Voice Actor - South African English
Listing checked September 24, 2026 · pay as published by Mercor
Overview
Mercor brings a leading AI research lab together with South African voice talent for a new text-to-speech effort. The lab seeks native English speakers who carry an authentic South African accent to record scripts that train and test expressive speech models. Your recordings feed the client's CX AI Agent, with no sale, licensing, or reuse elsewhere. Onboarding happens on a rolling basis, and the first commitment is one session of about 4 hours. A second session of similar length may follow if the client needs it, though the client does not promise one.
What You'll Do5
- 1Record voice samples from a mix of scripts, covering conversational, narrative, and instructional styles.
- 2Speak with clarity and natural expression, shaping tone, pace, and pronunciation to fit each script.
- 3Keep voice, accent, and delivery steady across every take and every session.
- 4Follow recording guidelines for room setup, microphone placement, and file formats.
- 5Deliver multiple takes that vary in emotion, emphasis, and style when the director requests it.
Requirements7
- 1Native English speaker with an authentic South African accent, based in South Africa at the time of application.
- 2A voice that sounds clear, natural, and expressive. Voice acting, narration, or broadcast work helps, but it does not block the role.
- 3A professional or near-professional recording setup: quality microphone, quiet room, pop filter, and related gear.
- 4Command of intonation, diction, and emotional range.
- 5Ability to read scripts with precision while keeping delivery conversational.
- 6Availability for one recording session of about 4 hours, plus a possible follow-up session of similar length.
- 7Consent to voice cloning for the client's CX AI Agent. The client limits recordings to that use case and does not sell or reuse them.
Who Should Apply
Ideal candidates are South Africa-based native English speakers with a real South African accent and a home or studio setup that captures clean audio. Voice actors, narrators, broadcasters, and newcomers with a natural expressive read all fit, as long as they can follow a script and shift tone on request. The role suits people who accept voice cloning for a CX AI Agent and understand that this is a short project, not a recurring staff position. Applicants often lose consideration when their demo clip has background noise, room echo, or uneven mic levels. Another common miss is submitting a voice sample without the South African accent the lab needs, or skipping the cloning consent.
Salary Insight
The client lists an hourly rate of $50 to $100. For short voice-recording sessions tied to AI speech datasets, that band sits at the upper end for independent voice work, and it often matches talent with a clean recording chain, strong accent authenticity, and the range to deliver multiple takes. The final rate depends on the client's review of your voice sample and setup.
Pay and demand for AI Training roles
AggregatedTypical pay
$70/hour
This role
$50–$100/hr
Most AI Training roles pay $37–$95 per hour. This role's pay falls inside that range.
Based on 961 similar roles that publish pay · 300 publish only a top rate; those count at the rate they gave
Rates shown per hour. Yearly and monthly pay converted; one-time fees and non-USD pay are not included.
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Most requested skills · share of roles
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- data annotation11%
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Compensation
$50–100/hr
Required Skills
Application Tip
Submit a short raw voice clip that shows your natural South African accent, plus one scripted read with clear diction and a second take that changes emotion or pace. Name your recording gear and room treatment in the application, and state that you consent to voice cloning for the CX AI Agent. These details help reviewers score fit faster than a generic demo reel.
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