SME Careers is a real expert network run by SuperAnnotate. It hires through a CV application and one recorded AI interview, then pays weekly through Deel for approved hours. Every rate it lists is a maximum, and many roles pay differently by country. From SME Careers’ own pages, read 17 October 2026.
Is SME Careers a real company, and who runs it
Yes. SME Careers’ homepage is titled “SME Careers by Superannotate”. Its referral page describes SuperAnnotate as a data platform used by AI companies to train domain-specific models. SME Careers is the part of it that recruits subject matter experts.
SME also runs a public help centre that covers screening, contracts, time tracking and payouts in detail. That is what we can check from outside. We have not done paid work there, and this page carries no testimonials.
How SME Careers hires: a CV, then one AI interview
You apply with a CV or by entering your history by hand, then most roles ask for a recorded AI interview of about 15 minutes. SME’s application page lists the form fields. Our SME Careers interview guide covers the interview itself.
After a pass, SME’s team reviews your profile. If that goes well, you are invited to onboard with a Deel contract, an ID check and a linked Discord account. Most projects then start with a paid training period called bootcamp, per SME’s project page.
For how this compares with other platforms, read Mercor vs SME Careers or micro1 vs SME Careers.
What SME Careers pays: a maximum, and it differs by country
SME lists an “up to” rate on each role, and many roles pay a different maximum in each country. No single figure is true for every reader.
Of the 185 open SME Careers roles on this site, 41 state a different maximum by country. Across all of them the stated hourly ceilings run up to $150, with a median ceiling of $65. A role page here lists the figure for each served country.
- Read the figure for your own country. A ceiling that applies in the US may not apply in the UK or Italy.
- A ceiling is not your rate. SME’s application asks what hourly rate you expect, and what a project pays below its maximum is not stated publicly.
- The rate you get is on your invitation. SME’s project page says each invitation card shows the project name, the hourly rate and a response deadline.
Browse the open SME Careers roles for the posted figures.
How and when SME Careers pays you
SME pays weekly through Deel. Per its payouts page, work runs Monday to Sunday and payment is issued the following Friday. Once SME submits a payout to Deel, funds typically arrive in 1 to 3 days, depending on the method you chose in Deel.
Only approved earnings are paid. Tracked time stays in “Pending Review” until the team checks it, and rejected or on-hold entries are left out until approved.
Hourly projects pay active time only. SME’s payable time page says idle time and unproductive time, such as social media or AI tools the project does not allow, are not paid. Random checks can review screenshots, screen recordings and visited sites.
Before payments flow, your Deel contract must be active and your ID check approved. Deel’s step usually takes minutes, but manual review can take up to 3 business days.
Who can apply
Your country must be one Deel can pay. SME’s application form greys out unsupported countries in its dropdown, and the page does not list them. A native language is required, and the form asks for your highest level of education without setting a minimum.
Each role also names the countries it hires from. Many postings ask for a degree or equivalent professional experience in the field. Check the role’s own requirements before you apply.
Our referral disclosure
This site lists SME Careers roles. If you are hired and paid for project work, SME Careers pays this site a referral fee. Your pay is unaffected.
What SME Careers does not publish
These are not on any SME page we found, so this site does not state them:
- how much work a project offers each week, or how long it lasts
- how long screening takes after you qualify
- how answers are scored, or the pass bar
- what a given project pays below its listed maximum
- the minimum payout
- which countries Deel supports for you
- who the contracting party is on your Deel agreement
SME says onboarding makes you eligible for matching, not a guaranteed project.
Open work in your field
Each page lists the roles open today for that profession, with the pay each posting states.
- Software engineers86
- Bilingual speakers84
- Engineers68
- Business and operations specialists59
- Lawyers54
- Generalists52
- Accountants and finance experts52
- Doctors and clinicians49
- Researchers and academics45
- Life scientists32
- Voice and audio recorders24
- Machine learning engineers20
- Transcribers16
- Physicists14
- Data analysts13
- Designers12
- Sales and CRM specialists12
- Writers and editors11
- Video recorders10
- CAD and manufacturing specialists10
- Marketing professionals10
- IT support specialists7
- QA engineers7
- Medical coders and auditors6
- Mathematicians and statisticians5
- Video editors and animators4
This site is not affiliated with SME Careers, and passing the interview is not a promise of work.