How much does Disney pay the CMs?

[Uncleromulus]

Do CM's deserve more money?? Yes. Should they get more money? Yes. But I agree with Bracho. Everyone knows what the salary and benefits are before they take the job. Salary at Disney World is Industry and area driven. So if a career with that particular Company is what you want, then you do your job well and work your way up and around. IF you can get a similar job with higher pay elsewhere, then it's up to you to decide whether or not to stay or go.

 

[EEyorelover22]

As a middle school math teacher with 7 years of teaching experience, I'd LOVE to see $37,000. Hmmm...I wonder if they need any math tutors at WDW. I bet Pinnochio could use a little more schoolin'

Lori P.

I was thinking the same thing.

 

[goofy4tink]

I have to say that at $7 an hour the CMs are making the same as I did last fall when I went back to work in retail. My dd, 28, makes $10 an hour as a preschool teacher. My ds, 32, makes $12 an hr as a 'day porter' (fancy name for a custodian) and another $12 an hr working for the state as an aide for mentally/physically challenged adults. With the exception of ds's pay as a 'day porter' I don't think either of them gets paid enough for what they do.

You have to make a choice when you agree to taking a particular job. Do the CM's make enought money? Probably not, but it surely doesn't come as a surprise to them when they see that paycheck. They agreed to that amount. We always try to tip pretty well when we're in WDW. They, for the most part, deserve the extra.

My dh and I would really love to move down to Florida when he retires. We would both love to work at WDW, part-time. He was ready to move after talking to one of the boat captains during an IllumiNations cruise. This guy couldn't say enough good about working for Disney. He worked part-time, had to hours he wanted. His wife works there to but in an office someplace. Will we be able to afford an extravegant lifestyle? Nope, but that's not the point. We will know, going in, what the pay is going to be.

As far as cost of living, my ds will be moving from Ma to Florida in Sept. He has no job lined up but does have a friend there already. He will live with his friend for a few months, in the Tampa Bay area, get a job, find an apt. He knows what the cost of living is and it is nowhere what it is here. Yes, the pay will be less. But he knows that. With a degree in finance, a degree in English, a background in retail, 'custodial' work and working with the mentally/physically challanged...he figures he should be able to find something to put food on his table. Hey, he's a big boy...maybe he could be King Louie!!! Just part time and have another job someplace else!!!

 

[WDSearcher]

I would love a job at WDW but I'm gonna keep looking until I find one that is salaried and not hourly wage. Hotel desk staff is probably salaried, all management positions are salaried, imagineering, etc is salaried...

Not all hotel desk staff are salaried and not all management positions are salaried. It depends on the level you're at. Also ... imagineering jobs are contract, which means that you're brought on for a specific job (like the re-do of small world) and then when the job is done, you're gone.

Just FYI ...

 

[OLDMOUSE55]

My daughter worke there one semester in the college program and it cost me about as much money as college to house and feed her. I think she made around $6.00 per hour but after expenses she went in the hole!

 

[imatoad]

Thank you WDSearcher, I wasn't going to post again, but you summed it up. No one is entitled unless you are willing to work hard, and work your way up. Put in the time, and show some initiative, and this is not limited to Disney, any company you work for will demand the same.

 

[loriandmatt]

I think the Nurses at least the ones at the First Aid stations are agency so they arent really CM after all.

They are part of the Reedy Creek Improvement District / Reedy Creek Emergency Services.

True of the nurses that come in contact with the guests, but the nurses and Docs that treat CM's are most definately Disney employees. I am good friends with one. she has been working there for at least 15 years. She is a salaried employee, so her pay is slightly (notice i said slightly) better than the hourly employees and her bennies are a bit better. Salaried CM's also get a different set of bennies as far as park/resort options and discounts.

Her husband was a construction manager for Disney for years. He was compensated quite well. Was very instumental in the building of AK. At WDW's low point a few years back (after 9/11) his (and many others) positions were eliminated. Thank God for his talents and a construction boom in Fort Lauderdale or the two of them would not have been able to afford their home. the commute kills him, but ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

- lori

 

[WDSearcher]

Something like 80% of managers started off in the coal mines so to speak. It's not as simple as "I have experience, hire me for a good job".

Never said it was. Disney promotes from within most of the time. As I said, I walked in with a Masters in my field, and I worked entry level for a couple of years. You have to be willing to do that. If you're not, then Disney might not be a good choice.

And I think the commute from Kissimmee to Minnesota would be a little far for me to go work at McDonald's again.

I understand that McDonald's also has locations in Florida.

 

[TSR6]

I understand that McDonald's also has locations in Florida.

On Disney Property to boot!

 

[deltachi8]

I was a salaried CM so perhaps I have no room to talk. However, $37,000 a year isn't a good salary

It all depends on your point of view. I would love to make that kind of dough.

Supply and demand, it all goes back to the basics. Disney pays what the market allows them to.

