About us

Our mission is to reinvent the way people learn, starting with language.

Learning a language can change a life by opening doors to new cultures, careers, and communities. Two billion people around the world are actively trying to learn a language, but the best way to learn (one-on-one tutoring) is hard to access at scale and hasn’t been meaningfully improved in decades. Speak is building a human-level, AI-powered tutor in your pocket: a conversation-first experience that lets learners actually speak, get instant feedback, and progress through carefully designed lessons. The result is a complete path from beginner to confident speaker across multiple languages.

Speak first launched in South Korea in 2019, where Speak has now become the number one language learning app, and we now serve learners across many markets and 15+ languages. Speak is one of the world’s leading AI companies, with over $150m raised in venture investment from OpenAI, Accel, Founders Fund, Khosla Ventures, and more, with a distributed team across San Francisco, Seoul, Tokyo, Taipei, and Ljubljana.

About this role

We are seeking Native Italian and English speakers to support the director and the Italian-English bilingual actor during virtual and in-studio rehearsals and shoots in our LA studio for our app-based video lessons. During shoots, you’ll be seated off-screen and read along the teleprompter to ensure the actor is delivering lines correctly when explaining language concepts and phrases for learners. While these lessons are not live, they are interactive.

Scripts also contain questions to the user and a variety of responses based on their performance. When a user goes through a video lesson, the video recording of the teaching will play, along with opportunities for the app user to practice the language we are teaching.

What you’ll be doing

• Read scripts from the teleprompter in both Italian and English to monitor the actor’s reading performance as they teach Italian to English speakers.

• Guide the actor and assist the director during script reading rehearsals

• Example Video: (from our Spanish video)

https://youtu.be/_l9U-4Qly6k?si=wdMPBqj4GVQB3TKx

What we’re looking for

[Requirements]

• Native proficiency in both Italian and English

• A neutral Italian accent

• Expert level of reading comprehension

• We have a strong preference for native Italian speakers and/or heritage Italian speakers

• Strong sense of responsibility and professionalism

• Bright and positive vibes

• Ability to coordinate and take directions

• Live in Los Angeles and have access to transportation

*Those who learned Italian in high school or college will not qualify

[Preferred]

• Experience working with a teleprompter

• Experience in teaching a second language

• Experience working in a studio

• A passion for language teaching/learning

Working Conditions

Speak offers competitive compensation based on skills and expertise, along with an environment that supports personal growth and concentration.

• Contract Duration: project based (paid per project)

• Rate: $35/hr *depending on related experience

• Working Hours: an average studio session lasts anywhere from 3 to 5 hours per day; studio days average about 2 to 3 days per project, not including zoom rehearsals

• Work Model: virtually for Zoom rehearsals, and in-person at our LA studio

Documents for Application

1. Resume

2. Audition self-tapes:

   • Slate: name, location, and eligibility to work in the U.S.

   • Film horizontally and save as one self-tape reading these scripts:

     • [IT Sample Script]

     • [UC Sample Script - L2-2 overthecounter]

   • Upload self-tapes to this DropBox folder

3. Portfolio of related work (teaching, production related work, etc.)

Why work at Speak

1. Join a fantastic, tight-knit team at the right time: we're growing very quickly, we've most recently raised our Series C from some of the top investors in the valley, and we've achieved product-market fit in our initial markets. You'd join at a magical time when a single person could significantly change the course of the company.

2. Do your life's work with people you’ll love working with: we care strongly about our craft and want every person at Speak to feel like they're growing every day. We believe in the idea that working with people you both enjoy and have respect for makes everything better. We hire thoughtfully and only work with people we admire deeply.

3. Global in nature: We're live in over 40 countries and launching in a number of new markets soon. We have dedicated offices in San Francisco, Ljubljana, Seoul, and Tokyo, and you’ll have the opportunity to talk to users in each of these regions on a regular basis as well as travel.

4. Impact people's lives in a major way: Learning a language is one of the single most life-changing skills one can learn, and right now 99% of people never achieve their goal because the process is broken. We’re helping millions of people achieve their goals and improve their lives.

Speak does not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.