A laundress

 It is time to step back in time and look for a job. The year is 1850's. I am living in England, in a small village near the sea. It is a small community of freed slaves and tradesmen. My children are grown and have left home to see the world and to have families of their own. My husband have left to sail the seas and get rich, so he said. He has been gone for over 20 years. I known no other job then to care for my little home and family.
In these times, the only good job for me is a laundress.

It has always been a respectable job for women and young girls to bring a good days pay.

How would I go about becoming a  laundress?
http://www.nps.gov/fosc/forteachers/laundress5.htm