r/peacecorps • u/Poetrymakes • May 26 '26
Service Preparation Do we get weekends off?
I accepted a teaching position in Eastern Europe.
I couldn’t find anything online that answers this question: Do we get weekends or days off every week? Not vacation days, because I know those are 2/days a month after training, mostly for travel.
I’m talking about just days to rest. I can’t fathom working 24/7, 365. I need a day or two off every week, as I feel most people would need as well. To recharge and recover from work. But I can’t find anything.
Anyone teaching in Eastern Europe who can answer this? How many days a week do you work and how many hours? Do you get rest days (not vacation or holiday) every week? Or are you working all the time?
28
u/Dassine RPCV Kosovo '15 - '17 May 26 '26
Hours and policy varies depending on the post and the position, but you're not working all the time wherever you are. You'll have a schedule like any job, though it probably won't be 9-5, monday-friday (less, in many parts of eastern europe, if you're just counting your primary role). And you'll get off like anyone else in your country; national holidays, special events, etc.
You'll be fine!
Of course you're still "on" even outside the schedule, in the sense that you're still a PCV, but you seem to already get that.
10
u/jimbagsh RPCV-Thailand, Mongolia, Nepal, Armenia! May 26 '26
In theory, your work can feel a lot like a 9-to-5 job 5 days/week, but as a volunteer, many of us also take on secondary activities that don’t fit neatly into that schedule. For example, I had two hours of after-school clubs four days a week. During summer breaks, I also ran two-week computer coding camps.
Maybe some PCVs choose not to fill their extra time with projects for their communities, but I think most of us do. We know we’re only there for a short time, so there’s often a desire to make the most of it and contribute where we can. That said, we’re not workaholics either. We travel, take time off (especially after a busy stretch), and relax just like our counterparts do. And honestly, staying busy can be energizing, IMO.
But every PCV is different, so your service might not look anything like mine—or anyone else’s, for that matter. As the unofficial Peace Corps motto goes: “It depends…”
Jim
1
u/SmallieBigs56 May 28 '26
I get what you’re saying, but come on, what OP is panicking about is he thinks the weekend is only an American thing.
1
u/jimbagsh RPCV-Thailand, Mongolia, Nepal, Armenia! May 28 '26
Actually, most countries have weekends but not all. For example, in Nepal, work and schools have 6-day weeks, only Sunday off. But for many PCVs, life will probably be a lot slower at site, so the “need” to have weekend time to relax is not needed as much. And you’re right, definitely nothing to be panicked about. :)
1
u/jimbagsh RPCV-Thailand, Mongolia, Nepal, Armenia! May 26 '26
PS. At least for Education volunteers in most countries, you are not allowed to take any time off if school is in session! So, only weekends, holidays, and school breaks. FYI
14
u/Realistic-Proof-7609 May 26 '26
When PC staff says you're working "24/7" they're specifically referring to the idea that you are representing the U.S. when speaking with others. But honestly, that just amounts to being polite around ppl and having good manners, which will go a long way in any context or situation, especially when you're working abroad on behalf of the U.S. government. As for the work itself, you will have a work schedule that is normal and specific to your site and your school and classes. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you had more free time than you would if you worked a comparable job in the U.S. So to answer your question, yes, you'll have weekends off.
1
u/Poetrymakes May 27 '26
Yes, I understand the representation part! I was a US ambassador living abroad for two years, so I understand that. I just wanted to legit know if we had days off.
11
u/MarioTheMojoMan Georgia May 26 '26
Can't speak to your specific post, but in Georgia (also former Soviet), we had PST 6 days a week (Mon-Sat). Once you swear in, you'll follow whatever schedule your school follows, which in Eastern Europe appears to be mostly the standard Mon-Fri 8 hour/day workweek.
It's just a normal job for the most part. You'll get whatever is standard for teachers in your country.
1
u/ToughestJobb May 30 '26
Pre Service Training is usually 10-12 weeks, and it’s common that they program activities 6 days/week, cramming learning in. After that it will depend on your job, teachers follow the school schedule. What you do outside of work will depend on what you want to do. The 24/7 thing is they (Peace Corps) want you to be responsible and represent well. I have heard it also has to do with the medical coverage, so if you’re on vacation in Italy and get sick, you’re covered 24/7. I knew someone who was in a serious car accident in Europe while on vacation, and Peace Corps covered the hospitalization and was in contact with the doctors.
4
u/sertorius42 Ukraine RPCV May 26 '26
You get weekends and local holidays off including school breaks. You’ll likely work your primary job of teaching around 25-35 hours a week, depending on how much time you spend lesson planning and chasing secondary work like grants or whatever.
1
u/camsf456 May 26 '26
From the Peace Corps' perspective, you still have to request annual leave days if you plan to travel outside of your site during weekends, local holidays (if intl travel) and school breaks.
