5 Reasons Appen Lowers Freelancer Rates in Asia

Appen, also known as Appen Butler Hill, is a technology consulting and solutions firm that helps businesses grow their products and services on the global market. Not only that, but Appen provides the opportunity to work online through a freelance or independent contractor system.

Working online is a current trend, ranging from buying and selling online to writing blogs, trading, and other activities. Jobs in this virtual world, like jobs in the "real" world, require a long struggle and process; even these online workers must be cautious of jobs that do not pay for their hard work. Appen is one of the most trusted companies for those of us who prefer to work online, from home or anywhere with access to electricity, computers, and the internet.

What types of jobs does Appen provide?

While Appen offers a variety of jobs, including translation and transcription, the search ads evaluator was what particularly drew my eye. As a search ads evaluator, our job is determining whether or not the outcomes of searches and adverts on search engines are satisfactory. Since we only focus on broader issues, we can learn about search site algorithms from this, though not in great depth.

I've worked on several Appen projects, including search ad evaluator, social media evaluator, transcription, and survey. Each project has a different level of difficulty, but in my opinion, no project is easy; everything requires a high level of accuracy. There is also a quality control team that will review our work.

Required abilities and tools

The skills required of Appen employees vary depending on the project; some must be undergraduates with specific majors, have internet browsing skills, or even simply be able to hear and type Indonesian well. You must have a professional certification, just like any other translation project.

The web search evaluator project does not require the assessors to have a bachelor's degree. It does, however, give preference to those who have good internet skills and can follow the managers' instructions. So, if you are still a student, you can try to apply.

One aspect that is crucial is that you must be proficient in English, at the very least passively. since English is the language used for all of the instructions, examinations, and manager communications.

Regarding instruments for the job, you must at the very least have a computer with the Windows 7 operating system and a sizable internet connection. This is not legally binding because every project often has its own specifications.

Salary and working hours

At Appen, working hours are determined by the project. The general rule is that you work whenever and according to your own schedule. Some employers demand you to work 20 hours per week, while others require you to work more. While Appen offers a competitive income. The average hourly wage in the American and European markets is $10, but it is only $2 in the Asian market. It should be mentioned, nevertheless, that there are valid reasons for the rate disparity. Large salaries are required for the American and European markets because of their high taxes. Regarding the Asian market, Appen officially reduced its pricing from the initial 5 USD per hour to just 2 USD per hour starting in 2021. The exact reason for this is not known, but it could be due to the following:

A large number of workers

Salary reductions may occur as a result of the number of workers who have exceeded their capacity, resulting in a tariff adjustment.

Lot a spammers

Spammers are those who do not work according to quality and are usually only concerned with quantity, so they try to fill working hours by spamming work tools.

Practice buying and selling answer keys

Social media groups are often used to buy and sell answer keys and even services for taking Appen exams. Under the supervision of the Appen team, this is not impossible to monitor and record.

A lot of content openly discusses and promotes Appen

If you have been an Appen freelancer for a long time, you are aware that there is an agreement in place to keep the work confidential. However, much content on YouTube and even tiktok has openly discussed Appen and shown screenshots of work tools that have been banned.

You don't work based on where you are

Another thing I've noticed is that many workers do not work according to location. Africans, for example, create accounts using American data and proxies in order to work as Americans.

Appen is essentially a company that creates artificial intelligence. All fraud will be easily detected. If the above steps are taken, it is not impossible that Appen will close the project. Of course, this will harm us all. If you want to work at Appen, here are a few things you should do to get accepted quickly: