Disney Hourly Salaries

[whiporee]

That's because none of them including Disney offer full time hours or benefits. Do you know what it's like to try and put together full time wages from three or four different employers simultaneously? Because that's what it's like in Orlando for service workers.

There has to be a starting point, a lowest rung, or else there's no ladder. Some place where people can enter the workforce without the expectation that it's going to pay a living wage, and some place where employers can hire workers who have minimal skill and training and expectation. Not all jobs demand/require a level of skill that demands higher compensation -- sometimes you just need someone to watch the store, to ring people up, to make sure Mickey turns green. Those shouldn't be primary employment for any family, ever. But if they are, then it's not the employer's reponsibility to compensate to a higher level. If we raise the starting rung, then we have to raise them all in order to reward those who have developed skills, who have progressed and climbed.

Do you really think an employer should have to pay full-time benefits to the kid who tells you to watch your step as you exit Peter Pan? What does that say to the Imagineers who create, or the skilled workers who work metal into tracks, or the people who solve problems every day that their worth is comparable to someone whose job require minimal effort?

Employers aren't any different than consumers. We all decide how much merit we put into what we buy. Employers buy their employee's time, skill and effort, and they put a price on it. It's the same thing we do when we shop anywhere for anything -- we put a price on what something is worth.

 

[mcjaco]

I worked from the ground up when I entered the "real working world." Started in the mail room at $10 a hour. And no, I could not live off that. I did, however, have excellent health and 401K benefits, and college reimbursement. I took full advantage of the latter, and graduated while working.

I went from the mail room, to Liability Claims Adjuster, to Sr. Liability Claims Adjuster, to Underwriting Assistant, to Team Lead for the Midwest Region of Underwriting Assistants, in thirteen years. Those that work hard, no matter what level they start, get promoted.

I have quite a few acquaintances and friends at Disney at different levels. All them have worked hard for the positions they are at, and I don't think one of them would tell you it's been easy.

I once told my wife I'd love to work for Disney, and she brought up the pay. I think it takes a special person to work in the industry, and at Disney. It's not always about the money. It's a mindset of wanting to be a part of something bigger than yourself, and getting payment in other forms.

 

[LeeAndRobin]

It's not always about the money. It's a mindset of wanting to be a part of something bigger than yourself, and getting payment in other forms.

Exactly. I work at a medium-sized university as an Observatory Engineer. I certainly didn't choose this career path for the money. I chose it because I work with interesting people who care about their jobs, I get to pretty much set my own hours, and there are a new batch of faces every few years with interesting ideas. I have a master's degree. My lab partner in undergrad stopped at bachelor's, but chose to go into aerospace. Two years out of college, at about the time I finished my master's, he was making at least double what I make now (almost 30 years later). But I still think I made the better choice.

 

[FreeTime]

This is why I refuse to work for Disney. I interviewed for a 'professional' position (not an internship, just an entry-level job for someone with a degree) and was told $12 an hour. Are you kidding? I have $800/month in student loan payments I have to start paying soon. For any company to offer a recent Bachelor's grad that low of a pay grade is a joke.

This is the problem that we have with our young working population and they are making it worse on themselves. I interview entitled young graduates all the time. They are passing up jobs because they feel that because they have a degree they should immediately make more. A degree doesn't give one an immediate pass to a pay raise. These people need to take these jobs to get their for in the door and develop working skills, not just book skills. I started out at the bottom with my degree and worked my way up. The majority of the time when our organization selects a hire, we don't pick them because the type of degree they have, we pick them because they have a (any) degree. Having the degree shows a long term commitment.

Yesterday I hired a downsized, fifty-eight year old man who had worked twenty-two years at a large organization. I verified his prior salary with the old employer. He made $110,000 a year. He accepted the job from me at $16.16 an hour with no benefits and no time off permitted until January. The person who I turned down? A twenty-two year old recent graduate who said she was insulted and would not work for less than $32 an hour and had to have thanksgiving and Christmas weeks off. Her entitlement is definitely the man's gain. Neither new the based on the performance over the first thirty days we would be offering a promotion. He was smart to get his foot in the door. He will likely continue to get promoted over the next year putting him closer to the salary he left. So the recent collect graduate turned down a job that would have turned into a $75,000 job within a year. Just because she was insulted to be offered $12. She did me a favor.

