WDW Job Help!!!

[epcotlover13]

Good Morning everyone!

I want to start out by saying that I am BRAND spankin' new to this website and would appreciate any help I can get on this topic. I am currently living in Connecticut and has been my life long dream (of about 26 years now) to move to Florida and be able to live a magical lifestyle with myself and my Disney loving children. With that being said.....I have FINALLY started applying for jobs on Monday in Disney. I have read several different websites that say it's close to impossible to land even a part time job if you live out of state and I was hoping to come here and get some real advice on how to get my foot in the door. It's been my one and only dream and my passion to be there....I desperately want this and hope you all can help.

Have a magical day!
Jen

 

[wilkeliza]

It is not impossible to get a job when living out of state but just know Disney does not pay moving fees (especially if you are just working in the parks) and you may have to travel to casting before you even have an offer to discuss open positions and such. If you have never worked for Disney there isn't much you can do to better your chances. I'm not sure if they still do it but you use to be able to try and get a meeting with casting at the building across from Disney Springs to help with the hiring process but I've only recently heard of people coming back to the company doing that.

Just a fair warning you aren't going to get sunshine and pixie dust on this thread. Many people are going to bring up things to consider before making this large jump. Yes working for Disney is a dream for a lot of us here but those who have done it can attest to how trying it can be, how little the pay is, and how long the hours are.

 

[epcotlover13]

It is not impossible to get a job when living out of state but just know Disney does not pay moving fees (especially if you are just working in the parks) and you may have to travel to casting before you even have an offer to discuss open positions and such. If you have never worked for Disney there isn't much you can do to better your chances. I'm not sure if they still do it but you use to be able to try and get a meeting with casting at the building across from Disney Springs to help with the hiring process but I've only recently heard of people coming back to the company doing that.

Just a fair warning you aren't going to get sunshine and pixie dust on this thread. Many people are going to bring up things to consider before making this large jump. Yes working for Disney is a dream for a lot of us here but those who have done it can attest to how trying it can be, how little the pay is, and how long the hours are.

I definitely appreciate any and all help this board is going to give me! I really expect honest and know that it isn't going to be all positive feedback. I've been considering this move for quite some time. I know Disney doesn't pay well, I know the hours for first starting aren't the ideal 9-5 hours but, in my situation, I feel like if I never give working for Disney a try, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. I really really thank everyone for any advice...and please....be as brutal as possible! I need to know everything there is to know before I pack up and just go.

 

[wilkeliza]

The first two big questions you'll have to answer to help is do you have a partner coming with you who has a stable job and are your kids still in school.

There is really no ideal 9-5 schedule at Disney unless you are in a very specific skill or stay there long enough to get seniority at your location. Heck even managers don't really have 9-5 because if the parks are open a management team has to be there.

Do you already have things like a car, insurance, etc? If you do not own a car then things will be harder. The public transportation in Orlando sucks. You'd have to plan at minimum an hour or two each way most days to us the bus system to get to and from work. If you are on your own your biggest issue will be paying for rent in a good neighborhood. Most people starting at Disney share housing to cut costs and live some where safer. If you are on your own with kids that will be much harder to do. You might have luck with a rental portion of a condo/home but those still can be very expensive.

Also since you posted this in Resorts it may not get much traffic. I believe these usually get traffic in the community section.

Now getting a job at Disney it really depends on what you are applying for. Do you have any skills in hotel management or years working in the service industry? Do you have a college degree or not? Those will all be things that as a non-local will make or break you chances.

 

[lynxstch]

The first two big questions you'll have to answer to help is do you have a partner coming with you who has a stable job and are your kids still in school.

There is really no ideal 9-5 schedule at Disney unless you are in a very specific skill or stay there long enough to get seniority at your location. Heck even managers don't really have 9-5 because if the parks are open a management team has to be there.

Do you already have things like a car, insurance, etc? If you do not own a car then things will be harder. The public transportation in Orlando sucks. You'd have to plan at minimum an hour or two each way most days to us the bus system to get to and from work. If you are on your own your biggest issue will be paying for rent in a good neighborhood. Most people starting at Disney share housing to cut costs and live some where safer. If you are on your own with kids that will be much harder to do. You might have luck with a rental portion of a condo/home but those still can be very expensive.

Also since you posted this in Resorts it may not get much traffic. I believe these usually get traffic in the community section.

Now getting a job at Disney it really depends on what you are applying for. Do you have any skills in hotel management or years working in the service industry? Do you have a college degree or not? Those will all be things that as a non-local will make or break you chances.

This IS the Community Forum, not the Resorts forum!

 

[wilkeliza]

This IS the Community Forum, not the Resorts forum!

Odd it was showing in the resort form when I saw this originally. I may be just not paying close attention as well.

 

[Hopefully]

Odd it was showing in the resort form when I saw this originally. I may be just not paying close attention as well.

I'm seeing it in the Resorts Forum as well

 

[wilkeliza]

I'm seeing it in the Resorts Forum as well

It is showing as community now so perhaps it is a glitch. Very odd though.

