Cast Member Wages

[yensid67]

I am a former Cast Member, so let me tell you why I took the role with Disney at the age of 33.
I was not a die-hard Disney fan. I just thought it would be a great opportunity to work for Disney! And what a great opportunity that was. After my final bow, I moved back home and looked for a job. I actually had to turn away 8 jobs, that I was not really qualified for. Thanks to Disney, that stigma of customer service still sticks with me today. When employers hear that I worked for Disney, they practically want to hire me, even though I never put in an application.
When I played my role, the pay literally sucked! BUT the benefits were AWESOME! Free park passes for the cast member, family or friends to use, Disney merchandise discounts, restaurant discounts, rental discounts for your apartments, if you had to but anything, there was most likely some type of discount offered because you were a Disney cast member. Most CM's cannot live alone, you will most likely find 3 or more CM's living together. If you are a retired CM with some type of pension, then working for the Mouse is just a hobby!
I will forever be thankful for my employment with Walt Disney World...it was the best time of my life. It was the best job I ever had. And it was the highlight of my life! I will always suggest a Disney vacation to others just for the mere fact that a Disney vacation will have more memories than just going to the beach for a week! Disney truly is a magical place to visit and work!

 

[ford91exploder]

Some CMs take the job because they love Disney. Others, because they need employment, and yet some will take it because they know employers like seeing that name on a resume.

Don't forget the H2B visa's for service workers which allow Disney to pay these workers far less than a regular CM and the workers are stuck with Disney and have to go home after the visa expires.

 

[MereMickey]

I hope I can add some insight to this thread as someone whom is a former WDW CP CM. I worked with the CP summer 2006 - winter 2007. For me, working for Disney was more about the experience, not the money. Not sure what the current min. wage in FL is, but at the time I worked there it was $6.30/PH. I made $6.90/PH because I worked Quick Service Food and Beverage. Why the difference? QSF&B worked the longest hours and usually have to do after hour parties when people buy out the parks. Coming from CT, I was a lifeguard making $10/PH and as a swim instructor almost $13. Mind you I come from CT, so our cost of living and wages is incredibly higher. Darn, I had no clue how great I had it when I was working in my teen and early 20s! Haha! Disney CP asked me to lifeguard and I told them flat out no way. I would only be making $6.30 while working in an environment that is much more active compared to what I lifeguarded. I didn't feel comfortable with that, plus I wanted to do something else besides lifeguard. It was a chance to do a different job for six months and be able to go back home and continue to lifeguard and teach swim lessons at a higher rate. Plus, obviously going from being paid 10 bucks to 6 is not something I was going to do. Let's be real. I actually said to Disney if they could match that amount per hour, I would do it and of course they said no. So, I picked the higher paying job they offered even though it was .30 cents more.

For me, this six month job frame was not going to be a sustainable income and was just something fun to add to my college experience. I knew full well going in that I was not going to be doing QSF&B when I got home. Working at lower wage compared back to home was a temporary thing for me. For others that is not the case, but for me that is why I didn't care about the money so much. It was the experience. I was able to move away from my family at a distance I had never been away from them. It was something I needed to learn to do. I lived in a city where I didn't know a single person. So learning to meet new people and adjust was also why I wanted to experience this job. I also got free admission all the time and that was the greatest perk. Plus, I worked during the Holiday season which means as a CM, you get the most wonderful CM discounts and offers that do not happen anytime else during the year. I was able to put my parents up in the GF for 60% off the market value in a room that looked onto the SSL and Cinderella's Castle during the Holiday season when they came to visit me. Not too shabby.

Also, you have the "snow birds" and retirees from elsewhere in the country. Many older folks work part time (many people do this actually, not just older folks) to get the free passes for their grandchildren. Many people my age and middle age did the same thing to get those free passes for the family and themselves. You work so many hours that requires you to while getting free admission for yourself and than some passes for your family and friends. If you live in FL and have the time to even work part time, that just about covers the annual pass for most folks. So instead of paying for the annual pass, you work, get paid and get free passes.

That's how I see it. Granted I am talking about the CMs that work in the parks and resorts doing the grunt work. I believe managers and park organizers make a good chunk of money.

 

[The Mom]

I'm not sure how the topic went from WHY do people work at WDW if the pay is so bad, to different forms of contraception, but let's get back on topic. I think the OP wanted to know why you would choose WDW, if you had a choice to work elsewhere for higher pay. I understand that some people are born in the Orlando area, and tourism is the biggest game in town, so this isn't a lot of choice unless you move.

I think the OP is more interested in finding out why people would choose to move from other areas to Orlando just to work for a company that is known for low wages.

The post above mine is an example.