 

[LAS2AMS]

This is the problem that we have with our young working population and they are making it worse on themselves. I interview entitled young graduates all the time. They are passing up jobs because they feel that because they have a degree they should immediately make more. A degree doesn't give one an immediate pass to a pay raise. These people need to take these jobs to get their for in the door and develop working skills, not just book skills. I started out at the bottom with my degree and worked my way up. The majority of the time when our organization selects a hire, we don't pick them because the type of degree they have, we pick them because they have a (any) degree. Having the degree shows a long term commitment.

Yesterday I hired a downsized, fifty-eight year old man who had worked twenty-two years at a large organization. I verified his prior salary with the old employer. He made $110,000 a year. He accepted the job from me at $16.16 an hour with no benefits and no time off permitted until January. The person who I turned down? A twenty-two year old recent graduate who said she was insulted and would not work for less than $32 an hour and had to have thanksgiving and Christmas weeks off. Her entitlement is definitely the man's gain. Neither new the based on the performance over the first thirty days we would be offering a promotion. He was smart to get his foot in the door. He will likely continue to get promoted over the next year putting him closer to the salary he left. So the recent collect graduate turned down a job that would have turned into a $75,000 job within a year. Just because she was insulted to be offered $12. She did me a favor.

Walmart and (corporate-owned) McDonald's are hiring nationally at $10/hour and you think a college graduate turning down a $12/hour job is "entitlement?" Seriously? I'm a public accountant and several times a week I field calls from clients desperately seeking bookkeepers. Problem is, they're spoiled by the Great Recession -- they want people with four-year degrees and aren't willing to pay more than $10-$14/hour, often without benefits. When I tell them the job market's the best it's been in nearly two decades, bookkeepers are in hot demand and the going rate is $16-$18/hour WITH benefits, I hear the same 'kids these days ... they're so entitled ... back in 1971 I was earning..." The problem isn't that it's 2016 -- the problem is that if you take the compensation package from 1971 and adjust it for inflation -- it's far more than the going rate ($16-$18/hr + beenies) is today.

If you graduated with good grades, I don't see anything wrong with seeking a competitive salary. It's the people who were "C" students who need to realize they'll have to accept whatever job's offered to them.

And I think you're exaggerating a bit... I've interviewed hundreds of candidates -- all with higher GPAs -- and I've only had a few complain about an offer in the $50K range (typical starting pay for a CPA firm). All of the ones who complained graduated with high GPAs from top schools and reality is, they'll get an offer in the 70K range. Which is why we no longer bring them in for interviews . Also... a $25K job that turns into a $75K one in a year? Really?

 

[FreeTime]

Walmart and (corporate-owned) McDonald's are hiring nationally at $10/hour and you think a college graduate turning down a $12/hour job is "entitlement?" Seriously? I'm a public accountant and several times a week I field calls from clients desperately seeking bookkeepers. Problem is, they're spoiled by the Great Recession -- they want people with four-year degrees and aren't willing to pay more than $10-$14/hour, often without benefits. When I tell them the job market's the best it's been in nearly two decades, bookkeepers are in hot demand and the going rate is $16-$18/hour WITH benefits, I hear the same 'kids these days ... they're so entitled ... back in 1971 I was earning..." The problem isn't that it's 2016 -- the problem is that if you take the compensation package from 1971 and adjust it for inflation -- it's far more than the going rate ($16-$18/hr + beenies) is today.

If you graduated with good grades, I don't see anything wrong with seeking a competitive salary. It's the people who were "C" students who need to realize they'll have to accept whatever job's offered to them.

And I think you're exaggerating a bit... I've interviewed hundreds of candidates -- all with higher GPAs -- and I've only had a few complain about an offer in the $50K range (typical starting pay for a CPA firm). All of the ones who complained graduated with high GPAs from top schools and reality is, they'll get an offer in the 70K range. Which is why we no longer bring them in for interviews . Also... a $25K job that turns into a $75K one in a year? Really?

Not an exaggeration. The temp job will be rolling into one with union benefits and is with the government.

 

[Alice Royal]

This is the problem that we have with our young working population and they are making it worse on themselves. I interview entitled young graduates all the time. They are passing up jobs because they feel that because they have a degree they should immediately make more. A degree doesn't give one an immediate pass to a pay raise. These people need to take these jobs to get their for in the door and develop working skills, not just book skills. I started out at the bottom with my degree and worked my way up. The majority of the time when our organization selects a hire, we don't pick them because the type of degree they have, we pick them because they have a (any) degree. Having the degree shows a long term commitment.

