First off, for a boy to become a sailor he started as an apprentice no later than the age of 14. If the parents wanted the boy to become a sailor they would pay the captain or first mate, a good load of money, to train the boy. The boy would train for up to nine years without pay, wealthy or poor, then the captain would make sure he knew everything there was to know about sailing. Once the boy’s training was over he could expect quick and great advancements, he could even be a captain or the first mate by his mid-twenties. He would then get payments after the apprenticeship, which were paid all at once at the end of the voyage.  A sailor’s life was hard; once they joined that life it was rare for someone to leave it behind.