Employment Opportunities and Benefits
For a current list of vacancies, please see our Job Vacancies page.
As an Official Court Reporter, you will get a rewarding career with great benefits.
There's a good reason why many of our employees have been with the Illinois
Courts for more than 20 years! In addition to a competitive starting salary,
benefits include:
For Freelance Reporters
If you are tired of inconsistent work schedules without guaranteed income or
benefits, consider coming to work for the Illinois Courts. Visit our Job Vacancies
page to find out if we are hiring near you.
For Court Reporting Students
You have picked a great career choice with outstanding prospects for the future.
The U.S. Department of Labor has rated court reporting as "excellent" for job
prospects in its most recent Occupational Outlook Handbook.
You may have heard about the Part-A "officialship" examination that was given at
court reporting schools in the past. This exam was commonly taken prior to
passing the CSR examination. While we still give this examination, it is now
only given in connection with potential employment opportunities.
Yes, employment is possible in the court reporting field prior to obtaining your
CSR license. Upon passing the Part-A examination, a person employed with
the Illinois Courts is qualified for a restricted CSR license. With this license, you
may work as a court reporter if there is an electronic recording system in the
courtroom as a secondary record.
Due to statutory limitations, restricted licenses are not available for employment
as a court reporter in Cook County, but there are electronic recording positions
available until a time where you are able to pass the CSR examination.
If you have passed testimony examinations at 190 wpm or better, feel free to
contact any circuit on our Job Vacancies page to see if they have electronic
recording systems, and whether they would consider hiring a restricted license
holder. If so, the Chief Judge's office may request that you take the Part-A
examination in our Springfield office to see if you would qualify.
Good luck in the rest of your coursework! We hope that you consider a career in
judicial reporting once you have completed your classes.
Interested in Getting Started in a Career in Court
Reporting?
Court reporting is a specialized, technology-based profession. The old
fashioned idea of a court reporter scratching notes on a steno pad are long
gone and replaced by realtime translation technology where the spoken word
can immediately be displayed on a computer screen. You have probably seen
closed captioning on television before. If you have, you have seen realtime
writing in action.
Instead of captioning a television show, judicial reporters are taking down what
is said in a courtroom so there can be a written record of the proceedings. In
some cases, they can be utilized to assist the hearing impaired in the
courtroom by displaying a realtime translation on a computer screen.
It can be a very challenging and rewarding career. Please visit our Links page
to find a court reporting program that works for you. Good luck!
For a current list of vacancies, please see our Job Vacancies page.
As an Official Court Reporter, you will get a rewarding career with great benefits.
There's a good reason why many of our employees have been with the Illinois
Courts for more than 20 years! In addition to a competitive starting salary,
benefits include:
 | Health, dental, vision and life insurance | |
| Pension plan with the State Employee Retirement System | |
| Deferred compensation - an optional tax-deferred 457 | |
| retirement/savings plan | ||
| Medical/dependant care assistance plan | |
| Paid vacations, personal days and sick time | |
| 12+ paid holidays per year | |
| Continuing education waiver for state CSR licensing requirements | |
| Free annual seminar for 6 continuing education hours per year (0.6 | |
| CEUs from NCRA) |
For Freelance Reporters
If you are tired of inconsistent work schedules without guaranteed income or
benefits, consider coming to work for the Illinois Courts. Visit our Job Vacancies
page to find out if we are hiring near you.
For Court Reporting Students
You have picked a great career choice with outstanding prospects for the future.
The U.S. Department of Labor has rated court reporting as "excellent" for job
prospects in its most recent Occupational Outlook Handbook.
You may have heard about the Part-A "officialship" examination that was given at
court reporting schools in the past. This exam was commonly taken prior to
passing the CSR examination. While we still give this examination, it is now
only given in connection with potential employment opportunities.
Yes, employment is possible in the court reporting field prior to obtaining your
CSR license. Upon passing the Part-A examination, a person employed with
the Illinois Courts is qualified for a restricted CSR license. With this license, you
may work as a court reporter if there is an electronic recording system in the
courtroom as a secondary record.
Due to statutory limitations, restricted licenses are not available for employment
as a court reporter in Cook County, but there are electronic recording positions
available until a time where you are able to pass the CSR examination.
If you have passed testimony examinations at 190 wpm or better, feel free to
contact any circuit on our Job Vacancies page to see if they have electronic
recording systems, and whether they would consider hiring a restricted license
holder. If so, the Chief Judge's office may request that you take the Part-A
examination in our Springfield office to see if you would qualify.
Good luck in the rest of your coursework! We hope that you consider a career in
judicial reporting once you have completed your classes.
Interested in Getting Started in a Career in Court
Reporting?
Court reporting is a specialized, technology-based profession. The old
fashioned idea of a court reporter scratching notes on a steno pad are long
gone and replaced by realtime translation technology where the spoken word
can immediately be displayed on a computer screen. You have probably seen
closed captioning on television before. If you have, you have seen realtime
writing in action.
Instead of captioning a television show, judicial reporters are taking down what
is said in a courtroom so there can be a written record of the proceedings. In
some cases, they can be utilized to assist the hearing impaired in the
courtroom by displaying a realtime translation on a computer screen.
It can be a very challenging and rewarding career. Please visit our Links page
to find a court reporting program that works for you. Good luck!
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
| |
 |
Illinois Official Court Reporters