Time was when relatively few third-level students had part-time jobs during term time. Nowadays, though, all the signs are that it's becoming the norm.

More part-time jobs are now available for one thing. But students also either want or need to pay their way through college.

A recent USI survey found that 57 per cent of students now have part-time work. "Due to the high cost of living many students must work to finance themselves through college," the survey says.

The part-time work most likely to be picked up by students includes work in shops, bars and restaurants. Students also work as cashiers, receptionists and secretaries, the survey shows. Jobs are easier to find in the cities than they are in smaller towns.

Many of these jobs are low paid. College Places has heard of students working for as little as £1 an hour. USI, however, advises against working for less then £3 per hour. "Unless you get tips or other benefits it would be unwise to work for less than £3 per hour," says Siobhan Fearon, USI's welfare officer. "There has a been an explosion of badly-paid work in the service industry in recent times," confirms Alan Mac Siomoin, TCD's student union employment officer. The work, he says, is often during unsocial hours and is poorly paid.

"There are more jobs available now than we've had for a long time but they tend to be low paid," he says. "A lot of jobs are paying £2 an hour or less and only £3 an hour for night work."

Mac Siomoin is one of a growing number of student union employment officers. If you're contemplating part time work at college, your union should be your first port of call. Many of the unions have lists of job vacancies.

"We can let students know what jobs are available and whether the pay is way out of line for jobs in that trade," TCD's student employment officer explains. Should you have problems in your employment, the union can also give you advice.

Concerns are often expressed that students with part-time work are taking jobs that might otherwise be carried out by the unemployed. However, John McDonald, general secretary of SIPTU, says that it's now a fact of life that students have part-time jobs. He is concerned, though, that students are working for unacceptably low wages.

"We would expect students to get the rates of pay appropriate for a particular employment," he says. "In relation to students in good unionised employment, we have agreements with employers covering the intake of students and their conditions and rates of employment. We believe that this is extremely important for the regular and temporary workforce and students."

The ICTU, meanwhile, is pressing for a national minimum wage of £5 per hour - a bid from which, if it is successful, students also stand to gain.

The USI survey shows that almost three-quarters of students with part-time jobs have no written contracts of employment and over one third were given no explanation of the terms and conditions of their employment. Only 11 per cent got holiday pay and just over one quarter were given sick pay.

However, under the terms of the Workers Protection (Regular Part Time Employees) Act 1991, regular, part-time employees are entitled to holiday and sick pay and notice of dismissal. Check with your student union to discover your legal entitlements.

Although many students are holding down part time jobs, anyone coming to college for the first time would be unwise to bank on getting a job to see them through. Over half the students surveyed by USI admitted that part-time work interfered with their studies. "In the majority of cases part-time work is detrimental to students' studies," Mac Siomoin agrees. "The bulk of the work available is evening or night work. This is the time that students would otherwise spend studying."

Arts students, who enjoy relatively few contact hours, can be lulled into a false sense of security. They have apparently endless time in which to hold down jobs. But the fact is, that if they are to be successful, they need to be involved in private study in their so-called free time. The advice from the experts is to regard your academic pursuits as a full-time job. In other words, you should be putting in a 40-hour week at your studies.

In many faculties - science for example - students have no other option. Between lectures, tutorials and lab work their time is fully occupied. "I come from a science department," confirms Aidan McCarthy, president of UCC's student union. "Nobody there had jobs. You can only hold down a job if you have time."

There is evidence that some part-time work is beneficial. According to a recent report, students who have jobs are sharper and more on the ball that their non-working colleagues. This may be true of very able and highly disciplined students who are working limited hours.

College Places has heard of a number of students over the years who have worked part-time and have ended up with first-class honours degrees. Sadly, though, there also high numbers of students who fail exams, drop out or fail to achieve their true exam potential largely as a result of their over-involvement in part-time work.