Kala Ree

If a Serra has a job around the caverns (or out in the rest of Kala Ree), are they likely to go through some kind of formal apprenticeship, or do they informally study under someone who's been doing the job, or some other practice?

What would be the average ages for someone starting out in your basic jobs (say, as a cook, or a herder/farmer, etc), and when could they reasonably be expected to take on full duties?

Many kids will follow in the footsteps of their parents, especially if their parents are in a trade like herding or farming, where a lot of the labor is considered unskilled. These kids will start their work young, such as milking Nuru at age 6 or 8, and just sort of take on more and more responsibility as they age. As with most early cultures, kids are considered capable of doing adult tasks pretty early on, and so it wouldn't be unheard of for a kid to be doing a full day's work on a farm at age 14 or 15. It will depend on how many other farmhands there are, if their parents are still alive, etc.

In a trade that requires more training, like glassblowing, formal apprenticeships are quite common, usually when kids are around 12, but often older. These kids will often be provided room and board by the craftsperson who is teaching them. In this case, their willingness to move on and set up a trade of their own will depend on skill, their own personal motivation, and how much their master is willing to tolerate their presence LOL. I'd say between the age of 18 and 22.

Formal apprenticeships for non-riders in the caverns are rare. Most kids who are working in the caverns were born there, either to riders or to non-rider workers.