Brazil's young apprentice program at 14

Parents who look up the Brazil young apprentice program at 14 often already have a real opening in front of them, shared in the school group chat or passed on by a neighbor. Jovem Aprendiz (Young Apprentice) is the name of Brazil's apprenticeship program, and for many Pathfinder families with teens in the Voyager and Guide classes, it is the first chance for their child to earn their own money in a formal, registered job. Brazilian law allows this from age 14, but through one door only, apprenticeship, and with rules designed to protect someone who is still growing.

This guide brings together what Brazil's Consolidação das Leis do Trabalho (CLT, the Consolidated Labor Laws), the Estatuto da Criança e do Adolescente (ECA, the Child and Adolescent Statute) and the rules of the Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego (MTE, the Ministry of Labor and Employment) say, and it separates what the law guarantees from what the family needs to settle before signing: school, Pathfinder Club and Sabbath. Outside Brazil, each country's own labor laws apply, and this article does not cover them.

📜Can 14-year-olds work in Brazil as young apprentices?

The rule starts in Brazil's Federal Constitution. Article 7, item XXXIII, bans any work by people under 16, “salvo na condição de aprendiz, a partir de quatorze anos” (“except as an apprentice, from age fourteen”). The CLT repeats the idea in Article 403, as worded by the Apprenticeship Law (Lei da Aprendizagem, Law 10.097/2000). Between 14 and 16, apprenticeship is the only legal way to work in Brazil.

Under Article 428 of the CLT, an apprentice is anyone from 14 up to (but not including) 24 years old, with no upper age limit for people with disabilities. The contract is a special one: written, lasting 2 years at most and tied to a course. It is only valid with an entry in the Carteira de Trabalho (Brazil's employment record card), school enrollment and attendance for anyone who has not finished ensino médio (Brazilian high school), and registration in a program run by a qualified organization. The company teaches the trade in practice; the training organization handles the classroom lessons.

It is a common path. In April 2026, Brazil had 726,025 active apprenticeship contracts, a record in the historical series of the Novo Caged (the MTE's formal employment statistics), according to a Jornal de Brasília report of June 9, 2026; 65.67% of apprentices were 17 or younger. Decree 9.579/2018 (Article 53) requires priority for teens aged 14 to 18.

⏰How many hours a day can a 14-year-old young apprentice work?

Article 432 of the CLT sets the cap at 6 hours a day, with no extension or offsetting of hours, and those hours include both on-the-job practice and classroom lessons (Decree 9.579/2018, Article 62). Only those who have already finished ensino fundamental (Brazil's elementary and middle school) may work up to 8 hours, with classroom time included.

Source: CLT and MTE Ordinance 3.872/2023 (Portaria MTE, a Brazilian Ministry of Labor regulation), checked in October 2026.

🚫Which jobs do Brazil's child labor laws ban for minors?

The CLT (Article 405) and the ECA (Article 67) bar teens from dangerous, unhealthy or arduous work and from work done in places harmful to their physical, mental, moral and social development. The concrete list is in Decree 6.481/2008, the List of the Worst Forms of Child Labor, known in Brazil as the Lista TIP, which describes 89 activities harmful to health and safety, along with types of work harmful to morals.

The list includes, for example, construction, work at heights above 2 meters, cold storage rooms, street vending, domestic service and the retail sale of alcoholic drinks. The same decree allows apprentices aged 14 to 16 to do technical or administrative work outside the risk areas.

Parents also have a role set by law. Article 424 of the CLT tells guardians to keep teens away from jobs that greatly cut into their study or rest time, and Article 408 lets them ask to end the contract if the work causes physical or moral harm. If something seems wrong, contact the training organization; enforcement belongs to the MTE's Labor Inspection (Inspeção do Trabalho).

💰How much does a young apprentice earn in Brazil in 2026?

Article 428 of the CLT guarantees apprentices the hourly minimum wage, unless a more favorable condition applies. Under Decree 12.797/2025, Brazil's monthly minimum wage for 2026 is R$ 1,621.00, which works out to R$ 7.37 per hour, and classroom hours are paid too. If the state has a higher regional minimum, or if the sector's collective agreement expressly extends its wage floor to apprentices, the higher amount applies (MTE Ordinance 3.872/2023, Article 81).

