You can do an intermediate apprenticeship for textile care operatives.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
Laundry worker
Laundry workers operate washing machines and tumble dryers to clean and dry items like clothes, bed linen and uniforms.
Average salary (a year)
£13,000 Starter
to£18,000 Experienced
Typical hours (a week)
39 to 41 a week
You could work
evenings / weekends / bank holidays on shifts
How to become a laundry worker
You can get into this job through:
- an apprenticeship
- applying directly
Apprenticeship
Direct application
You can apply directly for jobs. Experience in dry-cleaning or commercial clothes pressing may give you an advantage, although many employers will train you on the job.
More information
Professional and industry bodies
You can join the Guild of Cleaners and Launderers for professional development training and the latest industry information.
Further information
You can find out more about working in laundry services through the Guild of Cleaners and Launderers.
What it takes
Skills and knowledge
You'll need:
- the ability to use your initiative
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- sensitivity and understanding
- to be flexible and open to change
- the ability to work well with your hands
- physical skills like movement, coordination, dexterity and grace
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
What you'll do
Day-to-day tasks
Your day-to-day duties may include:
- checking items before washing for damage or stains
- using water and chemicals to remove stains before processing
- sorting items according to colour, size and type of fabric
- tagging items with bar codes or computer chips for easy identification
- loading items into machines
- adding cleaning agents and setting controls
- finishing items by drying, pressing and folding
- processing orders, sending out invoices and updating customer databases
- delivering laundered items back to the customer
Working environment
You could work at a laundry, in a hotel or in an NHS or private hospital.
Your working environment may be physically demanding, humid and hot.
Career path and progression
With experience you could progress to supervisor or manager.You could also start your own laundry business.
Current opportunities
Apprenticeships In England
We can't find any apprenticeship vacancies in England for a laundry worker right now.
The Find an apprenticeship service can help you with your search, send alerts when new apprenticeships become available and has advice on how to apply.
Courses In England
Laundry Apprenticeship (Intermediate Level 2)
- Provider: BLACKBURN COLLEGE
- Start date: 01 August 2020
- Location: BLACKBURN
JobsIn the United Kingdom
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