earn up to £750 per HOUR at age 70 without a degree – I don't plan to retire yet
IF there's one thing everyone needs in life, it's the ability to communicate well, and sometimes it pays to know how to do that well.
One woman has confessed to earning up to £775 an hour by training people in the art of reading body language, according to documents seen by The Sun.
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Carole Railton, a 70-year-old body language expert from London, says she fell into the profession by accident and quickly devised a plan to make a career out of it.
She struggled at school and only later discovered that her dyslexia was holding her back.
She told The Sun: “At school I was really good at sport and art, but I struggled with reading. Studying was not something I aspired to at that time.”
Straight after school, Carole went into recruitment, but she soon realized that her social skills could be better used elsewhere.
It wasn't until Carole was 45 that she discovered she was dyslexic.
It was then that she realized how much skill she had developed in understanding people's body language without the aid of spoken word.
“In my early life I relied heavily on visuals, adapting to people's personalities and body language skills was something I was an expert at,” she said.
“It didn't take long before I realized I could sell my skills.”
Carole built her skills in reading body language, picking up books by other authors and studying on her own.
“I quickly realized that there were gaps in my knowledge of some of these authors that I could fill.
For example, at the time there was no real distinction between male and female behavior, and I made that.”
“Once I was able to break away from the current market, things became a lot easier. This raised my public profile and put me on the speaking circuit.”
Carole's first big break came when she landed a high-profile client early on and was quickly able to prove her worth.
She said: “I was fortunate enough to land a major client with an insurance company as soon as I started teaching body language full-time.”
“They gave their top sales team to me for three days. The theory was that if I could make them even better, I could help all the other sellers.”
“It was so successful that they opened another location and I trained the rest of their sales teams.”
What is reading body language?
Carole said that up to 70% of communication can be visual, i.e. body language and clothing.
Noting that it is an “essential part” of human communication, she added: “If you have the tools you need to read someone, you can tell when he or she is sad, struggling or even lying, without him or her even saying anything.”
The skill is great for companies based in sales or customer service, but you can take it a step further by using it to understand personality styles and recognize criminal behavior and deception.
Carole said: “When I first came on the scene, I was competing with body language experts from secret services and national security organizations like the FBI.”
Jet setter
Carole explains that her work has not only helped people, but also allowed her to travel and explore the world.
She said: “I have been to 47 countries and lived and worked all over the world in Zambia, South Africa, Germany, USA, France, Australia, Nigeria, Austria, Ireland, Serbia and Indonesia.”
“I love my job, it's such an interesting topic of conversation, people always want to know more about what I do.”
She added: “Working for yourself gives you freedom. Whenever there has been a quiet period, I have gone on holiday to recharge.”
“I still have a few clients and regularly work for the national press analyzing the body language of famous people in new situations, including the recent coronation which looked at the Royal Family, especially Harry and Charles.”
Manage a schedule
In addition to traveling, Carole also gets to set her schedule.
She says: “I am now at the stage where I can demand a high hourly or daily rate. I usually pay based on the success of the assignment.”
“My daily rate is currently between £3,500 and £10,000 and I usually only work two or three days a week.”
“I only accept orders if a quantitative measurement takes place a few months later, so I pay based on that.
“50% upfront and 50% upon completion of success three months later.”
Although her earnings are high, Carole admits that she plans to slow things down before she retires.
“I'm in my 70s, so I only want to work one week a month from the new tax year in April.”
Carole explained that most of her clients find her through public speaking engagements.
She said: “I have done a lot of public speaking which has brought some new clients, others through global gurus and probably the most common way is through management consultants who have used me and are using me again or recommending me to their clients.”
“In the beginning, I went to networking events and business fairs to meet as many buyers as possible.”
Carole said she saw an increase in customers during the pandemic when her first book The Future of Body Language helped educate people on how to behave in multimedia.
She said: “I was also commissioned to write 'A Useful Guide to Personal Branding' for a university management book series.”
Carole now teaches people how to read the body language of others, but also how to adjust their own body language to have more influence.
In her courses you will learn how to analyze the behavior of high-profile individuals, sellers and buyers.
She can teach you how to recognize signs of cheating in the four major personality types.
Maybe you want to become a master of your own body language. In that case, you can take a course to increase your influencing skills.
Carole can even tell you which job you are most suitable for based on your behavior and body language.
Enter the field
Ultimately, Carole confirmed that she doesn't think going to college would have helped develop her career.
She said: “I have over 25 years of experience in the field, I have run companies and now I am the eighth largest body language expert in the world.”
“I believe this is mainly because I have been able to be creative and imaginative and not follow the usual route.”
However, the businesswoman admits that things have changed since she entered the field 45 years ago.
“Things have changed lately. It may be helpful to take a course to substantiate your experiences in understanding body language.”
There are numerous resources online, such as helpful YouTube videos and LinkedIn courses.
Please note that some clients may request proof of training in this field.
Top tips from a body language expert
Carole believes that anyone who wants to participate in body language training must have sufficient finances.
She said: “I made a lot of mistakes with the business, including initially doing everything myself and trying to save money.”
“It is best to involve others in the beginning, get a loan rather than financing yourself. Be careful not to become easily distracted or depressed, neither of which will help you.”
Carole says to ignore the naysayers who try to claim that you won't get far in life without a degree.
“I have a good income. I studied and received all kinds of awards along the way. Working for yourself proves that you can understand others, adapt, lead and control your life.”
“Look at those who are really successful, like Steve Jobs and Richard Branson, not all of them have a degree.”
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