Spending time as a journeyman (Geselle), moving from one town to another to gain experience of different workshops, was an important part of the training of an aspirant master in many parts of Europe. The system of apprenticeship first developed in the later Middle Ages and came to be supervised by craft guilds and town governments. Apprentices were young (usually about ten to fifteen years of age) and would live in the master craftsman's household. Most apprentices aspired to becoming master craftsmen themselves on completion of their contract (usually a term of seven years), but some would spend time as a journeyman.