I'm thinking of spending a couple of terms in France studying the language at a French university. Would I need a student visa or residence permit in order to stay there for around 6 months? I might like to find a little part-time job in order to help finance my stay. How is the job situation in France and would I need a work permit? I have a UK passport. Thanks a lot!

You don't eed any visas or work permits with a UK passport. You need to look into whether you need a residence permit, and most importantly into health care coverage for your stay - an EHIC should cover you for basic health care I think, but you need to look into that.

There are stacks of ex-pat sites and forums on the web which can provide you with all the info you need on these things.

The French embassy website has all kinds of info on this topic, also, and also check the British Embassy in France.
eg,

http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/Studyin...ance,7040.html

http://ukinfrance.fco.gov.uk/en/help...France/3999274

No visa, residence permit (your British passport suffices) or special health cover needed - as student your EHIC will cover medical treatment on the same basis as locals - i.e. reimbursement of around 70% of actual costs.
You are free to take a job without any permit, but jobs, including casual ones, are hard to find. Try British or Irish bars to start with. A good knowledge of French helps.

Thank you all for your replies and recommendations. I thought I might need to apply for a residence permit if I was staying longer than 90 days but will clarify this. Now I have to decide which part of France I want to go to!