Get paid to show people the city you love.
Become a Deeplay Companion and earn $40–$80/hr doing what you already love — grabbing coffee, exploring neighbourhoods, sharing hidden gems, and meeting people from around the world.
Set your own hours. Choose your activities. Get paid via Stripe.
Why become a Companion
Flexible, rewarding work that fits your life.
No experience required. Just a genuine love for your city and the people who visit it.
Earn $40–80/hr
Set your own rate and earn more as you build great reviews. Top Companions earn over $1,000/week.
Total flexibility
Work when you want, as much or as little as you like. Perfect for students, freelancers and creatives.
Meet people worldwide
Connect with travellers and locals from all walks of life. Every booking is a new conversation.
Share what you love
Get paid to explore your favourite cafes, restaurants, parks and hidden spots around your city.
Safe & supported
ID-verified Explorers, in-app messaging, protected payments, and a dedicated safety team behind you.
Automatic payouts
Earnings are deposited to your bank account via Stripe. No chasing invoices, no cash handling.
Earnings example
How much can you earn?
You set your hourly rate. You keep 85% of every booking. Here's what that looks like in practice.
$68
Average hourly rate
$500+
Typical weekly earnings
85%
You keep (15% commission)
Example week
Morning coffee walk
1.5 hrs at $50/hr
$63.75
Afternoon food tour
2.5 hrs at $65/hr
$138.13
Evening karaoke outing
3 hrs at $60/hr
$153.00
Weekend harbour walk
2 hrs at $55/hr
$93.50
5 activities per week (avg 2 hrs each)
~$500–$800 / week
Earnings shown after 15% Deeplay commission. Payouts are deposited to your bank account via Stripe within 2–3 business days. You'll need an ABN before receiving your first payout — free to register on the ATO website.
A day in the life
A typical Saturday.
No two days are the same — here's one Companion's weekend in Sydney.
9:00 AM · Surry Hills
Morning coffee walk
+$63.75
1.5 hrs
Meet Alex, a solo traveller from London, at a specialty coffee shop. Walk through Surry Hills, chat about local life, share your favourite brunch spots.
1:00 PM · Chinatown & Haymarket
Afternoon food tour
+$138.13
2.5 hrs
Show Mika and Jun from Tokyo the best dumplings and dessert spots. They want authentic local picks, not tourist traps.
7:00 PM · CBD
Evening karaoke
+$153.00
3 hrs
Finish the day with a group of exchange students who want a fun night out with a local. Karaoke, laughs, good vibes.
Total earned this Saturday
$354.88
7 hours of activities · after commission
What you need
No CV, no certifications.
If you know your way around Sydney and enjoy meeting new people, you're already qualified. Here's the short list.
Driver's licence, photo ID card or passport
Stripe deposits earnings directly
Required before your first payout — free to register
The most important one
ID verification happens after you're approved — you don't need to do it during the application.
How to apply
From application to first booking in as little as 48 hours.
- 1
Submit your application
5 minutesTell us about yourself — your interests, languages and the areas of Sydney you know best. No CV needed.
- 2
We review your application
12–24 hoursOur team reviews every application personally. We look for friendly, reliable people who genuinely know and love their city.
- 3
Verify your identity
2 minutesOnce approved, verify your ID from your Dashboard. Quick and secure — powered by Stripe Identity.
- 4
Complete your profile
10 minutesAdd your best photos, write your bio (our AI helps you refine it) and connect your bank account for payouts.
- 5
Create your listing and go live
5 minutesChoose the activities you offer, set your hourly rate, and select your areas. Once published, Explorers can find and book you.
Every Companion is admin-approved
No self-publishing. Our team manually reviews every application to keep the community warm, safe and genuinely local. It's what Explorers trust — and what makes Deeplay different.
“I started as a Companion while studying at UNSW. It's the best student job I've ever had — I get paid to grab coffee, explore the city, and meet people from all over the world. I made $600 last week doing five activities.”
FAQ
Your questions, answered.
Most Companions set their rate between $40 and $80 per hour. If you do 5 activities per week averaging 2 hours each at $60/hr, that's roughly $510/week after the 15% commission. Some Companions earn more by offering premium experiences or working peak times like weekends and holidays.
Yes. As an independent contractor, your earnings are taxable income. You'll need an Australian Business Number (ABN) before receiving your first payout — it's free to register on the ATO website and takes about 5 minutes. We recommend speaking with an accountant about your tax obligations.
Completely flexible. You set your own availability and only accept bookings that work for you. There are no minimum hours, no shifts, and no penalties for being unavailable. Many Companions work around uni schedules, other jobs, or just do it on weekends.
Safety is built into the platform. All Explorers must verify their identity and phone number before booking. All communication happens through in-app messaging. Payments are handled securely through Stripe — no cash, no off-platform transfers. You can also decline any booking request for any reason.
Anything social and platonic — coffee walks, food tours, neighbourhood explorations, hiking, museum visits, karaoke, shopping, photography walks, language exchange, beach days, and more. You choose which activities to list based on your interests and expertise.
No formal qualifications needed. You don't need to be a tour guide or have any certifications. If you're friendly, reliable, know your way around your city, and enjoy meeting people — that's all it takes.
Earnings are deposited directly to your bank account via Stripe, typically within 2–3 business days after the booking is completed. You'll need to connect your bank account through Stripe and have an ABN on file.
Yes. Most Companions have other commitments — studying, freelancing, or working part-time. Since you control your availability completely, it fits around whatever else you have going on.
Your city. Your schedule. Your earnings.
Join Sydney's growing community of Companions. Five-minute application, no cost to join, and a real person reviews every one.
Apply to be a CompanionQuestions? Email us at companions@deeplay.com.au