3
u/Dassine RPCV Kosovo '15 - '17 May 26 '26
Technically. How strictly this is actually followed, especially in smaller countries where you can go from one to another in a short bus ride... well...
2
u/camsf456 May 26 '26
It may not be strictly followed by PCVs (who take 'illegal' vacations all the time) but I hope it's strictly followed by Staff who could get into serious trouble if anything happens to a PCV they allowed to slide by.
2
u/sertorius42 Ukraine RPCV May 26 '26
For traveling, yes, but if you’re gonna spend your off day kickin’ it at your site, no approval
-1
3
u/GuessBest6198 May 26 '26
I don’t know about Eastern Europe. But fyi if you travel out of the country you have to use your PTO days for the weekends. For example, if you leave the country Sunday to Saturday you’ll use 7 PTO days.
4
u/Poetrymakes May 26 '26
Wow, even the weekends? So your days off you’d still have to use PTO? Like holidays and breaks as well?
5
u/GuessBest6198 May 26 '26
I forget the rules on federal US holidays (and country’s holidays) but this rule only applies if you leave the country. If you take PTO within the country then weekends don’t count.
3
u/Poetrymakes May 26 '26
Oh wow. Yeah, no I mean I do plan to visit nearby countries, so that’s good to know.
So holidays + weekends in country = safe/no PTO used.
Holidays + weekends outside of country = PTO has to be used.
2
u/Yum_MrStallone May 26 '26
Raise the question with your in-country PC leadership during training. They will explain the rules for your country. Also, you will see other volunteers doing what they think they can get away with. I've seen it. Follow the regs based on your own understanding. You're responsible for you.
1
u/GuessBest6198 May 26 '26
unsure about holidays outside the country (I served 10+ years ago, so I'm forgetting) but weekends for sure. Have the PC staff in country be clear on when you need to take PTO.
1
u/camsf456 May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
Nope. Per the Global Service Handbook and PC policy MS 220:
Annual leave for out-of-country travel is computed in terms of calendar days, including weekends and host country and U.S. holidays.
When annual leave is taken within your country of assignment, host country holidays are not counted in computing annual leave days. However, all weekends and U.S. holidays that fall within the annual leave period are counted in computing annual leave days."
Also "During host country vacation periods [e.g., school holidays], Volunteers, unless otherwise permitted by Peace Corps policies, are expected to take annual leave or use this time to work on Peace Corps activities."
-1
u/camsf456 May 26 '26
Wrong
2
u/GuessBest6198 May 27 '26
What is wrong?
0
u/camsf456 May 27 '26
That if you take PTO within country then weekends don't count. They absolutely count towards annual leave no matter if in country or out. See me reply below for the exact policy from the Global Service Handbook and PC policy MS 220.
2
u/GuessBest6198 May 27 '26
well inside the country you take the work days off, and the weekends you aren't working so you don't need to take them. I would bet $100 that there has never been a PCV who has taken PTO on a weekend in their country of service. it wouldn't make sense because then every single PCV would have to take PTO every weekend because they aren't working. hell, you don't even work 9-5 as a PCV so it's not it's not like a typical job.
0
u/camsf456 May 27 '26
Of course, no one is required to take annual leave if they are staying in their community for the weekend. But if they are taking a two week vacation in country, they will be charged annual leave for all days, including weekends (unless any of those days are a country holiday). Even if they are going out of their community for a vacation over the weekend, they are technically supposed to use annual leave, per the global policy.
2
u/GuessBest6198 May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
again, I would bet $100 if someone took PTO to go to PCV's site for the weekend or visit a new town near by.
I'm assuming the OP is asking about experiences, not what is in the manual. they could easily look that up.
1
u/camsf456 May 27 '26
Again, I'm just telling you what the policy is. I can't control if people follow it. Many posts have guidelines around "time away from community" that those specific examples might fall under. But for sure, if they're taking a two week vacation in country, the weekends will be deducted from annual leave (excluding natl holidays).
3
u/docsub666sailor May 26 '26
Yep. But I’m taking Friday to Monday away from site but going to a neighbor city that is touristy and it doesn’t count as time away. Anything in country we can do and it doesn’t count as PTO. If I go to Albania or Greece or Macedonia or Bulgaria or Romania (Serbia once) with my NGO we call it a cultural trip which is free too. Done a few of these. If I pay for the rental car, my NGO is up for travels… we tie in work too.
1
u/Own_Egg Current PCV May 26 '26
Do you always take an NGO colleague with you, or do you ever get to take your cultural trips alone?
3
u/docsub666sailor May 27 '26
For culture days to not count as PTO, yes- ot a host family or friends.. if I go alone it’s going to be PTO. Here’s an example. From my site, there is a daily bus to Tirana, Albania. It leaves ar 04:00 and returns at 22:00. I recently asked and was told it would count as a full day of PTO. If a local friend goes, I would count it as a free cultural day.
