Tolokers from around the globe: a camping enthusiast and a book lover share their stories

We continue our special series about one of Toloka’s most prized assets – our invaluable crowd performers, aka Tolokers, whose efforts make data labeling prompt, accurate, and sought-after by our clients. Be sure to check out the first two stories here and here.

Today, we’re talking to Andressa from Brazil and Ashish from India who’ve agreed to have a chat with us to offer their perspective on what it’s like to be a Toloker in 2021.

Please tell us about yourself

Andressa: Hi there, I’m Andressa. I’m 32 years old, and I come from Caxias do Sul, Brazil, in the south of the country. I work as an assembler.

Ashish: Hello, my name’s Ashish. I’m 21, and I come from Gurugram, India, not far away from the Indian capital. I’m a customer service representative.

What are your hobbies and interests?

Andressa: I love camping, watching films and TV series, playing with my children, going out with friends whenever possible, and shopping, which is something that requires a regular source of income, of course!

Ashish: I like to code, play computer games, and I also enjoy reading printed books.

How did you find out about Toloka and why did you decide to join?

Andressa: I found out about Toloka through YouTube. The prospect seemed very promising: Toloka looked like a very professional, well-organized platform that offered pretty straightforward tasks along with—what I thought—was very reasonable payment.

Ashish: I was looking for passive income and stumbled upon a social media channel that talked at length about the advantages of becoming a crowd performer. Since my goal was to start earning extra money by working in my spare time whenever I felt like it, Toloka ticked all of the boxes.

When did you start doing your first tasks?

Andressa: I started doing tasks for Toloka quite recently, at the end of August. I’ve been enjoying it so far!

Ashish: I started about a year ago. Then I had to take a break from being a crowd performer because I had to finish my studies. And after that, I came back. Things are great at the moment.

What types of tasks do you prefer and why?

Andressa: Thankfully, Toloka’s ecosystem makes it possible to use any device. Since I prefer to use my smartphone as opposed to my laptop, I normally choose assignments that I can do on the go: mostly surveys and field tasks related to my fields of interest.

Ashish: I pretty much like all of them, or at least most. Generally speaking, the tasks I choose fall into two categories – those I do online, and those I do outside.

For the strictly online data-labeling tasks, I use mostly my PC, and sometimes my smartphone. Since I have a good typing speed, I often do online surveys, as well as annotations. And for the outside tasks, it’s just me and my phone – as easy as that. Because I live in Gurugram, I have access to all sorts of shops, cafes, and other businesses. This makes completing field tasks not only easy, but also enjoyable. I pretty much have a good time being out and about and get paid for it.

What unusual tasks, if any, have you completed on Toloka?

Andressa: Nothing too unusual so far. Everything I’ve been doing makes perfect sense, especially when the instructions are clear.

Ashish: The more tasks you do, the less surprising they become, and the easier they are to complete. At this point, I can’t really recall any unusual tasks. Perhaps, they were unusual at the time I got them, but they all seem pretty usual to me today.

How often do you work and how do you spend the money you earn with Toloka?

Andressa: It really depends on how busy I get with my main job and also my family. I can do Toloka anywhere from everyday or every other day to as little as once a week. Whatever I make I use towards my household expenses.

Ashish: 3-4 hours per day, pretty much every day when I have time, or less when I don’t (like when I had to do my college exams). I use the money I make with Toloka to pay for my mobile expenses and/or Internet and also to buy clothes from time to time.

What do you like about Toloka (other than making money)?

Andressa: I like that the whole data-labeling experience is interactive. And I can access Toloka very easily from anywhere in the world. It’s about my freedom of choice and convenience.

Ashish: Basically, it comes down to the tasks themselves – I get to choose only what I like, and only when I feel like it. And it doesn’t have to be the same every time. It’s completely up to me, so I feel like I’m in charge of my own schedule and lifestyle.

What are the advantages of being a data labeler?

Andressa: The fact that I learn quite a bit. So, not only is being a labeler financially rewarding, but it’s also very educational. I become more and more knowledgeable, and I feel like I’m improving my expertise. And I also like the fact that the tasks aren’t dull.

Ashish: Being able to choose tasks that suit my location and mood. I’m not obliged to do anything if I don’t want to do it. I choose only those tasks that I find engaging. And at the same time, I feel like I’m contributing to the world and helping people.

What would you tell someone who is thinking about trying Toloka?

Andressa: I’d say that it’s an exciting decision that you will likely not regret. Unlike many other platforms, everything with Toloka is super simple. Registration is quick, and the platform itself has clearly been built to offer the best user experience, which includes us, Tolokers. I haven’t encountered a single bug so far.

Ashish: You should definitely try it – you’ve got nothing to lose really. It's a legit website that pays fairly for your time and effort, and lots of interesting assignments are available all the time. The only thing I would add is that if you’re totally new to crowdsourcing and data labeling, you will probably benefit from watching a couple of videos for beginners and doing a little bit of reading beforehand. Toloka has got plenty of these materials, so you won’t need to look far at all.