OFFICIAL - Works with judges and lawyers in the court system.  An Official Court Reporter is responsible to make a verbatim record of everything said in a courtroom by stenographic means and to provide a written transcript when requested.  Officials are state employees and receive a generous benefit package including paid vacation time, health and life insurance coverage, and retirement plan contributions.  In Illinois, the starting salary range is $48,000 to $53,000.   Additional years of experience and/or additional certifications will increase the pay.  Once employed, additional increases in pay result from five-year step increases, cost of living adjustments, and proficiency incentives.  In addition to salary, Officials are paid for the transcripts they produce.

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FREELANCE - Self-employed or work for freelance firms who coordinate the work.  Freelancer reporters market their skills to different types of clients in the legal setting and have the freedom to work as much or as little as they want based on desired income.  Many freelance reporters find opportunities to travel and have a broad variety of tasks and environments in which to work.  Freelance reporters are utilized in the information-gathering phase of legal actions by taking depositions and producing transcripts.  The income freelance reporters receive is derived from the transcripts they produce.  Some freelance firms provide benefits, while others do not.  The freelance reporter may be considered an employee or an independent contractor.

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CART REPORTER - Onsite or remote coverage for meetings, medical appointments, or school classes to serve as the ears of the person with a hearing loss.  Because the CART reporter writes the spoken words on their writer, which instantly translate on a computer screen in front of the person with the hearing loss, that person can then be a full participant.  Similar to freelance reporters, CART reporters can work for companies as an employee or independent contractor.

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CAPTIONER - Very similar to a CART reporter, Captioners provide realtime translations, known as captions.  Captioners work for captioning companies or other places, such as TV stations or sports venues.  This position allows for lots of flexibility and personal choice since TV captioning is done 24/7.  Through headphones, the Captioner listens to news broadcasts, live political speeches, major league ballgames, or whatever programming is contracted and writes what is said, which then is transmitted in realtime so that those watching can see the captions.  The potential earning capability depends on the number of hours contracted and the skill level possessed by the Captioner.  Ambitious Captioners who have excellent skills and accept challenging assignments earn incomes above $100,000 a year.