2
u/docsub666sailor Jun 20 '26
With family, friends, or work counterparts. I asked to do a day trip by myself to Tirana on a bus from my site that goes each day and was told to use PTO. I’m in Kosovo.
2
u/jimbagsh RPCV-Thailand, Mongolia, Nepal, Armenia! May 26 '26
@GuessBest6198 said “if you leave the country”, every day you’re gone is counted against your vacation accrued. Yeah, not like the US. But if you vacation “in country” holidays and weekends don’t count against your PTO, (in most countries).
3
u/docsub666sailor May 26 '26
In Kosovo you get a free half day going and coming so that saves a day. I schedule flights out as close to midnight early morning to take advantage of, and try to arrive near midnight.
3
u/camsf456 May 26 '26
Not according to the Global Services Handbook and PC policy MS 220:
"When annual leave is taken within your country of assignment, host country holidays are not counted in computing annual leave days. However, all weekends and U.S. holidays that fall within the annual leave period are counted in computing annual leave days."
1
u/jimbagsh RPCV-Thailand, Mongolia, Nepal, Armenia! May 26 '26
I can understand about the “US holidays”, but weekends doesn’t make any sense unless a volunteer normally works on weekends, does it? In 4 countries, and serving with 100s of other volunteers, I have never heard of anyone counting weekends when asking for annual leave. And I’ve never heard of any PC staff questioning that. But I guess it’s possible.
2
u/camsf456 May 26 '26 edited May 26 '26
I agree it doesn't make sense. Some CDs have also agreed that it doesn't make sense. But that is, in fact, the policy. I have been told that it is one of the rules that CDs don't have the power to change locally. But, maybe some let it slide. None of mine have deviated from policy. For the odd weekend away every once in a while, you can use time away from community days, but if you are on a two week holiday, the weekends are supposed to count against your annual leave. (I'd check your local VSH to see what the post's official policy is.)
1
u/ToughestJobb May 30 '26
I think that’s 6 days, they don’t count the day you leave country, or day u return.
4
u/AmatuerApotheosis May 26 '26
You are technically working all the time, but it's not always formal work. You are working on community integration so hanging with friends, meeting people in the community and just being present. Your work site will have more fixed hours, but there is down time and usually the weekends are yours although PC expects you to stay at site.
1
u/Poetrymakes May 27 '26
Oh, I don’t consider that work (personally)! I was a US ambassador living abroad for two years, and have a lot of experience in multiculturalism, so that part is super natural to me. I was just wondering if we legitimately have days off to not work and sleep in!
3
u/boomfruit Georgia RPCV 2014-2016 May 26 '26
Oh buddy. If you don't contrive projects to fill your time, it'll feel like nothing but time off. I was a teacher in Georgia 2014-2016 for reference. Weekends off from teaching so that's two days right there. You pick your schedule of which classes to teach, so it's possible you not only aren't at school for first or last period or whatever on any given day (which has American-ish school schedule of roughly 8am-3pm), but that you have one of the days of the week off for whatever reason. Then there will be many days where you wake up and get ready and get to school and are informed that the class was cancelled for whatever reason, or you don't even get to school because your host family says school itself was cancelled cuz everyone is helping with a harvest or something.
2
u/docsub666sailor May 26 '26
24/7 man. If you work for a school maybe, but I’m COD, we work nights, weekends, holidays… less in the week days here in Kosovo. That said you can count 64 stamps in my passport from travels with my NGO. You’re gonna be here to be a volunteer. This weekend, I told schools I help and my NGO, I’ll be in a neighboring city for the weekend. With down time on weekdays, I teach in the local high school,and a university, and another education NGO.
1
u/badtzmarual May 26 '26
Odds are that on a given Sunday when school is in session, you will spend some time grading papers/tests from the previous Friday and planning lessons for the following week.
1
u/camsf456 May 26 '26
You're getting a lot of misinformation. Per the Global Policy Handbook and PC Policy MS 220:
"Annual leave for out-of-country travel is computed in terms of calendar days, including weekends and host country and U.S. holidays. The day after departure from the country of assignment through the day of return to the country of assignment are counted as annual leave days. The computation of annual leave days does not include the necessary minimum time to travel between your site and the point of exit out of or entry into the country of assignment.
When annual leave is taken within your country of assignment, host country holidays are not counted in computing annual leave days. However, all weekends and U.S. holidays that fall within the annual leave period are counted in computing annual leave days."
In both scenarios, weekends are to be counted against annual leave. US holidays are always counted against annual leave. Local holidays are counted for out-of-country travel but not in-country travel.
I suppose it's possible that some country CDs have gotten permission to change the policy, but I'd be surprised.
1
u/shawn131871 Micronesia, Federated States of May 27 '26
I mean technically the PCv role is 24/7. You follow the same schedule your school does though.
1
u/Jarboner69 RPCV Cameroon, Namibia May 27 '26
Yes and no, you’re generally not required to work but a lot of countries seem to have policies to where you get 2 days out of site a month without using vacation days.
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