Mercor · General projects
Generalist
Listed on Mercor as “Generalist”
How this rate compares
This listing
$20–$80 per hour
Typical in General projects
$55–$70 per hour
Within the typical range
Typical: the middle of the lowest and highest rates posted by 121 listings in this category on Seoulstart, in US dollars.
What this actually is
You complete short labeling tasks, record everyday activities, or evaluate AI outputs across general knowledge domains. Open to most backgrounds. The platform title (Generalist) reflects the rate band and the expertise required, not the day-to-day work.
How Mercor picks people
- Upload your CV and answer the role's written questions.
- Do a video interview with Mercor's AI interviewer. Most take about 20 minutes, in English unless the role says otherwise.
- Some roles add a skills test. A test you pass once counts for similar roles.
- The project team reviews your results and sends offers to the people it picks.
Before you start
- Take Mercor's free practice interview first. It does not count toward any application.
- Use Chrome on a computer with a camera and microphone, in a quiet room.
- You can retake an official interview up to 3 times, but hiring teams see how many times you retook it.
Not every applicant gets an offer. Prepare well for the interview.
How to prepare for the Mercor interview
Source: Mercor's help pages. talent.docs.mercor.com
Can you do this on your visa?
F-2 / F-4 / F-5 / F-6: open. E-1 to E-7: needs concurrent-employment permit. D-2 / D-4 students: S-3 permit, 20 hr/week cap. D-10 / D-8: case by case.
Korean tax on USD income
First 5 years in Korea: foreign-source income only taxed if remitted into Korea. After year 5: worldwide income. Full tax guide.
Original posting from Mercor
What the work looks like
AI models that read images are often bad at counting, and they get worse when counting takes reasoning. You'll build tasks that expose that weakness:
\- Taking your own original, unedited photos of real-world scenes, mainly outdoor ones (streets, parking lots, building facades, parks, markets) that hold many countable objects
\- Writing 3-5 counting prompts per image that make the model reason, not just count: conditional filters ("How many red cars are parked in the lot?"), purpose-based reasoning ("How many objects require seatbelts to operate?"), spatial relationships ("How many cars are parked next to an empty space?"), telling similar objects apart, and prompts whose correct answer is 0
\- Making sure every prompt has exactly one correct answer that 9 out of 10 people would agree on right away, then checking and recording that answer
\- Outlining (masking) every counted object in an annotation tool so each answer can be checked object by object
\- Aiming for image and prompt sets where the model gets the count wrong
Pay is per task, based on how many objects your hardest prompt counts: $60 (0-24 objects), $70 (25-49), $80 (50-79), $100 (80+).
What we're looking for
\- A sharp eye for detail, and the patience to count dozens of objects accurately
\- A phone or camera, and access to busy real-world scenes you can photograph yourself
\- Clear, precise writing: prompts can't use vague terms like "closest" or shades of color that people would argue about
\- Comfort with careful, repetitive checking, and acting on reviewer feedback
\- Willingness to flag unclear guidelines rather than guess
What this covers
\- Original photography of natural, unedited scenes (no stock, social media, AI-generated, or edited images)
\- Writing reasoning-based counting prompts: conditional, spatial, comparing similar objects, crowded scenes, and zero-answer prompts
\- Outlining (masking) objects and checking each answer
\- Strong reviewers may be promoted to review other people's tasks as the project goes on
Your photos matter more than your background. A strong submission is an original, busy scene with prompts the model can't answer correctly.
How it works
1\. Apply with your resume and confirm where you work from.
2\. Complete the short assessment attached to this listing. It's required to be considered for this project.
3\. We review your profile and assessment results. If you look like a good fit, we'll reach out with next steps.
4\. Once you're onboarded, you'll read the project guidelines, watch the onboarding call, pass the onboarding quiz, and submit one qualifying task (it must be an outdoor photo). After it's approved, you can claim more tasks.
What to expect
Applying doesn't guarantee a spot on the project. We'll contact you only if your profile and assessment are a good match, and timing depends on the project's needs.
Once you're on the project, it's pay-per-task with flexible hours, so you choose how many tasks you take on. Every image goes through an originality check before you can submit it, and each task is reviewed for accuracy. A task that's sent back for edits reduces your pay for it, so careful first submissions pay best.
We consider all qualified applicants without regard to legally protected characteristics and provide reasonable accommodations upon request.
Quoted from Mercor's public listing on 2026-11-14. We don't edit platform copy; honest framing is in the title and the “what this actually is” block above.
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About Mercor
AI-interview-based talent network. One application, voice interview with their AI, then matched to projects across coding, research, and specialist work. Pay scales with track and seniority.
Mercor review: AI-interview talent network
4.1/5 on Glassdoor, fastest-growing platform in the category (+509% YoY). What the AI video interview actually asks, real pay across coding/research/medical/legal/finance tracks ($25-$200/hr), and the project-availability problem.
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