"Get paid to talk to people" comes with "online", "on the phone", "learning English", "about their problems" and "reddit". Each is a different job. Here they are, with pay and the ones to skip.
Online#
- Per-minute chat and video: Rent a Cyber Friend and similar sites; you set a per-minute rate and the platform keeps about 20%. Real, with the meter as the limit on repeat clients. Rent a Cyber Friend vs RentAFriend.
- Conversation practice for English learners: tutoring marketplaces pay by the hour for talking, no teaching degree needed; $10 to $30 an hour online, more with a niche.
- Phone and chat support: real jobs with schedules and wages; search the job boards, not this category.
- "About their problems": listening services exist and pay little; anything serious belongs to trained professionals, and a listening job that drifts into crisis support is not one to take.
In person#
- Local Friend: Local Friend on Roavi (disclosure: our platform): you list free, set an hourly rate (most list $15 to $50; New York, San Francisco and Tokyo at the top), and visitors or newcomers to your city message you free to spend a few hours with you, platonic and in public: food, a game, a neighbourhood, a first weekend. You are paid directly and Roavi takes no commission. A person reviews your profile (18+, verified email, three real photos) before it goes live. Volume depends on your city: strong in Santo Domingo, Medellín, Bogotá, Mexico City, Buenos Aires and New York, thin in most other US cities today. Many bookings are exactly this: someone who wants to talk to a person from the city, over coffee, in their language or yours.
- Paid language partner in person: visitors and newcomers pay to practise English (or Spanish, or Japanese) with a native speaker; say it in your profile and it becomes a steady booking type.
- Companion care for older adults: conversation and outings through agencies, an hourly wage, training and checks.
The ones to avoid#
Anything that pays you to flirt or "date" (not conversation, and not safe); anything that asks you to pay to be listed; anything paying in gift cards.
Which fits you#
You like strangers, reply fast and can hold a conversation about your city for three hours: Local Friend. You want to stay home: conversation practice or per-minute sites. You want a schedule: companion care or support work.
Your rate, your hours, no commission, no membership between you and the people who message.
Become a Local FriendFrequently Asked Questions
How can I get paid to talk to people?
Online: per-minute chat and video sites (Rent a Cyber Friend keeps 20%), conversation practice for English learners on tutoring marketplaces, and phone or chat support jobs. In person: a Local Friend on Roavi is paid by the hour for company and conversation at a rate you set with no commission; companion care for older adults pays an hourly wage through agencies.Can I get paid to talk to people learning English?
Yes. Tutoring marketplaces pay for conversation practice by the hour (rates set by you, often $10 to $30 online), and visitors to your city who want to practise English in person will book a Local Friend for it; say so in your profile.
This article was written with the help of AI and reviewed by the Roavi team.