Niall Morris was the Trinity College Dublin (TCD) entertainment officer for the academic year 2004-2005 and says people assumed he did indeed have a dream job.

"I had an office in the front of TCD looking out on to sunny Dublin City and my job entailed not only organising but also attending almost every social event in TCD, " he says.

Most colleges and universities elect a student to work as entertainment manager for the year. Many take a year out from their studies, as Morris did, to do the job.

His days were busy, administrating in the mornings, co-ordinating talks with pubs and clubs in the afternoon and then going to the actual events in the evenings.

There were events on each evening in the Buttery Bar in TCD. "I would recommend it to anyone who has a passion for the good times in life, " he says.

Some large companies in Ireland are now catching on to the benefits of having a good social life within the business to attract and retain staff. Some such as Oracle employ their own events manager, while others rely on the voluntary efforts of staff members to co-ordinate the company's sports and social club.

Fineos, a financial services software company, has a sports and social club organised voluntarily by staff.

Conor Clifford, its main coordinator, has helped organise the club for the past four and a half years.

"When I was in University of Limerick, I ran up to four different clubs and societies.

In the last company I worked for, I co-ordinated the sports and social club, so you could say it's ingrained in me, " he laughs.

The committee, which has six members, represents different sections of the business. The club is funded by employees and subsidised by the company. "We try to organise monthly events such as a casino night or a treasure hunt, " he says. "We also organise the Christmas party and a big summer event."

Most social club work within companies is voluntary and, as Morris says, money is not a reason to get into the area. "During very busy times of the year such as Freshers' Week, Rag Week and the Trinity Ball, I think if you worked out your hourly rate it might buy you a bottle of coke and pack of crisps for your lunch, but that's not really what it's about, " he says.