It is probable that she moved to the capital in the early 1870's initially hoping to find work as a governess or embroiderer, and then began writing for The Ladies Drawing Room Gazette. She quickly found success in the field of journalism. CEH preferred working early in the day: She is up at six every morning, and puts in two hours writing before breakfast, recruiting her energy by a short siesta in the afternoon.

She may have worked as a governess.

Having ended her schooling at sixteen, HL found a job as sub-editor on an Irish provincial paper, but she did not feel well qualified for this work, and instead got herself employed as a governess on the Continent (in Spain, Greece, Austria, France, and Italy), teaching English to the children of noble families.

She charged five guineas a quarter for Board and Washing. Entrance money was three guineas. Individual subjects (such as French, Writing, Geography, Drawing, Dancing, and Music, cost from half a guinea to one and a half guineas a quarter plus another half to one guinea at first entrance. The Plan of the establishment, published at the beginning of The School volume two, says that the young Ladies, who are of sufficient age, will be made to keep a Journal of the Employment of every Hour; and, at the End of each Day, the Governess will write a Testimony of their good or bad Behaviour.This second volume gives the school's address as Miles Court instead of Beauford Square (which is just behind the Theatre Royal), and its proprietor's name as Mease instead of Maese.

KOB worked fairly briefly at a range of jobs: as a freelance journalist, reviewing for The Sphere in London; then working for C. P. Scott in the foreign-language department of the Manchester Guardian Weekly in Manchester; and as a teacher at a convent in Hampstead for the first part of 1921. While in the US, she worked as secretary to her brother-in-law . During her time in Spain she worked as governess to two children. After her marriage ended she became secretary and publications editor for the Sunlight League .

As copyist, she transcribed her father's work without editing. He had last copied out a whole play in 1781, and had been virtually blind for a decade when his four-volume Dramatic Works appeared in 1798, Prepared for the press by the author. This suggests that Adelaide must have played a major role as editor. She also probably worked intermittently as a governess.

About this time MP was working as a governess in a Quaker family of Mountmelick in Queen's County.

BP worked briefly as a governess at Katowice, Poland, before the worsening political situation necessitated her return to England.

DR worked briefly as a governess for an upper-class family just outside London.

In the same year, 1803, she was suggested by Thomas Erskine as a suitable person to become governess to the seven-year-old Princess Charlotte , who stood second in line for the British throne. She wrote in courtierly terms of her willingness to take up the honour of educating the princess, but she was not in the end appointed.

On leaving the St Quintins' school FAR became a governess. Her employers included, for several years, Lord Bessborough (one of whose children was the future Lady Caroline Lamb ).

It was during this lean period that she began writing, teaching (she was probably though not certainly a governess, and possibly worked for Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire ), and acting.

They taught all subjects except French and German. They later employed additional masters and a governess, and ES enlarged her house to accommodate their students.

Owing to her father's financial crisis of 1817, MS obtained employment as a governess (that is in later terminology a teacher) for a short period of time at a school in Essex.

While her career ambitions centred on becoming a writer, she also at her mother's urging found work as governess to a brilliant pupil, Oliver Knox, seven-year-old son of Dillwyn Knox —and nephew, therefore, of the writer Winifred Peck (though it is not clear that ET was aware of this relationship). Then she was asked to teach other children, and ran an impromptu kindergarten at her parents' home. Later came a job in the Boots circulating library at High Wycombe. She enjoyed this job, but left it when she got married. More important to her was her involvement in amateur theatricals. She was active on stage with High Wycombe Theatre Club in 1932-4, often playing leading ladies. She returned to acting only a week after her wedding, playing opposite her husband.

Though sad to see her friend emigrate, Charlotte Brontë understood Mary's motivation: Mary has made up her mind that she can not and will not be a governess, a teacher, a milliner, a bonnetmaker nor housemaid. She sees no means of obtaining employment she would like in England, so she is leaving it. During her first years in the colony Mary supported herself by teaching the piano and by renting the house she had built; by 1850 she had raised enough capital to go into business, which was the type of occupation she desired.

According to the Gentleman's Magazine, EST had to set aside her own interests to serve as governess to the innumerable younger children in the family. The same article asserted that for the last seven years of her father's life (that is from 1798) she actually superintended his legal work. This seems to imply that she directed an office of legal clerks.

Their parents took pride in the profession and achievements of their daughters, content to know that they could provide for themselves. Initially teaching in a flat above a druggist's shop, the Keddie sisters eventually moved to a larger home where they could accommodate ten boarding students and three governesses. The house is now a bed-and-breakfast which has a website celebrating ST as its most famous owner.

JW found herself a governess position after her father's death. On 24 January 1750 John Mulso reported that she had a new post with a Lady Sherrard at Hampton Court, where he looked forward to visiting her. During her illness at the end of this year, Hester Mulso was already looking for a new position for her, and in less than a year she took up a job with the family of Dr Sneyd . Then in1753 she went to work for the family of William Thoyts . The two little Thoyt girls, born in 1747 and 1749, in due course became the Two Young Married Ladies to whom JW addressed her conduct book.

Eirene Botting (later AW ) worked for six months as a governess for the Latteys, a wealthy Catholic family in Worcester.

MW was employed as governess by Lord and Lady Kingsborough : at Mitchelstown near Cork in Ireland, and in Dublin.

At some point EJW worked as a teacher or governess. Considering how well-known her books became, it is remarkable how little information is available about her life.

MW held several governess posts, one of which she describes to her sister as a noisom irksom Den.