Up to 33% Leaving Cert pupils also work

UP to one-third of Leaving Certificate students in some areas of the country have part-time jobs, with girls twice as likely as boys to sacrifice study for an income, a survey has revealed.

The research shows that one-third of sixth year girls in Galway work at weekends and after school, doing an average of five hours a week. Only 12% of male pupils in the city have part-time jobs, but the 10% of Leaving Certificate boys in rural areas were found to work an average of 12 hours a week.

Student Enrichment Services (SES), a private company offering study skills courses in more than 300 schools, conducted the survey among more than 1,000 students.