UNLIKE the idle rich, who feel it is vulgar to talk about money, graduates who have spent up to four years in college may find the thought of financial reward preying on their minds.

However, many remain unaware of what they can expect to earn when they first enter the marketplace.

Salary levels for graduates could charitably be described as fluid". While some graduates can expect to start earning upwards of £20,000 on graduation, the vast majority will be receiving pay packets which are unlikely to trouble Securicor or, in the case an impoverished minority, pay packets which are unlikely to be troubling bank managers either.

First, the bad news. In 1995, 25 per cent of primary degree respondents were earning less than £9,000, although this included graduates on trainee salaries. A cash strapped eight per cent were earning less than £5,000. In many cases, this can be attributed to graduate involvement in training programmes or the apprentices hips common in, says accountancy.

"It seems to be a trend with companies that they will have training or induction programmes in place," says Bridie Killoran, careers and appointments officer in Athlone RTC. "They will start them on a lesser salary and then, as they assess their progress and potential, this can increase."

Arts graduates appear to start on lower salaries than their counterparts in other faculties, with nearly 40 per cent earning starting salaries of less than £9,000 and only 3.9 per cent in the £19,000 plus bracket. The situation changed considerably for arts graduates who had gone on to take a higher degree, usually a more vocation oriented qualification. Around 20 per cent of postgraduate degree holders were on less than £9,000 but the percentage in the £19,000 plus bracket had risen to nearly 23 per cent.

Science graduates were earning £11,000-£15,000. Once again, the addition of a postgraduate qualification raised their salary levels considerably. Fewer than eight per cent of higher science degree holders were earning less than £9,000, while the number earning £15,000 plus had risen from 13 per cent to almost 50 per cent.

The demand for graduates with software and computer skills has affected salary scales and students from these areas are in a position to pick the company offering the best package. The result appears to be that computer companies are raising salary scales accordingly in order to attract the best.

Among engineers, starting salaries of £11,000 to £15,000 are most common, accounting for nearly 50 per cent of primary degree entrants, with around 16 per cent on less than £11,000. With the addition of a higher degree, nearly 20 per cent of engineering graduates enjoyed a starting salary of £19,000 plus, while almost 25 per cent earned £15,000 to £19,000.

Around 40 per cent of business and commerce graduates were earning less than £9,000 as a starting salary, dropping, to around 30 per cent among postgraduates - an indication perhaps of the traineeship system which operates in many large firms.

Even among postgraduates, starting salaries of more than £15,000 were rare, although nearly six per cent of graduates with higher degrees were earning in excess of £19,000, compared to fewer than one per cent of primary degree holders.

Among certificate and diploma holders, the pattern is for higher starting salaries for higher awards.

Some 60 per cent of one year certificate, national certificate and DIT certificate holders in 1995 were earning starting salaries of less than £9,000, compared to 40 per cent of National Diploma and DIT diploma holders. While over 14 per cent of diploma holders had a starting salary of £11,000 to £13,000, only 5.7 per cent of National and DIT certificate holders and 2.5 per cent of one year certificate holders were in this range.

Yet as the job for life continues to disappear and contract work and self employment become the norm, graduates are going to become increasingly responsible for their own earning potential.

In the UK, this has led to the inclusion of self reliance elements in third level courses and, according to Bridie Killoran, students could soon see similar programmes in place here.