Record numbers of second-level students are taking grinds at a cost of up to €50 per hour, according to a major new survey.
The survey of over 1,000 students shows spectacular growth in the "grinds culture".
The survey was conducted by Student Enrichment Services (SES), which provides study skills courses in a large number of schools.
Teachers say parents feel under increasing pressure to pay for grinds in order to secure CAO points. Aside from "private" grinds offered by teachers, thousands of students are also taking part-time courses in grind schools such as the Institute of Education in Dublin.
There has also been a boom in the number of grind schools outside the Dublin area in recent years. Some of the best known include Yeats College in Sligo, Bruce College in Cork and the Limerick Tutorial Centre.
The SES survey will also raise concerns about the numbers of students working part-time.
Overall, approximately 35 per cent of students work part-time. Surprisingly, one in three students are employed part-time during sixth year in secondary school, working on average 12 hours a week. Boys are much more likely to work part-time than girls, the survey finds.
In recent years, a series of reports has said that the high failure rates among boys in maths could be traced back to the huge numbers working part-time.
Females significantly outperform their male colleagues in virtually all Leaving Cert subjects, a trend likely to be borne out when this year's results are published on August 16th.
The SES survey points to differences between the sexes when it comes to study patterns.
The average time spent studying (over and above time spent on homework) for a Junior Cert boy is four hours a week, while their female peers study for 5½ hours.
By Leaving Certificate, girls are studying for an average of eight hours per week, two hours more than their male classmates.
The most studious students at Junior Cert level were boys in Dublin and girls in the "rest of Leinster".
At senior cycle, male students in Munster were the most studious, followed closely by females in Dublin and Connacht.
Girls also take more time completing homework assignments than their male classmates, spending just over 10 hours per week, while Leaving Cert boys are spending 8½ hours.
At Junior Cert level, students are spending an average of seven hours a week on homework, although most girls study for an average of 8½ hours per week.
With regard to the current external examination system, 92 per cent of students believe that continuous assessment would be a fairer way of evaluating five years of school work.
On sports activity in Irish schools, the survey found that participation declines as students move through the senior cycle. In fifth and sixth years, just 49 per cent of female students and 68 per cent of males continue to play sports.
