Dear @Benjamin,
When looking for a suitable place to ordain (you may have your own set of circumstances and/or expectations etc), I visited a bunch in Myanmar, Thailand, Malasia, and Europe. Monasteries will differ in terms of their daily routines, emphasis, setup, and [insert word here]. They will also differ in their level of isolation, lay community exposure, amount of daily chores, expectations placed on novices etc. Why not pick a few and stay for a suitable period to feel it out. Nothing wrong with that. I believe it will be appreciated, as it shows dedication.
I ended up ordaining as samanera at the Thai branch of Pa Auk some years ago. As ven. @NgXinZhao pointed out, Pa Auk places a strong emphasis on uninterrupted intense meditation practice. A few-vassa-monks and nuns there will often first practice meditation for a couple of years on a rather intense schedule. If you’re cut up for this and think this is useful, go for it. Those who stick around, will later take on other monastic duties, scripture, chanting, Pali etc as well. People end up at a Vihara at different ages, and for different reasons.
The chores in such places are often symbolic, and you’ll more likely than not end up being grateful for having some cleaning to do or leaves to sweep. Or a bell to ring. Or the teapot to set up etc. First, it’s something else to do - the mind will get bored. Second, it is nice to be part of the community. Creates contentment, which is conducive for concentration practices that these places emphasize. The alms round often takes a more symbolic form as well, being played out as a ritual inside the monastery compound with the laypeople coming in with offerings.
There are numerous reasons for that (for example, a few Pa Auk branches in Myanmar are so huge, they’d probably drain the surrounding villages). And for the branches abroad, the reasons can be a bit more different. A regular Pindapata in a with a small group of bhikkhus in a nearby community can be arranged, but more as a special undertaking to test the effect of this on the mind.
Some other monasteries will place a greater emphasis on overall informal wakefulness in different activities throughout the day.
PS. The remark of @anon31486827 regarding “relinquishing the duties” sprung me down the memory lane and I recall all of the samaneras at our monastery also went through this procedure after requesting the precepts again each time. This was, in fact the only fuzzy part of the ceremony for me, but I never paid much attention to this. But given that Pa Auk monasteries usually focus on a dedicated jhana practice a lot and expect one to practice, practice, practice, it makes sense. It could also be a Myanmar tradition - there are such little traditional idiosyncrasies that differ from Theravada country to country, or even within a country (you know, the different ways of wearing the robes, or the the shaving of the eyebrows in Thailand, or the more melodic chanting in some Sri Lankan monasteries etc etc).
PS. Samaneras have way fewer formal duties than bhikkhus, starting from the amount of memorized Pali for chanting, ending with the amount of overall regulations to their behaviour and the amount of Vinaya to be known. Some places do encourage a longer samanera period for those whose primary intention is uninterrupted meditation practice. Places will also differ in how fast they want you to bhikkhu up after the initial samaneraing. In some places you’ll be a samanera for 15 minutes, in others, 2 years.
PSPS. A community of bhikkhus is super supportive to have around. The robes and modest uniformity do offer a protection for the mind. I’ve done the “alone in a country house at the end of the world” thing too. It is of course fantastic. But it can be equally tough. A lot of learning on aloneness vs loneliness. And interdependence and independence. And repairs from scraps. I have no romantic ideas around that route. Yes, it can be a tad annoying when some bhikkhus take advantage of their seniority and have a samanera do things for them (men and hierarchies, le sigh), even when the teacher has instructed the samanera to meditate only, but its a moment of learning each time in any case. And the favors are usually small. Some are whims. Some are workarounds for the restrictions in the Vinaya etc. So I personally think a small group of like-minded people at a dedicated location may be sometimes more sustainable than going it alone, in case that involves having to take care of the estate alone well.