The ECA (Article 65) secures labor and social security rights. The FGTS (Fundo de Garantia do Tempo de Serviço, Brazil's severance fund) is paid at a 2% rate (Decree 9.579/2018, Article 67), the vale-transporte (commuting allowance) is guaranteed (Article 70), and vacation comes after every 12 months of contract; students under 18 have the right to take it together with school vacation (CLT, Article 136). There is no unemployment insurance when the contract ends, because it has a fixed term, according to the MTE Manual.

Training is free: MTE Ordinance 3.872/2023 (Article 80) bans charging apprentices for enrollment, monthly fees, materials, uniforms or equipment. Be wary of any ad that asks for money to secure a spot. When the first paycheck arrives, the talk about spending, saving and sharing has a guide in the article on young Christians and money.

Formula from the MTE's Manual da Aprendizagem Profissional (Apprenticeship Manual, 2024) for a fixed monthly wage, with weekly rest included, based on a 31-day month and R$ 7.37 per hour (Decree 12.797/2025). Gross amounts, before deductions such as INSS (Brazil's social security) and the commuting allowance.

🏫How do you balance apprenticeship, school and Pathfinder Club?

School comes first. Employers of minors must give them the time they need for classes (CLT, Article 427), and missing school without excuse to the point of losing the school year is grounds for ending the contract early (Article 433).

A 14-year-old apprentice's week fills up, with school in one shift and the company or course in the other. Before accepting, map out the real week with your teen, hour by hour, including travel, meals, sleep and the Club meeting, which usually falls on the weekend and varies from club to club. The article on Pathfinder Club and school helps build that routine.

Teens in the Voyager class (from age 14) or in Guide (from 15) have requirements that often take up weekends, such as the Voyager overnight hike. Talk early with the Counselor and the Director: with the work schedule in hand, the Unit has a better chance of adjusting the calendar before Investiture.

🕊️Can a young apprentice work on Saturdays?

Yes. Brazilian law bans overtime, public holidays and, under 18, night work for apprentices, but it does not ban Saturdays. Under MTE Ordinance 3.872/2023 (Article 78), working hours and rest days are spelled out in the contract and the calendar.

No law requires a private company to give Saturdays off to someone who keeps the Sabbath for religious reasons. Law 13.796/2019 guarantees alternatives for exams and classes held on a day of worship at educational institutions, but it does not deal with working hours. The time to raise the subject is before signing, while there is still a chance to choose another opening.

Look at Friday too. The Seventh-day Adventist Church keeps the Sabbath “sunset to sunset,” according to Fundamental Belief 20. Compare the end of the Friday shift with sunset time in your city throughout the year: if work ends after sunset, the schedule already runs into the Sabbath.

Explain calmly, without a demanding tone, that your family keeps the Sabbath, and ask whether the schedule can be Monday to Friday. If the answer is no, say thank you and keep looking: apprenticeship is open until age 24. The fourth commandment also speaks about work: “Six days you shall labor and do all your work” (Exodus 20:9, NKJV). The biblical basis is in why we keep the Sabbath, and similar conversations with teachers are covered in living your faith at school.

📝How do you apply for Brazil's young apprentice program at 14?

The opening always comes tied to a course. Under the CLT (Article 430) and Decree 9.579/2018 (Article 50), apprentices are trained by Brazil's National Apprenticeship Services (Senai, Senac, Senar, Senat and Sescoop), technical schools, nonprofit organizations that support teens and are registered with the Municipal Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents, and sports organizations. The employer is the company or, in some cases, the nonprofit or sports organization (CLT, Article 431).

Start with the MTE's professional apprenticeship page on gov.br, home to the public search of the Cadastro Nacional de Aprendizagem Profissional (CNAP, the national apprenticeship register), which lists approved organizations and authorized courses by location. Then look for the selection processes of those organizations and their partner companies, and check the course of any advertised opening in the register.

Have proof of school enrollment ready. According to the MTE Manual, the digital Carteira de Trabalho is updated when the company records the hiring in eSocial (the government's digital system for employment records), and the contract of anyone under 18 is signed with the assistance of a legal guardian. Read the whole contract together before signing.

🧭What should the family check before signing?

The MTE Manual lists what the contract must state in writing: start and end dates, the course with its classroom and practical hours, job role, daily and weekly hours, schedule, pay, workplace, tasks and class calendar.

After the paperwork, ask your teen why they want to work now. Some want to help with household bills and some want to learn a trade; both reasons are valid and call for different agreements. The article on purpose and calling helps you think beyond the paycheck, and Proverbs 22:29 (NKJV) points to the value of work done well: “Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings”.

Checklist based on the CLT, MTE Ordinance 3.872/2023 and the MTE Manual (2024).