Guides for AI trainers

Plain answers on getting hired, getting paid and doing the work well. Every pay figure comes from live listings, and every platform claim links to its source.

• Start hereHow to become an AI trainer in 2026What AI trainers do, who gets hired, what it pays by field, and the exact steps to land your first project on Mercor, micro1, Outlier and the rest.Read the guide →
• Choosing a platformThe best AI training platforms, ranked by what they pay15 AI training platforms compared on live pay, payout speed, hiring and who each one suits: Mercor, micro1, Outlier, DataAnnotation, Appen, TELUS, Remotasks, Prolific and more.Read the guide →
• Getting hiredAI training interviews and assessments: what to expect and how to passHow the Mercor and micro1 AI interviews, the DataAnnotation starter assessment and Outlier onboarding work, and how to prepare for each.Read the guide →
• Getting hiredAI training jobs with no experience: what's real and what paysWhich AI training roles don't ask for a degree or credential, what they pay today, and how to tell a real entry-level role from a task scam.Read the guide →
• The workWhat is RLHF? The work behind it, explained for AI trainersReinforcement learning from human feedback in plain English, and the task types it turns into: ranking, rubric grading, writing ideal answers and red teaming.Read the guide →

Reference

• State of AI training payOur monthly report: medians by field, platform and credential. Free to cite.
• Jobs by professionNurses, doctors, lawyers, engineers, PhDs and more: live roles and pay for your job.
• AI training glossaryRLHF, SFT, rubrics, red teaming, EQ and 30+ other terms you'll see in listings.
• Taxes for AI trainersSelf-employment tax, the 2026 1099 threshold and quarterly payments.
• Getting paid abroadStripe, Wise, PayPal and Payoneer by platform.
• Recruiter scam checkPaste a message and see the red flags.