AI Training Jobs With No Experience: Where Beginners Get Hired
78% of open AI training roles on OpenTrain are entry level. Here is which roles hire beginners, what they pay, and how to get in.
Yes, you can get an AI training job with no experience. Of the 1,324 open AI training roles on OpenTrain, 1,028 are entry level, which means no prior AI training experience is required. Beginner-friendly roles include model evaluation, transcription and audio, general annotation, writing, and data collection, and entry-level roles list a median of $80 per hour. The catch is that “no experience” means no AI experience. Some roles still need a degree, a programming language, or fluency in a specific language.
This guide shows exactly which roles hire beginners, what those roles pay, what the assessment looks like, and how to stand out when you have nothing AI-related on your resume.
What “no experience” means in AI training
Entry level in AI training describes the AI training experience required, not your career history. The roles split into two groups:
- Skill-gated roles. General model evaluation, transcription, annotation, writing, and data collection. They need strong reading and writing and the ability to follow guidelines. No credential.
- Credential-gated roles. Legal, medical, finance, and engineering review. They are labeled entry level because no rating experience is needed, but you must hold the qualification.
Both groups appear in the entry-level numbers. Knowing which one you are looking at saves wasted applications.
Entry-level roles by type
Open roles that require no prior AI training experience. Legal, finance, and medical roles still require the professional credential.
Model evaluation and RLHF
339 roles
Legal and finance
157 roles
credential required
Audio, speech, transcription
155 roles
Coding and software
126 roles
programming language required
General annotation
63 roles
Medical and health
59 roles
credential required
Data collection
49 roles
Translation and localization
33 roles
Image and video annotation
24 roles
Writing and editing
14 roles
The most beginner-friendly roles
Model evaluation and RLHF. The biggest pool of beginner work by a wide margin. You rate and compare AI answers against guidelines. If you read carefully and write clearly, you qualify. Start with RLHF explained for job seekers.
Transcription and audio. 97% of these roles are entry level. You transcribe recordings, record your own speech, or check that transcripts match audio. Native speakers of any language are wanted. See transcription and audio jobs.
General annotation and data collection. Every data collection role and 93% of general annotation roles are entry level. The work is guideline-driven labeling and collection. Pay is lower, but it is the fastest way to build a track record.
Writing and editing. Small in number but 93% entry level. If you can write a clean paragraph on demand, apply.
Image and video annotation. Three quarters entry level. Drawing boxes, tagging frames, and checking labels.
Entry-level median hourly rate by type
Median listed hourly rate for entry-level roles in each category. Credential-gated categories list the highest rates.
Legal and finance
$120/hr
credential required
General annotation
$100/hr
Medical and health
$100/hr
credential required
Coding and software
$80/hr
programming language required
Image and video annotation
$80/hr
Writing and editing
$80/hr
Model evaluation and RLHF
$72/hr
Audio, speech, transcription
$35/hr
Translation and localization
$25/hr
Data collection
$20/hr
What the assessment looks like for beginners
Entry-level roles still test you. The good news is that the test measures the skill, not experience:
- Rating exercise. You score a handful of AI responses against a short rubric. Graders check whether your scores match the reference and whether your rationale is specific.
- Writing sample. A paragraph or two in response to a prompt. Clear, correct, and on topic wins.
- Transcription test. A short audio clip. Accuracy and formatting to the guideline.
- Guideline quiz. Questions about the project rules you were just given. This is the one people fail by skimming.
Read how to pass an AI training interview for a stage-by-stage walkthrough.
How to stand out with no experience
- Complete your profile fully. Languages, education, and work history all feed matching, even when none of it is AI-related.
- Show the skill in the application. A crisp answer to a screening question does more than a long resume.
- Lead with languages. Fluency in any language beyond English opens roles with fewer applicants.
- Be reliable. Projects notice who finishes onboarding on time and hits quality targets. That record is what “experience” means here, and it is what unlocks intermediate roles.
- Start small, then move up. A few weeks of annotation or transcription work qualifies you for evaluation roles that list higher rates.
Where to start
Browse entry-level AI jobs with no experience required, the live list of every open role that needs no prior AI training experience. If you would rather see everything, the AI training jobs board shows all open roles, and the pay-rate index shows what each type pays right now. Successful candidates may work on an OpenTrain project or be placed or referred to the client whose project they support.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. 1,028 of the 1,324 open AI training roles on OpenTrain are entry level, meaning no prior AI training experience is required. What they ask for instead is careful reading, clear writing, and consistency, plus a credential for specialist roles.
Data collection, transcription and audio, general annotation, and writing roles have the highest entry-level share. General model evaluation roles are the largest group of beginner-friendly work and pay more.
Entry-level roles on OpenTrain list a median of $80 per hour, though the figure is pulled up by specialist roles that need a degree. Beginner roles without a credential requirement typically list $20 to $72 per hour depending on the type.
Not for general evaluation, transcription, annotation, or data collection roles. Entry-level legal, medical, and finance roles are entry level in AI terms but require the professional credential.