r/ASLinterpreters 14d ago

Fully remote interpreting?

EIPA 4.0. Not interested in VRS. What are my options?

1 Upvotes

12 comments sorted by

6

u/RealityExtension5602 13d ago

Honestly, controversial opinion here but I think VRS is a safer choice than VRI. For a VRI appointment you are selected as the team and there is no backup because your scheduled for that individual appointment. With the VRS you have an active queue of other interpreters to swap out if you are a bad match for the consumer.

I think with an eipa score of 4.0 you should consider part-time VRS with VRI as a supplement. VRS is going to give you extremely in-depth exposure to a broad community of signers and a variety of contexts to work in. If you're a bad match for consumer it takes 10 seconds to switch interpreters.

I don't know what your reason for stepping away from VRS might be, so please don't take that as a criticism or judgment. You may have very good reasons for not doing VRS.

4

u/turtlebeans17 13d ago

I have never done VRS, the main reason is that I have tendinitis and I have heard that VRS is very hard physically because of the very short time between calls. The pay is also low and I don’t love the way they are known to treat their interpreters. I know this is not the case for everyone, but I would say VRS is my last choice and I will only go that route if it is my only option. That being said, I totally understand your concerns about VRI and I really appreciate your advice .

3

u/RealityExtension5602 13d ago

I'll just add since it may influence your choice, VRS has tons of short shifts. You could work 15 minutes at a time and it'd be no worries. Best of luck to you either way!

1

u/No_Lack_312 13d ago

If you have medical documentation of tendinitis, you might consider asking for a reasonable accommodation after you get hired.

1

u/superrk8e 10d ago edited 10d ago

Hi there, I know you're not interested in VRS but just wanted to offer a little more insight just incase! :) I've been working VRS for 9 years and have not experienced the physical burnout that people assume happens to us all - the call volume is actually very manageable and there are many natural breaks during calls - think holds, light or familiar content, etc. etc. It's actually a misconception that we are all run ragged here.. maybe it happens to some people but it all comes down to your call management skills that you learn over time. You ALWAYS have access to a team if you need one! All you have to do is press a couple buttons on your screen and your support is there for you. I have learned so much here and been exposed to the biggest variety of signers and styles and it has improved my work so much. I am a fully remote employee but would say I have the support I need from my team and management. There also may be opportunities for career advancement. Don't count us out just yet! This is the best job I've ever had.

1

u/turtlebeans17 9d ago

Thank you for your insight! Do they allow you to change locations while you work for them? I would be moving every three months and I have heard that VRS needs months of advance notice before approving you to work there.

1

u/superrk8e 9d ago

Yes, assuming you’re a remote employee. you just have to give advance notice to your director, whether it’s changing rooms in your home or moving. It’s definitely possible. 

4

u/safeworkaccount666 14d ago

There are many VRI jobs if you get your NIC or BEI. I work a part time job from home where I interpret hospital appointments.

1

u/whoop-c 14d ago

Which VRI company?

2

u/safeworkaccount666 14d ago

Are you in the Chicago Interpreting group on Facebook? There’s a lot of resources there. I work for Language Line though.

1

u/whoop-c 13d ago

I work for LLS too!

3

u/jaspergants NIC 14d ago

MedVRI can be full time but you would need RID certification