Yesterday I hired a downsized, fifty-eight year old man who had worked twenty-two years at a large organization. I verified his prior salary with the old employer. He made $110,000 a year. He accepted the job from me at $16.16 an hour with no benefits and no time off permitted until January. The person who I turned down? A twenty-two year old recent graduate who said she was insulted and would not work for less than $32 an hour and had to have thanksgiving and Christmas weeks off. Her entitlement is definitely the man's gain. Neither new the based on the performance over the first thirty days we would be offering a promotion. He was smart to get his foot in the door. He will likely continue to get promoted over the next year putting him closer to the salary he left. So the recent collect graduate turned down a job that would have turned into a $75,000 job within a year. Just because she was insulted to be offered $12. She did me a favor.

I'm not like this. I would gladly take $15 an hour if I didn't have massive student loan payments sucking me dry. I work 6 days a week right now plus I run a side business just so I can EAT, man. I'm not 'entitled'. The rich kids I went to school with might be like this, though.

 

[Alice Royal]

Walmart and (corporate-owned) McDonald's are hiring nationally at $10/hour and you think a college graduate turning down a $12/hour job is "entitlement?" Seriously? I'm a public accountant and several times a week I field calls from clients desperately seeking bookkeepers. Problem is, they're spoiled by the Great Recession -- they want people with four-year degrees and aren't willing to pay more than $10-$14/hour, often without benefits. When I tell them the job market's the best it's been in nearly two decades, bookkeepers are in hot demand and the going rate is $16-$18/hour WITH benefits, I hear the same 'kids these days ... they're so entitled ... back in 1971 I was earning..." The problem isn't that it's 2016 -- the problem is that if you take the compensation package from 1971 and adjust it for inflation -- it's far more than the going rate ($16-$18/hr + beenies) is today.

If you graduated with good grades, I don't see anything wrong with seeking a competitive salary. It's the people who were "C" students who need to realize they'll have to accept whatever job's offered to them.

And I think you're exaggerating a bit... I've interviewed hundreds of candidates -- all with higher GPAs -- and I've only had a few complain about an offer in the $50K range (typical starting pay for a CPA firm). All of the ones who complained graduated with high GPAs from top schools and reality is, they'll get an offer in the 70K range. Which is why we no longer bring them in for interviews . Also... a $25K job that turns into a $75K one in a year? Really?

Are you in FL? I need to get my CPA...

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

Supply and demand is such a simple concept, but one that so few seem to understand and/or accept.

If Disney were to significantly raise wages, the demand for jobs would be even higher than it is now. Then the complaint would be that it is too difficult to get a job with Disney.

Workers decide what wages are worth their time. When they decide that Disney hourly wages are not worth their time, they will stop applying and Disney will have to raise wages.

Having worked in large variety of jobs that paid from minimum wage up to six figures, I have found that hourly wages/salaries tend to be commiserate with required skills, required education, work environment, required sacrifices, and stress levels. My lowest paying job was the most fun and the least stressful. My highest paying job was the most stressful and required the most sacrifices.

I had a law professor once who told us that the reason lawyers get paid a lot of money is because no one would do the job if they did not get paid lots of money. I found that to be quite true. I think people who have never held a high-wage job do not understand the sacrifices those who hold them make.

When we make our decisions starting in high school about what to study, how much to study, and how much we are willing to sacrifice, we generally know the wages/salary of the career path we choose. We are free to choose a career path with a low salary or a high one. Realistic expectations are key.

 

[Madteaparty001]

This is the problem that we have with our young working population and they are making it worse on themselves. I interview entitled young graduates all the time. They are passing up jobs because they feel that because they have a degree they should immediately make more. A degree doesn't give one an immediate pass to a pay raise. These people need to take these jobs to get their for in the door and develop working skills, not just book skills. I started out at the bottom with my degree and worked my way up. The majority of the time when our organization selects a hire, we don't pick them because the type of degree they have, we pick them because they have a (any) degree. Having the degree shows a long term commitment.

