Do you think working for Disney would kill the magic for you?

[DINKDisneyAddict]

Just wondering...have any of you ever considered working for Disney? If so, what keeps you from doing it? or what would make you take the plunge? Sometimes I am so stressed out at work when I get back from vacation, I think, "I would rather be sweeping trash in Magic Kingdom than doing this."

Now I know the pay rate isn't exactly the same, but has anyone else ever had those feelings? If you worked there, do you think you would get the same "Monday Morning Blues" walking into work every day at say, the Magic Kingdom? Do you think the fact that it is *work* would kill the magic for you? or do you think you would love every minute of it?

I would love to hear your opinions, and I would especially love to hear from anyone who has had experience in actually making the move to work for Disney.

 

[deakam]

I think it would depend on the job---I would never want to be a character and I would not want to work in the summer---way to hot---however, I love people and I especially like to sit on a bench and watch the reactions of the kids so....

I think I would like to work for Disney but I would have to be inside and able to interact with the folks---and not when they are *****in. How cool would it be to be the one CM that made the trip super special for someone....A Fairy Godmother in Training perhaps? Or a "Mom " at 50's prime time?

 

[S. C.]

Yes.

 

[JaymeC]

It wouldn't kill it for me. My personality is the type that even a cruddy job I can find the best part of it... and working for Disney well!

The reason we've never taken this route is two-fold. First, I hear the pay isn't all that great and is seasonal. Two, dh really isn't up to leaving in Orlando or Anaheim. Though I may be able to talk him into one of those suburbs not too far from Anaheim And finally, we have two young kids. I'm sure that my schedule would include lots of weekends and evenings... and right now I'd rather spend that time with my kiddos. However, it actually is on my bucket list to do at some point and I'm sure I'll have a blast when/if I get around to it

 

[tomthebarncat]

First and foremost Disney is a business, and to me the parks are just lots of rides. I am going to work for Disney but in professional position, it is not a crappy minimum wage job. I will be working for Disney Publishing Works, in Beijing, China. The benefits are great and I am excited about the career growth and expansion opportunities. I was also headhunted for this job, by a headhunter in London, so it found me!! so this question is a bit of a catch 22!!! because I will not be working in the park in the hot sun

 

[cvjw]

The awful, rude guests in the park would make me not want to work for Disney. Over the years, I have seen people acting so entitled and rotten to CM's, and they aren't really allowed to do anything - they just take it. I don't think I could take it!

 

[nunzia]

I've worked in several vacation type/resort places where people are on vacation and expect it all to be sunshine and magic, and they are out of their element and can act way different then they do at home, but understanding that I could work for Disney with the public and want to make their day. Still, I'd rather be behind the scenes. If there was a way for me to do this, I'd jump at it. I got my bachelors with the purpose of working for Disney but family balked at CA or Florida, so that came to a screeching halt.

 

[TaraPA]

I always joke (ok, well only half joking) that I'd rather be cleaning restrooms in Disney than at my current job...BUT...after taking the KTTK tour, it really oened my eyes to the fact that many CMs are there for the job, not because they live & breathe Disney like many of us do. Once offstage some of the CMs turn off the magic & are their normal sevles - which of course is how it is with anyone who works with the general public - but seeing it in the utilidors & offstage areas made it real. We heard their personal conversations (some inappropriate) and some seemed downright grumpy to be at work - just like the rest of us some days!

 

[MissDaisyofTexas]

I used to work at one of Disney's corporate offices in the LA area. It did not ruin the magic, the benefits were incredible and I visited the parks all the time. I keep telling my DH and we should retire in Orlando so that I can work at WDW!

 

[Kay1]

Yes. I lived in a resort area in the Florida Keys. It seems laid back when you're a tourist on vacation, but it was really a rather hard life. We live in the Tampa Bay area now but have started to take weeklong vacations in the Keys every spring. (You can see it in my sig.)

I love, love, love it, and look forward to it every day, but live there? No. It's being on vacation that makes it so stress-free and magical.

Good luck with your Monday Blues, DinkDisneyAddict.

 

[SnowWtch]

Working at Disney doesn't ruin the magic. If anything it makes it more special. I worked there for a little while while in college and it was fun. I got to listen to the music on Sunset at DHS every day. The hours were long but it was still a blast most of the time. We knew when we were going to be busy b/c of show and parade dumps but when you know it you plan for it and even that isn't so bad. The most difficult wasn't people being rude or complaining, it was people who couldn't speak the language so you had to come up with different ways of getting messages across. Every time I go back there I remember those times and it makes things even better.

 

[eliza61]

Just wondering...have any of you ever considered working for Disney? If so, what keeps you from doing it? or what would make you take the plunge? Sometimes I am so stressed out at work when I get back from vacation, I think, "I would rather be sweeping trash in Magic Kingdom than doing this."

Now I know the pay rate isn't exactly the same, but has anyone else ever had those feelings? If you worked there, do you think you would get the same "Monday Morning Blues" walking into work every day at say, the Magic Kingdom? Do you think the fact that it is *work* would kill the magic for you? or do you think you would love every minute of it?

