcome! thanks

[Glen Warner]

Hi, Elyse.

First, my CONGRATULATIONS!! for finishing school and finding work!

That said, here's a question for you: When you get paid by the agency you've been working for, does the pay stub mention that they are taking out taxes for you? If not, then you are an independent contractor ... and therefore are encouraged to seek other work!

As for what to tell either agency that calls you when you're booked by the other agency, just tell them you're booked at that time.

When you get the chance, you might want to look through Kyung's blog entries. Some of them are written for new reporters, by a reporter who thoughtfully decided to write down things that she wished that she knew when she started ...!

Finally, you might want to get a copy of the book, "Successful Freelance Court Reporting," by Dana Chipkin ... or "Complete Court Reporter's Handbook and Guide for Realtime Writers," by Robert McCormick and Mary Knapp (new edition!). Either of these books should be able to explain a lot of the things that you, as a new reporter, will face on the job.

If you can, see if you can get a copy from your local library of both books. Look through them (take notes!), and decide which one you wish to buy!

Good luck ... and again, congrats on finishing school and getting out there!

--gdw
-------------------------
"For a Good (steno) Time ...."
http://www.cheapandsleazy.net

[Kelli Combs (admin)]

Elyse,

If you accept a job with one agency, you should take that job and not cancel for a better job. That is not a good practice to start getting into at the beginning of your career. That is one thing I have never done. There will always be a better job you could have taken. At least that is the way it seems to me when I take a job, someone will call with a better offer. That is just the way it goes.

If you want to be honest with the firm, tell them that if they want you to only work for them, then they need to give you more work; you cannot support yourself on just two days a week. If they cannot give you more work, you will have to pick up work elsewhere. That is what all freelance reporters do.

I do not, however, think it is a good idea to just work with one agency. When they get slow and don't have work for you, you will not have your foot in the door somewhere else and you will not be able to make some phone calls to pick up work. I did that about 10 years ago with a firm I worked with. They got real slow and I almost went bankrupt. Never again. I work with about seven firms now.

Maybe you can learn from my mistakes and not have to make them yourself.

[Rosalie DeLeonardis]

Another suggestion is call on Friday the firm that said their reporters only work for them and ask them what they might have for you in the upcoming week. Once they tell you the days, tell them you are going to look for work for the other days with another agency. If they say right now they have nothing, but will call you if something comes up, still let them know you will be calling around to find other work.

[Mary Ann Payonk]

Hi, Elyse. Looks like NYC/Manhattan is your coverage area. If you want as much work as possible, you can either freelance with every firm in town ... and there ARE a TON of reporting agencies in New York City! ... or you could give your first-call loyalty to just one agency. I call it the dirty little secret of court reporting, that is, "freelancers" who are strong-armed into sticking with one firm, even though by rights, as independent contractors, they should have every right to accept assignments from every, any, and all court reporting agencies in the entire country. Should you be honest and let your true freelance status be known by all? Of course you should!

But here's a suggestion. If you're just starting out, my guess is that most firms -- not all, but most -- aren't going to put you on big-money jobs. Some -- not all, but surely some -- will take advantage of your "newbie" status and try to stick you with short jobs that no one else wants to do ... certain no-shows, or the afternoon side of a set of reciprocal depositions of the parties where the other side goes first, things like that. I know you want to start bringing home a more or less regular paycheck, but again, honesty is the best policy. Have a sit-down with that second firm, the one that seems to have more, and more lucrative work. See if THEY would like your first-call status. It's yours to give, remember! I just think it might be a good idea for a new reporter to develop a strong relationship with one firm that respects you, knows you well, what kind of work you can and cannot do (and at this point, you can't handle everything that comes on the book). In return for that first-call status, you can look forward to a few jobs a week, and the agency will have a more secure feeling knowing that they have a reporter they can count on for coverage. It can be a win-win situation, and for a new reporter choosing between braving the Wild, Wild West of freelance court reporting, or finding even a temporary home with a firm offering mutual respect (and higher page rates), you might consider a sure thing for right now.

Eventually, you'll develop more confidence, get more experience, perhaps a specialty, and you can move on if you wish. All that comes with being a seasoned reporter. But it might turn out that the firm you've given your first-call status to, who took a chance on you when you were just starting out, will come to consider you a valued member of their team, move you up in the ranks, and encourage you to stay just with them. You ALWAYS have the choice of how you want to run your practice as a freelancer, Elyse.

One last thing. The reporting community is pretty small, even in NYC. If you start job-shopping, making excuses, and generally playing the field, that reputation will become known eventually. You don't want that. Just kind of take a breath, think about what your long-term plans are, then work toward that goal with everything you do.

Good luck, Elyse!

M.A.