If I'm a 42A, do I work Monday through Friday or will I be working on weekends?

2019-01-22T12:54:21-05:00

If I'm 42a do I work Monday - Friday or do they work on weekends. Also since its a desk job do they work from 8am-4pm or 5pm? When I'm stationed and actually working my job do we still have pt in the morning or is it up to us to stay in shape?

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2019 1:02 PM

2019-01-22T13:02:30-05:00

You are a Soldier as a 42A.
You will work whenever the Chain of Command says you work.
Might be bankers hours. Might be many hours.
As for PT, different units do different things, but you can reasonably expect to report for PT in the morning.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2019 1:02 PM

2019-01-22T13:02:46-05:00

You will typically work from 9 a.m. to 5 PM. You'll come into work around 6 a.m. or so in order to conduct PT, which usually runs from 6:30 to 7:30 or 8.
It is a desk job, and when your unit goes to the field oh, you will go there as well. How late you work oh, and if you work on the weekends, is up to the type of shop you are in. Most of the time you only work Monday through Friday, unless there is some large Readiness preparation exercise that your unit is conducting. But, a properly staffed S1 shop that is not heading to the field or a deployment should only work Monday through Friday, nine-to-five.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Jan 22 at 2019 1:10 PM

2019-01-22T13:10:59-05:00

Johnathon Greer you keep looking at this like a clock punching job. Shake your mental Etch-a-sketch.

42As largely work in S1 sections. They handle personnel actions like pay inquiry, awards, strength reporting, unit status reports, Manning/slotting, personnel actions for individuals (processing DA4187s). You would work in a Battalion, Brigade, or Division staff at the direction of your NCOIC or staff primary. Sometimes you work a “normal” duty day: 0630 formation, PT,0800 personal hygiene, 0900 work call, work, dismissed for the day 1700. Sometimes you are training, doing manifests for deployments, SRP, etc you work a shift or continuously until the mission is done. You’ll pull 24 hrs CQ or staff/runner/driver duty when you come up on the duty roster. You’ll get put on different work details as assigned. You’ll pull weekly maintenance on your unit equipment.

HR Companies are mostly 42As. They do personnel theater gateway and mail. Similar to above except what they do at work call.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2019 1:32 PM

2019-01-22T13:32:17-05:00

In general, yes, you will have something the resembles an office job.
No, you likely won't be permitted to do PT on your own.
You will be subject to work based on the needs of the unit. In general, you can expect a schedule like the following:
In Garrison (not deployed or in the field)
0630 - 0730 PT
0900 - 1700 Work (office)
Weekends and weekdays will likely include an occasional 24 hour shift as a Staff Duty runner. Essentially, an NCO and junior enlisted will staff the HQs.
Deployment and field training. There may or may not be regular hours, and you may do your 42A duties, in addition to other assigned duties. Since your already away from home, the hours don't matter much.

Response by CSM Darieus ZaGara made Jan 22 at 2019 1:49 PM

2019-01-22T13:49:51-05:00

All of the fore mentioned and, you may be assigned as a vehicle driver and work one or more days out of a motor pool, not to mention you have to certify in basic Soldier skills periodically as established by the command. It sounds as if you want to be a clerical person at a local business, the Army is far from that. If you are motivated by teamwork, fitness, and duty-honor-country you will do well. If you are motivated by working an 8 hour shift and individuality you should consider another profession.

Response by WO1 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2019 2:51 PM

2019-01-22T14:51:24-05:00

Typical hours for S1 or 42A’s are 0930-1130 and then 1300-1600 maybe 1700 but yeah 5 days a week Monday through friday

Response by SSG Thomas Trutt made Jan 23 at 2019 2:31 PM

2019-01-23T14:31:31-05:00

I was a 42A on active duty for 10 years. Every place I worked the typical week was PT at 6 or 6:30 for an hour or more, conduct personal hygiene and be at work by 8 or 9. We would then work most of the day, taking an hour for lunch and releasing at 5pm.

However, when there were big mission objectives coming - like the USR (monthly), a change of command, deployments, etc we work until the job is done. Some days I would work til midnight or later, occasionally when this happened I would be allowed to skip PT the next day (as I routinely passed my PT tests without issue). Other times I would be granted an early release as a form of "comp time" if the mission allowed it.

In addition, you are not immune from requirements to perform details, ranges, and other duties. If your unit is going to the field for 30 days for a training exercise, you go with them. You will still have to perform CQ and/or staff duty operations. You will still need to go to ranges and perform testing on basic soldier skills. You will still need to help with "clean-up" days and police calls. Some of these will be during duty hours in place of your normal duties, some will be after hours, some you will get recovery or "comp" time for, others you won't.

On the other side, if the mission isn't vital, your duties are complete, and you are generally a good soldier you may be released early at random on certain days, or given a day off where you may be on call, but otherwise free to relax at home. You will also have 4 day weekends most holidays and 30 days of leave a year.

Note though, that if you are deployed - expect at a minimum to work 12 hour shifts 6 days a week, more if there are incidents.

Response by CPL Brandon Kling made Jan 25 at 2019 11:45 PM

2019-01-25T23:45:05-05:00

If you're looking for a job with banker's hours, the military ain't it.

As a 42A, you're one of the troops responsible for insuring the members of your unit are being paid accurately, that all personnel actions are being conducted within the regulations, and insuring that leadership has information about personnel readiness at hand. Certainly, it's a desk job, but with PT from 06:30 to 08:00 (until 07:30 at some installations), work call starting at 09:30 (09:00 if PT ended at 07:30) and ending when the mission is complete. There were some days I didn't get home until after 21:00, and that was in garrison (usually due to someone sitting on documents that were normal priority 3 weeks ago, but are now urgent because of laziness). That's not counting 24 hour CQ or Staff Duty. While deployed, your schedule might be 10 to 12 hours a day 7 days a week.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 27 at 2019 8:39 AM

2019-01-27T08:39:47-05:00

Most units will have you doing PT. Hours are depended on your duty station but it’ll be a 9-5 for the most part unless you’re in the field where it’s possible for you to work 12 hrs a day.

Response by SPC Tameeka Swain made May 25 at 2019 3:29 PM

2019-05-25T15:29:09-04:00

Yes you have PT daily for the most part, usually it’s a “9-5” but technically 0600-1700 or whenever first formation is and when you are released from your section not to mention any recalls which can occur on the weekends too as well as any 24 hr duty . I worked in a mail room, did a LOT of details worked in an S1 and a pac office so what you are assigned to do is what you will be doing not to mention motor pool mondays lol simply put the army doesn’t follow a traditional schedule . Sorry

Response by MAJ Ronnie Reams made Jul 6 at 2022 9:02 PM

2022-07-06T21:02:40-04:00

I don't know, but I've been told that 42As are company clerks that work at BN Instead of orderly room. Up to your CO, when I was a company clerk, 71H series, my CO exempted me from DA-6 duties. When troops doing PT, I was doing DA-1, the morning report. Hours were reveille to retreat. First job, getting a pitcher of coffee from mess hall and putting in orderly room. Since clerks are now at BN, I not sure how they take care of CO and 1SG.