Scrimdods

I have heard a lot about the benefits of affiliate marketing. You can choose when and how much you work, you can work from home, you can work through a company that provides you with all the tools you need, etc. But what I am wondering is how do you get paid? I am assuming you get paid so much for each time someone clicks on the link from your site and goes to the site of the product’s marketer. Well, how do you get that money? How do they keep track and who pays you? How often do you get paid?