How to get accepted on AI-training platforms
On the platforms we review, getting accepted means picking platforms that hire your field, applying with a CV that shows your credentials, passing each platform's own screening, verifying your identity and signing a contractor agreement. The table below shows how each platform screens and how long approval takes, with sources.
Last verified by the CredentialWork team
The steps
Six steps, in the order they happen on the platforms we review: field, application, screening, identity, contract and the wait for a project. Each step cites the platforms' own pages, read on the dates shown, so you can check them before you start.
- Pick platforms that hire your field.
Start from your field: medicine, law, software, science or finance. Each page lists today's open roles and the platforms behind them.
- Apply with your credentials up front.
Many expert roles ask for a licence, a degree or bar admission, and some name a country. Read the listing before you apply, and keep your CV to the work the role asks for.
- Pass the screening.
Each platform screens its own way. Mercor: AI interview (about 20 min) and assessments, then ID and background checks talent.docs.mercor.com . DataAnnotation: A one-time Starter Assessment (about 1 to 2 hours), then an ID check with Persona when prompted dataannotation.tech . Mindrift: CV, then a skills assessment (unpaid), then an ID check with Persona mindrift.ai .
- Verify your identity.
Expect an ID check before paid work. Handshake AI: Profile and resume, ID check (Persona), project invite, then about 2 hours of paid onboarding support.joinhandshake.com . Prolific: Join the waitlist, accept an invite, then verify your identity and finish a short practice task prolific.com .
- Sign the contract and set up payouts.
You work as an independent contractor. Mercor: Stripe, or Wise where Stripe isn't supported, in US$. Weekly, Wednesdays about 12:00 PM PST talent.docs.mercor.com . Outlier: Hourly or per task. Weekly on Tuesdays, via PayPal, Airtm or ACH bank transfer outlier.ai .
- Expect waits between steps.
Few platforms publish how long approval takes. Turing: Short application form, then any required assessments; review takes 48 hours to 6 weeks help.turing.com . SME Careers says finishing onboarding does not guarantee a project docs.sme.careers .
Screening and approval by platform
Who can apply, how each platform screens and how long approval takes, from its own pages. "Not published" means no page we read says it, which is the case for most approval times. Each row links to the full review.
| Platform | Who can apply | Screening | Approval time | Review |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mercor | Non-US contractors accepted, but listings can restrict by country. No doctor or lawyer role we counted was open to Canada on 2026-10-22 talent.docs.mercor.com | AI interview (about 20 min) and assessments, then ID and background checks talent.docs.mercor.com | Not published | Mercor review |
| DataAnnotation | Canada: Not confirmed. Professional projects need licensed credentials in law, finance or medicine; English fluency required dataannotation.tech | A one-time Starter Assessment (about 1 to 2 hours), then an ID check with Persona when prompted dataannotation.tech | Not published | DataAnnotation review |
| Handshake AI | US only. You must be based in the US, with US work authorization and an SSN or ITIN support.joinhandshake.com | Profile and resume, ID check (Persona), project invite, then about 2 hours of paid onboarding support.joinhandshake.com | Not published | Handshake AI review |
| micro1 | Canada is not on its excluded-country list. Most doctor and lawyer roles we counted are US-only or do not say micro1.ai | Apply to a job post, then an AI interview on its own platform micro1.ai | Not published | micro1 review |
| SME Careers | Canada: Not confirmed. Your country must be one Deel supports, and each listing flags the countries it is open in docs.sme.careers | Application and CV, then a recorded AI video interview (about 15 minutes), then screening docs.sme.careers | Its help center says AI interview grading takes 1 to 2 business days in most cases docs.sme.careers | SME Careers review |
| Invisible (Meridial) | Canada: Not confirmed. Projects depend on where you live, and Meridial names no countries meridial.ai | Create a profile, complete a short confirmation step, then get matched to a project and sign its statement of work meridial.ai | Not published | Invisible (Meridial) review |
| Mindrift | Canada: Not confirmed. Canada isn't on its restricted or unsupported lists, but no page says it is supported, and projects can set their own country rules mindrift.ai | CV, then a skills assessment (unpaid), then an ID check with Persona mindrift.ai | Not published | Mindrift review |
| Turing | Canada: Not confirmed. Its sign-up guide excludes only residents of mainland China, but we found no official page saying Canada is supported help.turing.com | Short application form, then any required assessments; review takes 48 hours to 6 weeks help.turing.com | Application review takes 48 hours to 6 weeks help.turing.com | Turing review |
| xAI AI Tutor | Canada: Not confirmed. Every AI Tutor role on x.ai is listed as Remote International, and no page names Canada for these roles x.ai | Apply on x.ai with a CV and a statement of exceptional work; x.ai describes a screening interview, then technical interviews, then an offer (its general process) x.ai | Not published | xAI AI Tutor review |
| Outlier | Canada and the US are on its country list; projects can limit location. Associate degree minimum outlier.ai | Resume, LinkedIn, ID; skill screenings. Onboarding about 30 to 90 min outlier.ai | Not published | Outlier review |
| Alignerr | Canada: Not confirmed. Phone verification works only with US and Canadian numbers alignerr.com | Profile and resume, apply to a role, then an AI interview (Zara) or a skills test if the role needs one alignerr.com | Not published | Alignerr review |
| Terac | Canada: Not confirmed. Each study can be limited by country terac.com | Sign in with LinkedIn or another account, verify your phone, then pass each study's screener (often a 3-minute AI interview) terac.com | Not published | Terac review |
| Snorkel Expert Community | US-based only (Canada: No). Its field pages say the work is open to eligible U.S.-based contractors, and California residents are not currently eligible snorkel.ai | Apply, complete screenings, pass an identity and credential background check, set up payment, then join projects snorkel.ai | Not published | Snorkel Expert Community review |
| OneForma | Canada: Not confirmed. Each project sets its own requirements, including location, and OneForma says a country filter match does not confirm eligibility oneforma.com | Create a profile, apply to projects that match you, pass any qualification and, for many projects, an identity check oneforma.com | Not published | OneForma review |
| AfterQuery | Canada: Payouts supported (Canada is on its Stripe payout list). Whether a given role accepts Canadian residents: Not confirmed docs.afterquery.com | Apply on the expert portal, then take one unpaid assessment per expert pool and wait to be matched docs.afterquery.com | Not published | AfterQuery review |
| Prolific | Canada: Supported country, per Prolific's Help Center. You must be 18 or over, live in a supported country, and verify with an ID and a mobile number from that country participant-help.prolific.com | Join the waitlist, accept an invite, then verify your identity and finish a short practice task prolific.com | Not published | Prolific review |
Guides by field
The same steps for doctors and lawyers, with the rules each profession should check first, and a guide for people applying from Canada. Each one links to the field page with today's open roles.
Questions people ask
How long does approval take?
It depends on the platform, and most don't say: 2 of the 16 platforms here publish an approval or grading time. Turing says its review takes 48 hours to 6 weeks; SME Careers says its AI interview grading takes 1 to 2 business days in most cases.
Do I have to pay to apply?
No. Never pay a fee, buy equipment or send crypto to get work, and never pay to apply.
Is the screening paid?
Not always. Mindrift's skills assessment is unpaid, and so is AfterQuery's assessment for each expert pool. Handshake AI says its onboarding is about 2 hours of paid modules.
Can I apply from Canada?
Outlier and Prolific confirm Canada on their own pages. For the rest it is not confirmed, ruled out or unresolved; the Canada guide lists each one with its source.