Yesterday I hired a downsized, fifty-eight year old man who had worked twenty-two years at a large organization. I verified his prior salary with the old employer. He made $110,000 a year. He accepted the job from me at $16.16 an hour with no benefits and no time off permitted until January. The person who I turned down? A twenty-two year old recent graduate who said she was insulted and would not work for less than $32 an hour and had to have thanksgiving and Christmas weeks off. Her entitlement is definitely the man's gain. Neither new the based on the performance over the first thirty days we would be offering a promotion. He was smart to get his foot in the door. He will likely continue to get promoted over the next year putting him closer to the salary he left. So the recent collect graduate turned down a job that would have turned into a $75,000 job within a year. Just because she was insulted to be offered $12. She did me a favor.

The 58 year old probably didn't just spend 50k+ on a degree (which by the way is probably about $600 a month in payments), and if you didn't explain the inevitable promotion to the graduate, how would they know?

 

[circus4u]

This is the problem that we have with our young working population and they are making it worse on themselves. I interview entitled young graduates all the time. They are passing up jobs because they feel that because they have a degree they should immediately make more. A degree doesn't give one an immediate pass to a pay raise. These people need to take these jobs to get their for in the door and develop working skills, not just book skills. I started out at the bottom with my degree and worked my way up. The majority of the time when our organization selects a hire, we don't pick them because the type of degree they have, we pick them because they have a (any) degree. Having the degree shows a long term commitment.

Yesterday I hired a downsized, fifty-eight year old man who had worked twenty-two years at a large organization. I verified his prior salary with the old employer. He made $110,000 a year. He accepted the job from me at $16.16 an hour with no benefits and no time off permitted until January. The person who I turned down? A twenty-two year old recent graduate who said she was insulted and would not work for less than $32 an hour and had to have thanksgiving and Christmas weeks off. Her entitlement is definitely the man's gain. Neither new the based on the performance over the first thirty days we would be offering a promotion. He was smart to get his foot in the door. He will likely continue to get promoted over the next year putting him closer to the salary he left. So the recent collect graduate turned down a job that would have turned into a $75,000 job within a year. Just because she was insulted to be offered $12. She did me a favor.

I can personally vouch for this. Age 39, I was separated from the military with 18 1/2 years for medical reasons. No disability, just a small separation amount. I was desperate for a job with four young kids. I took the first job that came along, a temporary GS-5 position with the government, working in the mail room. Fortunately, I had just completed my degree before separating and being a veteran, I was hired. Neither the job or the agency was one I planned to stay in for long, only a way to put food on the table for the kids. Sixteen years later, same agency, I was able to retire as a GS-14 at age 55. A job is what you make of it and how willing you are to take advantage of the opportunities available.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

Supply and demand is such a simple concept, but one that so few seem to understand and/or accept.

If Disney were to significantly raise wages, the demand for jobs would be even higher than it is now. Then the complaint would be that it is too difficult to get a job with Disney.

Workers decide what wages are worth their time. When they decide that Disney hourly wages are not worth their time, they will stop applying and Disney will have to raise wages.

Having worked in large variety of jobs that paid from minimum wage up to six figures, I have found that hourly wages/salaries tend to be commiserate with required skills, required education, work environment, required sacrifices, and stress levels. My lowest paying job was the most fun and the least stressful. My highest paying job was the most stressful and required the most sacrifices.

I had a law professor once who told us that the reason lawyers get paid a lot of money is because no one would do the job if they did not get paid lots of money. I found that to be quite true. I think people who have never held a high-wage job do not understand the sacrifices those who hold them make.

When we make our decisions starting in high school about what to study, how much to study, and how much we are willing to sacrifice, we generally know the wages/salary of the career path we choose. We are free to choose a career path with a low salary or a high one. Realistic expectations are key.

Exactly.

I was recently talking about my husband, who had been working every day of the week, without a break, for over a month. And no, he doesn't get overtime.

I had a few people inform me that they would never do that.

Well, that is the sacrifice that he has to make to do his job. It was something we were aware of from the beginning. And no, someone from the street couldn't just step in and do what he does.

 

[kamik86]

I'm not like this. I would gladly take $15 an hour if I didn't have massive student loan payments sucking me dry. I work 6 days a week right now plus I run a side business just so I can EAT, man. I'm not 'entitled'. The rich kids I went to school with might be like this, though.

I'm curious what is your field and have you done any co-ops or interships?

My company pays our co-ops around $20 an hour (at least for the systems engineering ones, I don't know what the others make).