 

[stauncie]

My Momma retired and moved from Illinois to Florida to work for Disney. She had 30+ years of merchandising experience. When I asked about her pay, her response was, "What I don't get in $$$, I make up for in sunshine!"

 

[goofy4tink]

My Momma retired and moved from Illinois to Florida to work for Disney. She had 30+ years of merchandising experience. When I asked about her pay, her response was, "What I don't get in $$$, I make up for in sunshine!"

Now, that's the spirit!!! It's people like that that make our trips so wonderful! Thank her for us!!

 

[PneumaticTransit]

Never said it was. Disney promotes from within most of the time. As I said, I walked in with a Masters in my field, and I worked entry level for a couple of years. You have to be willing to do that. If you're not, then Disney might not be a good choice.

I understand that McDonald's also has locations in Florida.

I guess I don't understand why I am the one getting flamed here. There are plenty of poster that state CMs don't get paid enough for what they do, and then I, a CM, come in and say "Yes, I agree, CMs don't get paid enough." And the comments I get are basically along the lines of how naive I am and I should quit if it's soooooo unbearable.

I think Disney is great, and that's why I work here. Period. I meet people all the time who assume I have great paying job. I make enough, but I had to work a few years to advance. I meet tons of people who say tell me they've worked in X field for X years, and want to get into Disney as a manager in that field. Well, it's possible - BUT more than likely you will have to start off selling hamburgers or sweeping streets for a few years before you will be considered. In my experience, Disney values Disney experience more than a college degree or previous non-Disney experience. The knowledge and guest services skills you are expected to have working in the entry level jobs does not match the pay scale IMHO. Is this made clear when you are hired? Yes. Does that mean it's enough money? No. Can you decline the job? Of course, but you need money and desperate times call for desperate measures - including taking a job that doesn't pay much. I really doubt I am the only person who has gotten a pay check and thought "Uh, Is that it?"

People assume that front desk clerks are salaried, or make much more money than the custodian which simply isn't true. Are people at the Front Desk responsible for more? Yes. IMHO they should get paid more. Guest Relations IMO is one of the hardest jobs, but I would never do that for what they get paid. Yes, they see it differently and are willing to do it for that pay - but I think they are saints and deserve more. I have worked in a position that was "reorganized" (meaning they renamed the job title and lowered the pay scale) so I was working along side the people in the "old" position that were making $6 more/hour than what my top out pay would have been for doing the same job. Is that fair? No. And I didn't stay there. Disney, like any other business, pays what people will accept - and I didn't accept that so I left. And NO, they failed to mention this to me before I accepted the job. Does that mean I am not entitled to think whoever filled that position isn't getting paid enough?

I have never moped around or said "I'm not doing that, I don't get paid enough to do that". I am hard working and have served Guests and CMs for several years. But it seems it's okay for a regular Joe to say "Disney Cast Members are amazing, the don't get paid nearly enough" but not okay for Disney Cast Members to think the same. And no, I am not thinking ME ME ME. I am thinking about front line Cast Members who so graciously serve you popcorn or make sure your child is safely seated before starting the ride. The people who make your favorite vacation destination the best place in the world to bring your family.

Flame away.

And I would just like to add that my point was the McDonald's in Minnesota pays more than the McDonald's in Florida aka jobs in the North tend to pay more then jobs in the South.

 

[GalDisney]

This is the USA..2005.The richest country in the world..employers should pay their employees a living wage.. with health insurance..regardless of what the job it. Paying 6.00 an hr for a job is ridiculous! people work because they need money to live on..cant do it on 6.00 an hr. And I know.. I was earning 40,000 $ a yr until I lost that job and now i am in the 7.00 per hour rut. It hurts! These companies can afford to pay more..they just wont becasue they dont want too!

 

[WDSearcher]

I guess I don't understand why I am the one getting flamed here. There are plenty of poster that state CMs don't get paid enough for what they do, and then I, a CM, come in and say "Yes, I agree, CMs don't get paid enough."

To be fair, you didn't say "Yes, I agree, CMs don't get paid enough." You said, "Sorry, I'm not here to get into the parks for free or get a discount on merchandise. These really do nothing to help my family or bills. I would MUCH rather get paid more than get a few bucks off a Mickey doll. Many CM moved from up north (like me) where the sames jobs would pay at least $5 more an hour. Things are not cheaper in the south except for homes, but many CM can't afford them either. Why is it so difficult to understand that a grown adult would want to be paid more than $7/hour? It took me 2 years at Disney to make more money than I did working at McDonald's when I was 16."

That's a little different. When you complain like that -- and yes, I did read it as you complaining -- then you're going to get responses like, "Well ... don't work there then." Especially from other CMs, like me, who have put in the time and energy and patience to learn the company and work their way up.

And I would just like to add that my point was the McDonald's in Minnesota pays more than the McDonald's in Florida aka jobs in the North tend to pay more then jobs in the South.

