Employment?

[MIannie]

Here is a question that I have never seen discussed. Are the cast members at Ft. Wilderness WDW employees, or are they contract employees? I ask because my husband and I are now retired, and have always dreamed of working at WDW. I would love to clean campsites at Ft. Wilderness, or something else there. There is no mention of any campground work on the WDW jobsite, so I wondered if the employees worked for a contractor. When we stayed at FW last winter we noticed that the cast members were not a friendly as the cast members at the resorts. Those cheery "Good Mornings" were missing. Anybody know how to get a foot in the door?

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Almost all The Fort employees are WDW CM's.
. . . food & beverage cooks, servers, cleanup
. . . livestock handlers
. . . performers for HDDR, BBQ, Campfire
. . . front desk & concierge
. . . maintenance & campsite cleanup
. . . maids
. . . guards
. . . marina workers
. . . etc
2) Exceptions are contractors like
. . . face-painters
. . . artists
3) If you apply for a job, you can request areas.
. . . however, The Fort is a prime resort
. . . getting a slot would be by seniority
. . . job openings are not that common
. . . too many of us LOVE The Fort

 

[serenitygr]

I LOVE this thread! Perfect question, because I've thought of it myself many times. Right now I live in northern MN, and we have a horse training/boarding facility- I've done this for over 20 years now. When my kids are older, there is NOTHING I would love to do more than work in the barns at Disney. I would be perfectly happy simply cleaning out stalls all day long! LOL Instead of taking care of my own horses, I'd be taking care of Disneys! But I've always wondered how you go about applying for something like this- do you need to go to the college I always see mentioned on the boards? Or is that for other Disney jobs? Does past experience in life help in a case like this?

 

[Ds4angels]

One of the photographers we met when we were getting our picture taken in MK was a camper (he actually camps at the same campground in PA that we do at the same time) I *think* he stayed at the Fort while he was working for Disney (now that would be awesome!! )

 

[Born 2 Fish]

I wanna be a fish'n guide on Bay Lake,

 

[TheRustyScupper]

But I've always wondered how you go about applying for something like this- do you need to go to the college I always see mentioned on the boards?
. . . absolutely not
. . . stable CM's (RANCH HAND HELPER, RANCH HAND, RANCH HAND SR) are union bid jobs
. . . tending horses/animals at The Fort, little or no experience is necessary
. . . of course, animal work at AK is more highly specialized and education matters
. . . however, when two totally equal candidates apply experience might help
. . . but, again, jobs at The Fort are highly prized
. . . so, there is a lot of competition for any opening

Or is that for other Disney jobs?
. . . college only needed for certain jobs
. . . this pertains to both hourly and salaried

Does past experience in life help in a case like this?
. . . not usually
. . . again, most hourly jobs at WDW are by seniority
. . . for non-union jobs, it is usually the interview and experience that counts

 

[tiggerdad]

But I've always wondered how you go about applying for something like this- do you need to go to the college I always see mentioned on the boards?
. . . absolutely not
. . . stable CM's (RANCH HAND HELPER, RANCH HAND, RANCH HAND SR) are union bid jobs
. . . tending horses/animals at The Fort, little or no experience is necessary
. . . of course, animal work at AK is more highly specialized and education matters
. . . however, when two totally equal candidates apply experience might help
. . . but, again, jobs at The Fort are highly prized
. . . so, there is a lot of competition for any opening

Or is that for other Disney jobs?
. . . college only needed for certain jobs
. . . this pertains to both hourly and salaried

Does past experience in life help in a case like this?
. . . not usually
. . . again, most hourly jobs at WDW are by seniority
. . . for non-union jobs, it is usually the interview and experience that counts

Great input Scupper, I was thinking that more experience with horses/animals would play a larger part. I can see where the Fort would be a desirable place to work.

Sent from my Desire HD using DISBoards

 

[loislane]

I just want to chime in and say all the Fort CMs were super friendly during our visit.