What did apprentices do in Colonial times?

In respect to this, how long was an apprenticeship in colonial times?

“Apprentices had to work seven yearstolearn their trades.” It is awfully easy toover-generalize.In colonial Virginia, the length of anapprenticeshipwas a mutually agreed upon period oftime, not alwaysseven years.

Furthermore, why did colonial children become apprentices? The main reason some children becameapprenticeswas that they lived in large cities. Childrenwho grew up onfamily farms usually stayed to help farm. What wasthe main reasonsome children became apprentices and othersworked on familyfarms?

Subsequently, one may also ask, what kind of jobs were there in colonial times?

Jobs, Trades, and Occupations

• Apothecary. The apothecaries of colonial times were similartotoday's pharmacists.
• Blacksmith. The blacksmith was one of the mostimportanttradesmen of any colonial settlement.
• Cabinetmaker.
• Chandler (candlemaker)
• Cobbler (shoemaker)
• Cooper.
• Gunsmith.
• Milliner.

What was an apprentice in the Middle Ages?

The system of apprenticeship first developedinthe later Middle Ages and came to be supervised bycraftguilds and town governments. A master craftsman was entitledtoemploy young people as an inexpensive form of labour inexchangefor providing food, lodging and formal training inthecraft.