The only job at my company that I wonder if they pay badly are the admins that do the office supply ordering and manage all the travel details for engineers that go on travel. We have had a rotating door of them for the last year (not my department so I'm not able to see what they earn)

 

[Alice Royal]

I'm curious what is your field and have you done any co-ops or interships?

My company pays our co-ops around $20 an hour (at least for the systems engineering ones, I don't know what the others make).

The only job at my company that I wonder if they pay badly are the admins that do the office supply ordering and manage all the travel details for engineers that go on travel. We have had a rotating door of them for the last year (not my department so I'm not able to see what they earn)

Business. I'm an accounting clerk, for which starting pay is about $10-13/hour. I make $15. I work for the company I did my internship with. Sadly, I also made the mistake of taking out $70,000 in loans for a business degree from a liberal arts college.

 

[kamik86]

Business. I'm an accounting clerk, for which starting pay is about $10-13/hour. I make $15. I work for the company I did my internship with. Sadly, I also made the mistake of taking out $70,000 in loans for a business degree from a liberal arts college.

Ah is that one of the fields where you start really low and go up from there? Some tech jobs are like that but generally in the more cutting edge fields, where just the tech you get to play with is enough of a perk to have some of the new hires take those jobs so they are more likely to go that way. I work in government systems engineering which is much more stable but less glamorous. The government at least the departments my company works with do NOT work on cutting edge tech. Actually they don't tend to trust it and we have to convince them to let us use things most companies did years ago (Example: virutalized servers)

 

[ParkHoppers]

People complain about CM's all,the time but I blame Disney for not offering a living wage to it's CM's. Beleive it or not working at Disney was a pretty good job in the distant past. You get what you pay for and Disney don't wanna pay.

 

[circus4u]

People complain about CM's all,the time but I blame Disney for not offering a living wage to it's CM's. Beleive it or not working at Disney was a pretty good job in the distant past. You get what you pay for and Disney don't wanna pay.

I have never had a problem with a CM; they have been just as courteous and kind on my most recent trip as they were on Day 1 when the parks opened.

 

[ParkHoppers]

I have never had a problem with a CM; they have been just as courteous and kind on my most recent trip as they were on Day 1 when the parks opened.

I have never had a problem with a CM either but if you think the CM's in the early years of the park were yelling at people I think your a bit off base with this. Service across the board has gone down in quality in this country for lower paying jobs and Disney is no different. I am nice to the CM's so it is hard for them to get mad at me but even when some people get pushy with them in the early years they kept their cool. Not so much these days.

 

[whiporee]

People complain about CM's all,the time but I blame Disney for not offering a living wage to it's CM's. Beleive it or not working at Disney was a pretty good job in the distant past. You get what you pay for and Disney don't wanna pay.

Do you ever gets bids for work you want done? If you do, do you go with the highest or the lowest? Have you ever negotiated on a house or a car?

Do you routinely tip your severs in excess of 30 percent to make up for their low wages? How about your pizza delivery guy?

Do you ever buy things on sale, or do you pay full price for every single thing you buy because that was the price they decided it was worth, and you wanted to make sure they got all the money they needed for it?

We all negotiate everything, and we all only pay for what we think things are worth to us. Disney pays CM what they think the job is worth. There is no indentured servitude that requires the CMs to take the gig; there are no requirements that they stay once they've taken it.

Disney pays higher than minimum wage for what, by all definitions, are minimum wage jobs. I fail to see why so many seem to have problems with that.

 

[momtotaryn]

Thank you for the info! I only read through the first couple of posts, but I will go back and read the rest, when I have more time.

My younger DD had expressed an interest in working for Disney, after we had two recent trips (TDL in March and WDW earlier this month). Of course, I didn't try to show too much disappointment, because all these years, she's been wanting to be an Oncologist, showing much determination and drive, after her friend (and a few others we know) had been diagnosed with cancer. I don't know exactly what my DD wants to do at Disney, and it may just be that she's still under that Disney Magic phase. However, I do have some concerns, since she will be starting her Junior year of high school in August, and she's mentioned this several times already. I know that she is young and may still change her mind about her career choice many times, before she decides exactly what she'd like to do. And yes, I realize it is her decision what she wants to do in life, but I would want her to be aware of reality and not just be caught up in the pixie dust. I plan to show her the info posted regarding positions and salaries and see what she says.