Choosing a great court reporting job often involves carefully looking over all options. Court reporting schools will usually keep a listing of who is hiring. Some employers tend to look at graduates from specific schools, especially if they have had a good experience with that school in the past. Therefore, choosing a school with a good reputation could open up more choices for court reporting jobs.
Court reporting jobs rely on individuals skilled with a stenograph to record word-for-word conversations for legal purposes. The most common use of a court reporter is in a courtroom setting, or in a setting where depositions are being taken. There are a number of different court reporting jobs. While each one does basically the same thing, the way the job is set up is slightly different in each case. Choosing the best job is mainly up to the individual's preferences and needs.
In courtroom situations, many judges will have a preferred court reporter that works with that one judge nearly exclusively. Wherever the judge is - that court reporter is as well. These types of court reporting jobs may be somewhat difficult to acquire. Starting with a judge at the beginning of his or her appointment is one possibility. The other option is to simply wait for turnover in the process, which may happen due to retirements, moves or other circumstances. These may be relatively rare. This type of job is attractive to those who desire stable working relationships with others, and who do not like a great deal of change.
Private firms offer court reporting jobs as well. These court reporting firms keep reporters on staff to handle depositions, fill in for regular court reporters when they are ill or on vacation, or work in other official capacities to record conversations. For those who do not want to be tied down and who may need a more flexible schedule, this type of job may be ideal. Some firms may even offer part time court reporting jobs for those who only want to work a portion of the day or week.
Once a court reporter has experience in the real world of court reporting, he or she may decide the best court reporting job is one with the opportunity to teach others the trade. While many do not think of this when they get into court reporting, teaching court reporting is definitely another option. This is generally not the job for someone right out of college, but may be an option for those who have spent a portion of their careers in other areas. Teaching such a course may require additional classes, or advanced degrees.
