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IN AMERICA
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emigrants
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destination
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life
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The southern Norwegian who went to America could work in a number of different occupations, but some jobs were more common than others. Most of the girls who emigrated began their careers looking after children and doing housework for well-to-do families. Some also worked in shops, cafés and restaurants, and factory work was also quite common. At the start of the emigration from southern Norway, the most common occupations for boys and men were connected to the sea. They could work on tugs, freighters or in the port. Later in the 1900s it became more common for boys to take work on land, mainly as carpenters.
The first weeks and months could be really hard. Girls who started as housemaids moved in with a strange family and most of them knew only a few words of English when they began. But they learned quickly, and most of the girls who went to America soon became good at English. Most of the boys also had a difficult time at the beginning. The majority of those who started as carpenters were not very familiar with hammers and saws and had to learn everything from scratch. The work culture was tough – if you couldn’t manage the job you could be fired on the spot. Most of them managed well in spite of long and difficult working days.
Housemaids
Many of the girls who went to America started to work as housemaids and nursemaids. One of these was Aggi Svindland.
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Stamboats and floor-laying
When return migration to America started, the majority of those who migrated were men who intended to work on American ships. Later in the 1900s, jobs as carpenters became most common.
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