I would love to hear your opinions, and I would especially love to hear from anyone who has had experience in actually making the move to work for Disney.

I am a customer service worker survivor (and yes, I do equate it to a truamatic experience) and no way, no how could I work at the mouseworld with John q. public.

Working at Walmart, sears and in my family's restaurant has taught me a few things. It takes a special type of person that will deal with the public and still be happy about it.

I have seen some customers from hell at the world yet we still expect the workers to be happy. We excuse customers behaviour with "well the employee choose to work with the public", like that gives the guest carte blanche to treat an employee like dirt.

I've known too many cm's and mousekeepers and I've heard the horror stories and I can say that anyone of them would have been enough for me to choke the life out of a guest.

 

[FINFAN]

hmmmmm, not sure. If the rest of my life was calm and easy...maybe I could work at WDW with a more forgiving nature each day, but I think the CM's there have distinct pressure that the younger kids can handle better than me, lol! I don;t think if I was in a fry kitchen that I would find it very enjoyable to work there, but if I was , say a tram driver in the parking lot, that would be kinda cool. Who am I kidding? It would TOTALLY depend on my costume! lol!

 

[jkc0325]

A job is still a job and it's work and sometimes very hard work. All jobs have their downsides. I work as a Labor and Delivery nurse and if I had a dime for every person who says "you have the best job in the world...it's all fun and snuggling babies!!" I wish that were the job, believe me!

I'm sure it's the same working at Disney. People think "how magical!!" but in reality, these are people, who deal with problems at work just like the rest of us. They work hard for their money and have to juggle their personal life around their schedule, etc, etc, etc. All the things that can make a job not so fun exist at Disney as well. I'm grateful so many of them are so good at their job to make our vacation that much nicer.

 

[tink774]

Not for me! I did the College Program a few months ago and working at Disney didn't "kill" the magic, but it definitely changed my perspective. It's really interesting to look at so many aspects of it in a different way than I did as a tourist. There are difficult parts of it like any other job. At times I just wanted to stop "making magic" and go home (especially when I was positioned outside the exit to a ride no one was riding at 3am because it was about 20-30 degrees!). I got yelled at all the time for doing my job correctly because a guest wasn't getting what they wanted (height restrictions are a big one!). Two things I frequently heard from guests were "You must have the best job!" and "I could never do what you do, it's too much pressure!" Most of the problems you could have at any other job you could have at Disney, too. But my fellow CMs definitely made it a great experience when some of the guests were less than magical. I was lucky enough to work with some wonderful people so that was part of the "magic" for me. And of course for every guest who wanted to be angry, there were a hundred who were happy to be there and smiled back at me! I'm still seasonal and love going back for shifts.

 

[tlbwriter]

A friend of mine did an internship at WDW and loved it. He said the only bad thing was the occasional rude guest - 99% of them were wonderful, but the 1% who were bad were REALLY REALLY bad. But he'd still love the chance to do it again.

 

[DawnM]

Well, my DH worked for Disney for two years. He didn't work in the parks though. He worked in corporate offices (accounting). I can tell you that it didn't kill the magic for me! We had free passes for all of us (Disneyland) each year and got to go to Employee events. Have you ever been on Haunted Mansion when every single person in the room can quote along with the voice? It is a lot of fun.

DH has never been as much of a Disney fan as I have though.

The only Disney job I considered was being a teacher for the studios, but it would have required me to get my Elem. credential (I taught high school) and to leave my job of 15 years where I had seniority. It was also not a tenured job. I decided it wasn't worth leaving my job for it.

Dawn

 

[jessily]

Not for me! I did the College Program a few months ago and working at Disney didn't "kill" the magic, but it definitely changed my perspective. It's really interesting to look at so many aspects of it in a different way than I did as a tourist. There are difficult parts of it like any other job. At times I just wanted to stop "making magic" and go home (especially when I was positioned outside the exit to a ride no one was riding at 3am because it was about 20-30 degrees!). I got yelled at all the time for doing my job correctly because a guest wasn't getting what they wanted (height restrictions are a big one!). Two things I frequently heard from guests were "You must have the best job!" and "I could never do what you do, it's too much pressure!" Most of the problems you could have at any other job you could have at Disney, too. But my fellow CMs definitely made it a great experience when some of the guests were less than magical. I was lucky enough to work with some wonderful people so that was part of the "magic" for me. And of course for every guest who wanted to be angry, there were a hundred who were happy to be there and smiled back at me! I'm still seasonal and love going back for shifts.

I totally agree. I did the college program in '05, and while it definitely didn't ruin the magic for me, it did change my perspective. I worked in merchandise and the hours were long, days off were few and far between, and pay was very low. I would consider going back on a part time basis if I didn't need the money, but as a full time job I think it could be stressful to make a living. I don't regret my time there at all. The magic is still there when I go back for vacation and I have a real appreciation for how hard all the cast members are working.