Before becoming a master craftsman

Answer 1

There were two stages of guild membership before becoming a master. The first stage was apprenticeship. An apprentice was a young person who was training in a particular trade. Apprenticeship would typically start in the early teen years, although sometimes earlier, and the apprentice would leave their family and live with a master craftsman. An apprentice was not paid wages, but received support as a member of the master's household, essentially getting room and board, clothing, etc and in some cases a small amount of money of incidentals. The apprentice would work in the master's business, and receive training in the master's trade. This training would last a number of years, depending on the exact trade being studied.

An apprentice who successfully finished their training became a journeyman. A journeyman was a member of the guild that regulated his trade and was paid a daily wage. Journeymen still worked under the supervision of a master craftsman In some cases they continued to live with their masters, in others they took up separate quarters and commuted to the shop each day. Exact arrangements depended on practical considerations, such as available space, the presence of new apprentices, the possibility, of the journeyman now marrying and starting a family, etc. It was common in medieval towns for those who could not afford a house of their own to share a house or to rent a chamber or garret in the house of another person.

Many journeymen never advanced beyond their status to master. In theory, the position was open to them once they had worked for a certain number of years at the journeyman level, but in practice they had to secure the needed capital to start their own business. Becoming a master was not so much a description of skill as it was an indication that the journeyman was going into business for themselves. There would have been expenses for space, supplies, tools, etc, that would have been out of the reach of most who were simply supporting themselves on a wage. Those without an inheritance, or the favor of a master who was ready to pass on his business, would likely work for others for their entire working life.