How to become an AI trainer

What an AI trainer does

AI trainers help companies improve AI models. You review and rate model answers, write example answers, find mistakes, or record voice and video data.

Experts in law, medicine, coding, languages, and other fields teach models how a professional thinks.

Every job on this site is remote, and most have flexible hours. Some jobs accept people from certain countries only, so check the location on each job before you apply.

Projects can start and end with little notice, so plan for the pay as extra income, not a salary.

Skills and requirements by field

What you need depends on the job:

• Generalist jobs need clear writing and attention to detail.
• Expert jobs usually ask for a degree or work experience in the field, such as a law license or medical training.
• Language jobs need native or fluent skill in that language.
• Coding jobs need real programming experience.

This table shows every field with open jobs on this site right now, how many of them are entry level, and the median hourly pay.

Some companies also set rules for your computer. Mercor's AI interview runs on a desktop computer. RWS TrainAI asks for your own Windows or Mac computer and Google Chrome.

How hiring works

You apply on the company's own site. Each Apply button on this site opens the job there. After that, most companies use an AI interview, a skills test, or both.

AI interviews

• micro1 uses a spoken interview with its AI interviewer, Zara, and human recruiters review it.
• Mercor asks for a short assessment and then an AI video interview.
• Terac and Rise Data Labs also use an AI interviewer.

1. 1Apply to a job on the micro1 job board.
2. 2Do a spoken AI interview with Zara, 20 to 40 minutes. Human recruiters review it.
3. 3When a project picks you, sign the contract and verify your identity in Deel, then pass a background check.
4. 4Most projects ask for about 15 to 20 hours a week. Hourly projects track time with Hubstaff.

1. 1Create an account and upload your resume.
2. 2Answer a short written or multiple-choice assessment.
3. 3Do a 20-minute AI video interview on a desktop computer. You can retake it up to 3 times.
4. 4After an offer, verify your ID and pass a background check, which takes 1 to 2 weeks.

Skills tests and assessments

Other companies start with a test:

• DataAnnotation lets you take its Starter Assessment only once.
• Prolific starts with a short skills test.
• Appen has a qualification test for each project.
• Welo Data uses timed tests, and you can retake one only after months.

1. 1Sign up on dataannotation.tech and take the Starter Assessment for your track, such as general, coding, math, or a language. It takes about 1 hour, and you can take it only once.
2. 2Wait for the result. DataAnnotation says it replies in a few days, but many workers say they waited weeks or months, and some never hear back.
3. 3If you pass, take the longer Core assessment or a specialist test, then verify your identity with a government ID and a selfie.
4. 4Projects then show on your dashboard. Pick the ones you want. More specialist tests unlock better-paid projects.

Many of these tests are unpaid. Welo Data's assessments are unpaid, and reviewers of Meridial, Mindrift, and Handshake AI describe unpaid tests or training.

Identity and background checks

Expect an identity check before your first project or payment.

• At micro1, you verify your identity in Deel and pass a background check when a project picks you.
• Mercor checks your ID and your background after an offer.
• DataAnnotation asks for a government ID and a selfie.

How much AI trainers make

Across the open hourly jobs on this site, the median pay is $37 an hour. The middle half of those jobs pay $33 to $75 an hour.

Entry level jobs pay a median of $20 an hour, and the middle half of them pay $9 to $73 an hour.

Pay changes a lot from field to field, so compare these numbers with the median for your field in the table above. For more detail:

• The AI trainer pay report breaks pay down by field, level, and company.
• The pay calculator estimates monthly pay for a field, a level, and your hours a week.

Each company pays in its own way and on its own schedule:

micro1 and Mercor hire trainers as contractors, not employees. Mercor does not deduct taxes from your pay.

How to pick a company

These companies have the most open jobs on this site right now:

These have the most entry level jobs:

Then compare them on what matters to you:

• Open work in your field and your language now.
• A hiring step with a clear reply, such as an interview.
• Payout methods that work in your country, and how often the company pays.
• The hours a project asks for. Most micro1 projects ask for set weekly hours. At DataAnnotation, you pick your own projects and hours.
• A person you can reach when you have a problem.

Each company page lists its hiring steps, payout method, and worker reviews. Start from the list of companies that hire AI trainers.

Red flags

Workers also report problems at real companies. Look for these in the reviews before you put in many hours:

• Unpaid tests, then no work. Reviewers of Meridial and Mindrift say this happened to them.
• Accounts that lose all work with no reason given. Reviewers of DataAnnotation and Appen report it.
• Paid hours cut after the work. Handshake AI reviewers say a hidden timer cut their paid hours after payday. Appen reviewers say it paid fewer hours than they logged.
• Late pay. Many RWS TrainAI workers reported late pay, and RWS said its payment system had problems.
• Location checks. Welo Data and OneForma can lock or close an account that uses a VPN.

How to start, step by step

1. Pick your field. Use the table above, or look at entry level AI trainer jobs if you are new.
2. Open the company page for each job you like. Read its hiring steps, payout method, and reviews.
3. Apply to several jobs that fit you to raise your chances.
4. Prepare for the test or interview. Check if you can retake it, because some companies give you one try. Use the device the company asks for.
5. Have your ID ready, and set up the payout method the company uses.
6. Plan for gaps. Projects can end or pause with no notice, so keep applying while you work.