Just out of curiousity, did you check at the local McDonald's to be sure of that, or are you just assuming that it's less because jobs in the North "tend" to pay more than jobs in the South? I only ask because Disney regularly has people from Food & Beverage leave to work at local restaurant chains -- Outback, McD's, Boston Market, etc -- because it pays more, and I can't believe there would be that much turnover if the pay truly wasn't better. I mean, if you did your research when you came down here and know that you'd be making less in Florida in the exact same job than you would have up north, that's one thing. If you're just assuming, or basing it on what someone else told you, then you should check. You might be surprised.

(By the way, I grew up in LaCrosse, and worked in both Wisconsin and Minnesota. I never encountered a fast food job up north that paid $5 more than even an entry-level Disney job. I obviously was not working in the right places! )

 

[ReninDetroit]

Not all hotel desk staff are salaried and not all management positions are salaried. It depends on the level you're at. Also ... imagineering jobs are contract, which means that you're brought on for a specific job (like the re-do of small world) and then when the job is done, you're gone.

Just FYI ...

I don't think all of the imagineering is contract. The manual labor is, but there is a "department". I work in technical theatre and I've been trying to get a salaried job in imagineering for as long as I can remember.

For example, when you drive through the costume and set shops in the Backlot tour, the people doing the actual sewing and hammering, etc. are paid hourly. But there is a salaried design staff that "oversees" any contract work. (And probably does some of the actual design too.)

Many of the creative positions are contract but they do have a few full time jobs. I want one so bad!

 

[PneumaticTransit]

To be fair, you didn't say "Yes, I agree, CMs don't get paid enough." You said, "Sorry, I'm not here to get into the parks for free or get a discount on merchandise. These really do nothing to help my family or bills. I would MUCH rather get paid more than get a few bucks off a Mickey doll. Many CM moved from up north (like me) where the sames jobs would pay at least $5 more an hour. Things are not cheaper in the south except for homes, but many CM can't afford them either. Why is it so difficult to understand that a grown adult would want to be paid more than $7/hour? It took me 2 years at Disney to make more money than I did working at McDonald's when I was 16."

I was responding to a post that claimed Disney CMs shouldn't complain about their wages because they get into the parks for free and get a discount on merchandise. I thought that was absurd. I don't work for free passes, this is my full time job and I do it for bills. CM merchandise discount doesn't work on utility bills. It's a nice perk, but not a reason to think people shouldn't get paid more. I work with many people who haven't bought anything from Disney or gone to the parks in years.

 

[jarestel]

I don't claim to be a business guru or anything remotely like that, and I certainly don't want to put myself in the position of determining what others should be paid. But it seems to me that if a company experiences a certain level of success and enrichment, I don't see why they should be reluctant to share the wealth with all of their employees, not just the upper level ones. Probably a radical idea in today's business climate, but I toss it out anyway.

 

[WDSearcher]

I don't think all of the imagineering is contract. The manual labor is, but there is a "department". I work in technical theatre and I've been trying to get a salaried job in imagineering for as long as I can remember. For example, when you drive through the costume and set shops in the Backlot tour, the people doing the actual sewing and hammering, etc. are paid hourly. But there is a salaried design staff that "oversees" any contract work. (And probably does some of the actual design too.)

AH ... you're using "Imagineers" as a generic term for any creative position. Most of the salaried design staff are not Imagineers. They're designers. (I only know this because a whole bunch of them work right down the hall! ) The Imagineers who ARE salaried are few and far between and are mostly people who have been working here for many years or have a very specific and highly sought-after specialty. It sounds like what you want is a TD or design position in Entertainment or Attractions. That's a whole different thing. Those areas utilize both salaried and contract people, as well as interns and part-time folks.

 

[FutureAshleyDukes]

I would just say that I would LOVE to work for Disney. I love my current job a ton (I work at Starbucks), and I love getting to interact with others, listening to music, and I only make $6.45 an hour. Oh and my location doesn't accept tips since we are inside a store that will not allow us to. Anyhow, I have recieved job opportunities from quite a few of my regular customers who would love to have me around, someone even offered me a job at a call center where my starting pay would be $9.00 an hour. I didn't even think about it, sure my paychecks aren't the best but I have fun where I work. I love being able to do nice things for other people, and you just don't get that kind of opportunity flipping burgers or sitting at the phone handling complaints. Right now being a college student, I can afford to do this. If I had kids to support than I would have to settle for a job that pays more.

Basically what I'm trying to say is you take a job making that kind of money for the experience it has to offer. If you need a job to help support your spouse and kids then you do need to be working somewhere else.

Do I think I should be making more money, well yeah, but everybody thinks that. Disney probably provides great benefits for someone making that much money, and hey I can't even afford to buy a season pass and you get free tickets. Sounds like a deal to me.