“The 9[am] to 5[pm]” is a common term for one’s regular job, on the basis that normal people start work at 09:00 and finish at 17:00. I’ve worked a few jobs and closest I’ve ever gotten to this is 08:00 to 17:00, which I gather is standard.
Are there real jobs where people actually start at 9 and finish at 5?
It would be interesting to see a filter of responses by country.
In my experience:
That being said, even with the shorter official working hours, I often end up working more than that. I may have a bunch of 6 or 7 hour days, but will also have a bunch of 16 hour days when things are hectic.