A few tips on how to actually land remote AI training work despite all the competition
Hello!! I’m sure many of you see ads and posts about this type of AI job. There are hundreds of companies, people farming referral links and even fake LinkedIn jobs promising easy remote work. The requirements always sound simple: language skills, internet access, work from anywhere, flexible schedule etc. Some of that is true but it’s definitely not as easy or stable as people make it sound.
I’ve been doing this kind of work as a side income since 2024. It’s not my main source of income. And honestly, I would never fully rely on it as one.. even though in the best months I made around $3,000/month.
So, a few tips without naming platforms:
- Before signing up anywhere or spending hours on assessments/tests, fact-check the platform first. How established is it? What are people saying about it? What do the reviews look like? This field has a LOT of scams.
- If the platform looks legitimate and reviews are mostly positive, put real effort into filling out your profile properly. There aren’t traditional HR people reviewing your CV, most of the screening is automated, and even interviews are AI-based. Your profile needs to clearly explain WHY you fit the project. If your main skills are language-related, include PROOF: degrees, certifications, language tests, professional experience, even relevant hobbies, connect a Linkedin profile. If you have STEM skills, that opens even more doors, so absolutely include everything you can. Yes, it takes time, but that’s usually what makes the difference.
- Don’t expect easy or stable money. AI projects are often very temporary. Even if you land a project paying $40–50/hour, there’s no guarantee it won’t end in 2 days. Honestly, that’s one of the most common situations.
- If you do get onto a project, try to make the most of it. Work carefully and do quality work (it genuinely affects whether you’ll get invited back), but also try to work as much as possible while the project is active. These opportunities can disappear fast.
- Don’t try to fool the system. These companies already deal with thousands of people trying to make quick money without the necessary skills or by breaking rules. People get banned veery quickly for using AI tools where prohibited, working through VPNs, faking qualifications etc.
- Be active in the community spaces. A lot of project QMs/managers remember reliable people and later refer them to other projects.
For context, I come from a journalism/editorial background and speak multiple languages. I usually work on generalist projects. With my native language, I mostly do editing work: checking model responses for grammar, fluency, logic, tone, and overall quality. In other languages, I might create difficult prompts specifically designed to make the models fail.
The tasks vary a lot depending on the project. Sometimes it’s text, sometimes images or audio: it depends on what kind of model they’re training. But overall, once you learn the guidelines, it can actually be a pretty decent side income. If anyone has questions, feel free to DM me.