 

[Micca]

I've never been a CM, but I've had one in the family (DD) and I've been around CMs quite a bit. I can't fault anyone for wanting to work for the Mouse, but it seems to me that for someone raising a family it would best be a job for a supplemental income to a spouse/partner that has a really good job somewhere else in the area.
Maybe a CM could chime-in here, but aren't most of the folks working in areas of the park that a guest encounters making within $2-$3 of min. wage?

@wilkeliza makes a good point about a background with a specific skill set for which there is a need at WDW. OTOH, if you do have that background, chances are you could apply those skills outside of WDW, make more money, and probably find a more stable schedule. IMO that's the better sitch because you could continue to enjoy the parks as a guest.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

OP, what roles are you applying to? There is a huge difference in QOL between someone making a salary in a professional role and the hourly front of house employee. I think the base pay for all hourly workers is $10 or $10.50. Keep in mind that Orlando's rent price increase was just deemed the 2nd highest in the country. I'm not one to discourage dreams, but it's something that needs to be really researched. Maybe find something in your field in Orlando and then get over to Disney when you have a feel for the area?

 

[wilkeliza]

I've never been a CM, but I've had one in the family (DD) and I've been around CMs quite a bit. I can't fault anyone for wanting to work for the Mouse, but it seems to me that for someone raising a family it would best be a job for a supplemental income to a spouse/partner that has a really good job somewhere else in the area.
Maybe a CM could chime-in here, but aren't most of the folks working in areas of the park that a guest encounters making within $2-$3 of min. wage?

@wilkeliza makes a good point about a background with a specific skill set for which there is a need at WDW. OTOH, if you do have that background, chances are you could apply those skills outside of WDW, make more money, and probably find a more stable schedule. IMO that's the better sitch because you could continue to enjoy the parks as a guest.

I will admit I haven't kept up 100% because I don't discuss salary with my friends but when I was a CP 4 years ago we made minimum wage. Non-CPs I think are making a little over 9 an hour now. So not really much above minimum wage. Also PT does not qualify for benefits like health or retirement and their ability to pick up additional shift gets turned off if they start to average into full time.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

It is showing as community now so perhaps it is a glitch. Very odd though.

It appears that it was originally posted on the Resorts board. And was moved here. See the little blue arrow at the end of the title? That means it was moved.


You can still click on it there, and it brings you here.

 

[wilkeliza]

It appears that it was originally posted on the Resorts board. And was moved here. See the little blue arrow at the end of the title? That means it was moved.
View attachment 214509

You can still click on it there, and it brings you here.

Thanks Shmoo!

 

[bumbershoot]

It appears that it was originally posted on the Resorts board. And was moved here. See the little blue arrow at the end of the title? That means it was moved.

Yeppers.

 

[diznygirl]

Don't do it.

Get a job at the local Walmart. Same dif. Lousy pay, lousy hours, no benefits, demanding customers.

Not only do you not start out 9-5, after ten years you still don't get that.

Please don't. It's not whatever you think it is.

 

[Lynne M]

Sorry, when I moved the thread from Resorts, I left a message for the OP, but forgot to post on the thread itself.

 

[SC Minnie]

DD is a CM, it's not all sunshine and unicorns, it's work. You're dealing with demanding guests that expect every aspect of their vacation to be filled with pixie dust because they've read it on boards like this. That being said, DD is a full time management intern and the pay for that role isn't too bad, but she cannot live without a roommate. Full time jobs are hard to come by unless you have experience in a certain area. As mentioned in by a PP, if you are the only income you won't be able to survive, if your job would be extra money you would be OK.

 

[PopCenturyPrincess]

As others have said the money isn't great. I tell the college kids who want to work full time the truth that they can't live alone on what we make. Right now it's hard to even get hours if your part time. Even the full timers are not getting 40 hours in my area. It takes years to get the hours you want and the days off you would like. I still don't have days I want with 10+ years. However, we do get decent health benefits if you're full time which again is hard to come by now. And yes you really do have to smile ALL THE TIME because everyone notices. I'm lucky where I am because they do care about us and if you are not feeling well or having personal issues most of our leaders try to send you home or try to help if they can. But not all the cast members are lucky like that. I'm still happy to work for the mouse though most days even though my bank account is sad!!! Good luck!!!Have a Groovy Day!!!

 

[Sweetpancake]

I worked in Walt Disney World about 10 years ago. Like others say, it's kind of like any other job. Not that it can't be fun, some days were really fun because of the people I worked with and some of the kind guests I encountered. But I remember many gruelling days in the Florida sun. This was MY experience, so I can't speak for others but I felt being in the park so frequently kind of took away some of the magic for me (at least temporarily). It really made me realize that work is work and that I don't really like to mix work with places I love to visit and enjoy. And yes, as the poster above me mentioned, the pay was peanuts. There's no way on earth I would have been able to support myself on that pay. If pay isn't an issue and this is your life long dream, then I say go for it.

 

[Nayan]

Don't. Don't count on getting a job at Disney, you're chances are next to nil. There are so many people that apply every day that Disney can be choosy when it comes to hiring. There are so many people that have moved here with hopes and dreams like you, only to have them shattered and they end up miserable and broke. Stay where you are, visit when you can.