career opportunities

[korzmom]

okay, I'm not a college student,I'm a mom of a college student..but i have a question. My dd will start her freshman year in aug and is taking the hospitality/tourism major. My question is what kind of job opportunities at disney are there for this type of major and what kind of salary can be expected? she really loves Disney and would like to work there. Shes planning on applying for the disney cp after a few semesters are underway. thanks for any info and help!

 

[Rustyflwr3]

Hello,
I am currently a senior in a tourism management program at my university. My dream is to work for Disney after I graduate. A lot of things fall under hospitality; resort management, culinary, catering, conventions, events, weddings. My personal goal is to work with the conventions department and Disney Event Group. Possibly even the Fairy Tale Weddings. I hope that helps. Disney has tons of opportunities for Hospitality/Tourism majors!

 

[chrisann]

What is the average wage, Disney pays its' resort employees? Do they have benefit coverage?

 

[Rustyflwr3]

For front desk? Im not exactly sure, but the average wage is probably between 6 and 8 dollars. I don't know though, maybe someone else will be able to help you with that.

 

[SoonerKate]

Disney does have benefit coverage for full time employees and limited benefits for part time employees. The medical coverage is pretty good; retirement benefit options are limited to a pension plan unless you're classified as Office/Technical or another salaried position, in which case you can participate in a 401K plan.

Pay rates at WDW are generally below market rates for the Orlando area. Front line roles start at $6.90/hour, but premiums can be paid depending on the specific role. (e.g., Quick Service food and beverage and housekeeping are currently earning premiums from 35 - 50 cents per hour.) Some roles, like lifeguarding (which is divided by shallow and deep water; each has a different pay rate) and front desk/concierge pay a bit more. If a role is particularly in demand (like lifeguards are now), there may be sign-on or seasonal bonuses.

For any sort of professional or management role, Disney does typically pay less than other employers in the area. (Quite a few people on my team are former Disney CMs; we all make at least 1.5 times our former salaries, and some make as much as 3 times over what they were getting beforehand. My former roommate was a manager at a resort hotel, and recently left to go to a large national chain; he's currently making about $4000 more a year than he was at WDW) This may not hold as true in California as it does in Orlando. There are also lots of hourly roles at WDW which are salaried in most other companies, especially mid-level coordinator positions.

If your daughter ever does a management internship, she will be salaried without medical or retirement benefits for the duration of that internship. She will have discounts and park entry privileges, as well as use of the Employee Assistance Program. If at the end of that time she's able to take a management or other position at WDW, her (either 90- or 60-, can't remember) day waiting period for benefits will begin as soon as she's statused as Full Time. If she does a Professional Internship or College Program, she will be hourly with no benefits.

 

[Tink2582]

Disney pays their front office resort employees typically between $7.00-$8.00/hr. There are some sorts of benefits included, though I'm not sure of specifics. (I do know that the benefits are good, but the salary is lower then other places in the Orlando area.) Encourage your daughter to pursue the CP Program, and to apply for the hospitality position. I worked front desk on the program 2 years ago, and learned much more then I ever thought possible. Not only will it give her an insight into how the hospitality industry works w/o being locked into a job, it will give her great training that she can take anywhere in the hospitality industry. I came home and worked for a high class hotel back in Chicago, and having that Disney background is not only impressive to future employers, it gives you a much better edge on people off the street who have no training. (If that makes sense at all.)

 

[Rustyflwr3]

Would you mind me asking what hotel they put you in if you are doing front desk. Do they typically start you off at the All stars? And does it differ depending on the experience you already have?

Thanks!

 

[SyracuseWolvrine]

I had friends on the CP that worked front desk at the values, at the mids, and at the deluxe resorts. Didn't seem to be any noticeable pattern to who got placed where.

 

[OCSurfCity]

Yes, I visited the Casting Center at Disneyland. When I turned in my application, we took a simple test and I was called to meet with a recruiter. She pulled me aside to say I was over qualified (BS and MBA degree).

I asked about Hotel sales/management. The recruiter told me that Disney prefers the applicant have outisde experience and then they will train you the "Disney way".

The basic pay for Disneyland (non-professional) positions was in the $7.35-$8.00 range) no negotiations.

 

[barkley]

Yes, I visited the Casting Center at Disneyland. When I turned in my application, we took a simple test and I was called to meet with a recruiter. She pulled me aside to say I was over qualified (BS and MBA degree).

I asked about Hotel sales/management. The recruiter told me that Disney prefers the applicant have outisde experience and then they will train you the "Disney way".

The basic pay for Disneyland (non-professional) positions was in the $7.35-$8.00 range) no negotiations.

this was also true when i worked in the hospitality industry (not at disney). although we had a nearby college that had a degree program in hotel managment we tended to hire people with previous hotel experience-we found that their expectations about the job were more realistic and they were less likely to get rattled/burnt out by the realities of dealing with the 'guests'.

when i look back on the bulk of the people i interacted with (i was in the sales department and we did all the group bookings, wedding/meeting/event planning/coordination, reservations for area restaurants/activities...so i was working with managers of other resorts/wineries, concierges...) the bulk had worked their way up from entry level positions (front desk, reservations) or had come from other tourism industries (winery tasting room staff, former travel agents, event staff at other venues)-very few had formal education in tourism (but alot were degreed-and alot were former teachers, seemed their ability to multi-task and organize/track multiple people served them well).

i think it's a great idea to work in the industry and try it out-it's realy a different experience than most would imagine. there's no way i could be doing it now having dh and kids-the hours were never regular, there was always some issue that called you in on your day off, and honestly-the pay was not huge as compared to the level of responsibility it demanded (and alot of resorts lump all their wedding planners and the like under 'sales' so they can be exempt from certain employment laws like the 8 hr day/40 hr week overtime rules).