Expert network jobs: the paid projects experts get, and the staff roles that recruit them

"Expert network jobs" means two different things. For most experienced professionals, it means paid project work: a firm like GLG, Guidepoint, Third Bridge or Tegus invites you to a one-hour call, a survey or a longer engagement, and pays you an hourly rate as an independent contractor. For recent graduates, it means a salaried associate job at one of those firms, finding and recruiting those experts.

The two groups differ a lot in size. In a 2021 registration statement filed with the SEC, GLG reported about 1,000,000 profiled Network Members, classified as independent contractors, and over 2,300 employees (both figures as of June 30, 2021). At GLG, at least, the experts far outnumber the staff.

1. An expert network job is one project, and it starts with an invitation

You do not apply for expert work the way you apply for a job. A client asks the network for someone with a specific background, and the network contacts people who fit. GLG's recruitment page says it directly: "We've contacted you because a GLG client has asked to speak to someone with knowledge you might have."

Other networks work the same way. Third Bridge's expert page calls its network invite-only and says it will "contact you directly when we have a project that we think is relevant." Tegus says on Tegus for Experts that it primarily finds experts via LinkedIn.

Each invitation is a separate decision. Guidepoint's expert page says every invitation "comes with full scope, time commitment, and compensation up front," that you choose which ones to accept, and that there is "no minimum and no penalty."

Reply fast. Third Bridge says experts who respond within three hours are twice as likely to be selected. (Treat an invitation like a text from a friend, not like a newsletter.)

Some networks also let you register before any project exists. The sign-up steps for each firm are in expert network consulting.

Short version: your application is a profile that matches client questions, plus a quick reply when the invitation arrives.

2. Most projects are a call of up to an hour, and the menu goes further

The standard unit of work is a call. Third Bridge says engagements "typically" take the form of "a one hour direct phone call between you and the client." Tegus describes 30 to 60 minute audio-only interviews. GLG says "rarely is any prep work required" before a call.

Beyond calls, the networks list other paid formats:

• GLG's network members page lists in-person meetings, surveys and expert-led research, seminars, roundtables, site tours, deal advisory, board placements, fractional placements, expert witness work and speaking engagements.
• Third Bridge says it will also talk to you about surveys, panel events and advisory engagements.

Those pages list formats. They do not say how often each one comes up, so plan around calls and treat the rest as occasional. Bigger formats can need more paperwork too: GLG's S-1 said that for in-depth projects and speaking at events, it requires most employed Network Members to get written consent from their employer.

What happens on the call itself, from screening questions to the compliance rules, is in expert network calls.

3. You are an independent contractor, so the paperwork is yours

The networks engage experts as contractors, not employees. GLG's S-1 says "Our Network Members are classified as independent contractors," and that they are "almost always non-exclusively contracted," so nothing stops you from working with several networks at once. There are no benefits, no paid time off and no guaranteed hours.

In the US, the IRS says an independent contractor is self-employed and owes self-employment tax. That tax is 15.3% (12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare), and you file Schedule SE once your net self-employment earnings reach $400.

Do not wait for a tax form to remind you. The IRS reporting threshold for a 1099-NEC is $2,000 for payments made in 2026, up from $600 before 2026, so a network that pays you less than $2,000 this year does not have to send one. The Tegus FAQ still names the older figure: it says you get a 1099-NEC if Tegus Inc. paid you over $600 in a calendar year. Either way, the IRS gig economy page says you must report the income even if no 1099-NEC arrives. The forms, schedules and a worked example are in 1099 consulting income taxes.

The rate is yours to set. GLG's recruitment page says you "set an hourly rate of your choosing" and are paid after the project ends, and its S-1 says rates are prorated for the minutes spent. Tegus says it processes payments within 15 business days of the call. For picking a number, see how much GLG pays.

4. If you meant a staff job, the associate role is recruiting the experts

The entry-level staff roles at these firms are mostly about finding experts for client requests, on a salary. Three current US listings on the firms' own hiring pages show the shape of the job:

• Guidepoint, Client Service Associate (Class of 2027), New York. The posting says associates "identify and engage the world's leading experts" and "Lead cold outreach and phone conversations with senior professionals." It lists a $70,000 base salary, a yearly performance bonus of up to $4,000, and a hybrid schedule from the New York office.
• AlphaSights, Associate, Client Service, 2027, New York. The posting says you will be "the link between our clients and the expert knowledge they seek," using AI-powered sourcing tools to identify and engage experts. It lists an $80,000 base salary, total first-year pay of $90,000 to $110,000 for average to high performance, and asks for an undergraduate GPA of 3.3 or above.
• GLG, Associate, Service. GLG's careers page lists Associate, Service openings in Austin, Boston, San Francisco and New York, and says it gives a hiring decision within five days of the final interview.

In other words, the associate is the person who sends the invitation in section 1. The salaries above are posted figures for graduate hiring classes and say nothing about what experts earn.

5. Tell the two apart by who pays whom, and for what

Search results for this query mix both kinds of listing. This table separates them, using the sources above:

If a listing asks for a résumé, a GPA or work authorization, it is a staff job. If it names a client topic and asks for your rate, it is expert work.

Check unexpected invitations against the firm's own site before you share anything. Tegus, for example, lists the domains its recruiters write from: tegus.com, alpha-sense.com and experts.tegus.com.

6. Treat expert work as side income you build across several firms

Because the work is non-exclusive and comes one project at a time, join more than one network and keep your profiles current. Each firm runs differently: Third Bridge publishes some interviews to subscribers, and Tegus publishes call transcripts after an embargo. For paid formats outside the networks, see get paid to give advice.

Instant Expert is another place the work can come from. A buyer invites you to a specific paid call or a written or voice answer and sets the amount up front, you receive the full amount offered, and you can reply with a higher price. You can claim your profile to set the rate buyers start from, or see open paid requests on the request board.

Start today by writing one LinkedIn headline that names what you have done in the words a client would search for, then register with two networks.