The number of second-level students working part-time has more than doubled in recent years, seriously impacting on their performance in State examinations, a confidential new study has indicated.
Preliminary results of research conducted by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) also reveal that three-quarters of students working part-time spend their earnings on their social life.
Almost one in three say they spend a significant amount of this money on alcohol, with almost one in five saying they buy cigarettes. Half spend their money on clothes and shoes.
The study also indicates that students working part-time achieve lower grades in the Leaving Certificate than those who do not. This remains true regardless of the number of hours worked.
The initial results of the ESRI report, which is due to be published fully in September, come at a time when students around the country are preparing for their Leaving Certificate and Junior Certificate examinations, which begin next week.
They reveal that students who work part-time are less likely to progress to further study after leaving school, and will be more likely to drop out.
Furthermore, working more than 15 hours a week is directly associated with lower Junior Certificate exam grades.
Male students, who are consistently outperformed by girls in exams, are also more likely to work while at school. Frequently, this involves working in jobs requiring at least 20 hours a week.
The report, entitled "At work in school: part-time employment and student outcomes", aims to investigate the effects of part-time work on educational attainment in Ireland.
Drawing on several sources, it shows that in 1994 just over 30 per cent of Leaving Certificate students and around 25 per cent of Junior Certificate students worked part-time.
However, by 2001, this had risen to approximately 70 per cent at both Leaving and Junior Certificate level.
The study also indicates that students from well-off backgrounds are at a significant advantage when it comes to part-time work. Students from professional and intermediate non-manual backgrounds have lower levels of involvement in part-time work, meaning their exam performance is less likely to suffer.
Furthermore, students from households where neither parent is employed find it more difficult to gain part-time employment than other students.
Some 40 per cent of students agreed that working more than 20 hours a week meant they had less time for their homework, while over 20 per cent said their performance in school suffered as a result.
However, part-time workers tend to display a lack of confidence in their academic ability, the research also shows. While they are more likely to prefer not being in school, they are also less likely to experience unemployment.
This indicates that many part-time workers are succeeding in making the transition from part-time work to full-time employment, albeit frequently without the benefit of a third-level education.