Work for UT Housing

Compensation and Benefits of the Hall Director and Resident Manager Position

Staff members of the University of Tennessee Department of University Housing strongly believe that candidates should be making well-informed choices about which career options they decide to pursue. To this end we strive to provide as much information as possible about the standard of living that someone accepting a position at UT would be able to expect. The information in this section was designed to provide you with answers to some important questions about salary and basic benefits. Hopefully, it will stimulate additional inquiries. We believe that the overall compensation package for our staff positions is extremely competitive, and we encourage you to look closely at what other institutions are offering when weighing your career options.

Money

• Often the only variable concerning compensation packages available for candidates to evaluate is salary. This year the starting salary for Hall Directors is $27,000 and for Resident Managers is $28,500.
• The Department encourages further professional growth and education. One way is participation in conferences. Funds are generally available for each staff member to attend one professional conference each year. Another form of professional development is taking classes at the university. Staff members receive a fee waiver for classes each term.
• Since Tennessee does not have a state income tax, many employees new to the state find their percentage of take home pay to be higher than other places they have worked.
• Staff members earn one sick day and two annual days of leave for each month of employment, so an equivalent of almost five weeks of vacation can be earned each year.

Insurance

• Staff members may choose from three available health insurance plans: an HMO administered by John Deere and two plans (Preferred Provider Organization, PPO, and Point of Service, POS) administered through Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Tennessee.
• The University provides life insurance coverage of approximately $25,000 ($50,000 in the event of accidental death) free of charge.
• A wide range of additional options are available for staff members, including dental care, long term disability, and a flexible benefits plan, which sets aside pre-tax dollars for medical expenses. The cost of these optional benefit plans is generally very reasonable and each should be evaluated as it pertains to your individual needs before an enrollment decision is made. For more information contact http://admin.tennessee.edu/uwa/to/po.

Retirement

• Staff members are given the option of participating in either the Tennessee State Retirement program or one of three Optional Retirement Plans (including TIAA-CREF).
• The ORP plans are more popular for several reasons.
  1. The University contributes 10 percent of the employee’s gross salary covered by Social Security to the plan each month and does not require a contribution from the employee.
  2. Contributions are 100 percent vested in the plan from the date of contribution.
  3. The Optional Retirement Plans also offer portability. Each member has a contract and may continue contributing at other institutions. The flexibility of ORP allows you to transfer from one institution to another without having to transfer retirement plans.
  4. Also, you do not need to work for the University for a specified length of time before you are eligible to receive the money contributed to your retirement account.

Meals

• Hall Directors are provided with a full meal plan as a part of their compensation package. Two plans are available to best meet each staff person’s needs.

Facilities

• Staff members are provided with rent-free, furnished apartments, local phone, and utilities. Most of the Hall Director apartments have been recently renovated, and all are cleaned on a weekly basis by the housekeeping staff.
• Each Hall Director’s apartment is wired for free Internet access.
• Each building has a staff laundry where staff members can do their laundry without charge.
• Although parking on campus is scarce, Hall Directors are provided with assigned parking spaces at a cost of $25.30 each month. Resident Managers are provided with an assigned parking space on site at no charge.
• For $12 per month, staff members may purchase the equivalent of membership in a full-service health club.
• Membership to the University Club, which includes an elegant restaurant and an outdoor pool, is also available to Hall Directors at a nominal charge of $32.00 each month.

Extras

• The lakes and mountains of East Tennessee provide a full spectrum of opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast from hiking and biking, to skiing and picnics along the water. The Smoky Mountains, Dollywood, Gatlinburg, and five lakes are just a short drive from campus.
• A wide range of cultural activities and concerts are available on campus and in the Knoxville area.
• Tennessee is Big Orange Country and one of the most popular extra benefits provided to Hall Directors is the opportunity to purchase season sports tickets. Even if you’re not a big sports fan, you are sure to enjoy the excitement of being among the 100,000 plus fans who turn out to support the Vols for home football games, or take in one of the top-ranked Lady Vols basketball contests.