Moving to Florida - Work environment & pay at comparable WDW vs. Universal jobs

[MainStreetFireman]

Great discussions on real estate and communities for possible Florida relocation. Thanks!

However, I have been unsuccessful at finding a thread comparing the two major parks as an employer. If I have missed it and anyone could point me in the right direction, I would be very appreciative of the help. TIA!

 

[sharadoc]

Pete has mentioned the Universal hires full-time whereas Disney depends on part-time and college program more. Sounded to me that Universal would be the preferred choice if someone was looking for a full-time job with benefits. The Disney benefit is the free college though.

It's a good idea, maybe a good one as a topic for each podcast if they wouldn't want to do a comparison. Craig and Ryno can discuss Universal on their show, then the gang can do so on the WDW one?

 

[TonyaG83]

Pete has mentioned the Universal hires full-time whereas Disney depends on part-time and college program more. Sounded to me that Universal would be the preferred choice if someone was looking for a full-time job with benefits. The Disney benefit is the free college

I had a friend who took advantage of the free college before reading the fine print. Your tuition amount counts as taxable income. She’s getting a free education, but losing a lot more of her livable income (and she’s not even doing an expensive program).

 

[OKW Lover]

I had a friend who took advantage of the free college before reading the fine print. Your tuition amount counts as taxable income. She’s getting a free education, but losing a lot more of her livable income (and she’s not even doing an expensive program).

So...her college education costed her only ~25% of what she would have otherwise paid out of her own pocket? Without that program it would have been a lot more of her livable income.

 

[sharadoc]

So...her college education costed her only ~25% of what she would have otherwise paid out of her own pocket? Without that program it would have been a lot more of her livable income.

Although she could have used a loan and deferred that reduction of income. If Disney wages are are low, then it could be difficult to handle it in the immediate timeframe. Especially if not aware until afterward.

 

[maltdizzy]

I had a friend who took advantage of the free college before reading the fine print. Your tuition amount counts as taxable income. She’s getting a free education, but losing a lot more of her livable income (and she’s not even doing an expensive program).

But that's not Disney's choice. Tuition reimbursement has always been taxable as income, regardless of company or program. If my company pays for me to get another degree, or even to get certifications like PMP, they have to report that as income to the IRS. It's the same with discounted childcare and many other employment benefits.

Under the new tax laws, the tuition offsets/discounts granted by univeristies to grad students who TA are now taxable income as well.

 

[GreatLakes]

I wonder how the two compare for professional personnel as opposed to front line cast members. MBAs, CPAs, other back office operational roles in the areas like IT, accounting, finance, strategic planning, etc. Has anyone ever done a comparison on the career jobs as opposed to in-park?