Ever thought about packing up and moving to work at Disneyworld?

[Markstudy]

My Dad was offered a job at Disney.

At the time, he was a Golf Pro with 15 years exeriance managing Country Clubs.

My Dad came home from his third interview and disapointed us, when he told us that he turned down the Disney Head-Pro job.

He tried to explain to all of us kids (as we couldn't understand).

But it basicly boils down to this- "We are Disney, It will look very prestigious on your Resume' if you work for us...But we don't need to pay market rate for our staff....people are lined up to work for us"
Dad just got up and said see-ya

My dad took a better paying job and we spent the extra money on a bigger house and taking nice vacations to Disney anyway.

 

[SamRoc]

The thought has crossed my mind also, but with kids in school and our own family business here, it wouldn't be a good idea. I know the salaries couldn't match what we make here but it would be fun. My dh and I have talked about this for a long time. If I did go to Florida though, I would have to be on the coast. I love the beach and the ocean breeze, even though Disney isn't far from the beaches, I still couldn't see myself living too far from the ocean.

 

[Houston_Disney_Fan]

I had a friend at work who actually did this. They were a couple in their 50's who loved Disney. They moved there, and with their manufacturing backgrounds, evidently did not qualify for Disney's better jobs. He wound up a street sweeper on Main Street. She cleaned rooms at POR, at that time Dixie Landings. After a year of this, the Magic was gone for them, and they moved back to Houston, immediately securing jobs that paid about 3 times what they'd been earning at Disney. Worst of all, they never even wanted to go back for vacations.

I love Disney World more than anyplace else on earth, but to live there I'll wait til I can actually retire, and just hope I'm not too old to enjoy the place. One good thing (or bad, depending on how you look at it) is there would be plenty of out-of-town company, looking for a free place to stay.

 

[steffali]

I would love to move and work there but my DH works for the State of NY so we have a LONG way to go until he retires
My father has always wanted to get a job at Disney he said he would even take the job of cleaning up after the horses on Main Street !!

 

[Philadisney]

i would be there right now except that DBF & mom and dad are in PA and VA. i absolutely adored the four months i spent there on the WDW College Program, but hated that i had to take an airplane to get to see my parents. it is hard enough having them a 5-hour car ride away. and DBF hates 'the south' (he's a wisconsin boy...he thinks philadelphia is 'southern!') so it looks like moving to orlando is out for me if it was just up to me....i'd be there in a heartbeat!

 

[Joanna71985]

I plan on moving to Florida to work at Disney once I graduate from college. It should (hopefully) be within 2 years. I hope to go into entertainment.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We plot and plan all the time. Our daughter did the College Program in her senior year of college and we went down that year 3 times to see her and after her program she returned home to finish college and graduated and with her boyfriend that she met there decided to return to Orlando and try living for a year in Florida to see how things panned out. We visited them 3 times that year also, she got a job with Disney at Celebration and boyfriend drove bus for them also. Needless to say, after a year of heat and humidity and wages below scale for her degree they returned home and still vacation at WDW, got engaged there and married here at home. We figured if they liked Florida, we would have moved within the year, our excuse for up and moving but now they are back we would like to move ourselves and be seasonal employees of WDW. Talked to alot of older CM's and thats what they all do. Six months in the north and six months in WDW, pay isn't that great but the perks are fabulous. Still our plan.

 

[GrumpyC.Hook]

My mom and I are moving in September to the Orlando or Lakeland Area depending on what we find for apartments. I won't work for Disney but I will enjoy living nearby. I know it will be different then it is now with the build up excitement to a trip but living in Orlando will give me the push to visit DL and DLC since if we want to get out of FL for a while Cali would be fun. But it will be nice to be able to have dinner on property once in a while!

 

[KimR]

I think about this all the time but right now DH's job is here as well as all our friends and family. However, down the road when DH retires and the girls are grown up I can't think of a better way to banish the empty-nest blues than to move to WDW. It'll take some work to convince DH but I'm already planning my stragegy.

 

[MKOATEYW]

Sorry no. As much as I love Disney I could never move there. Here is why:
1. Having lived in a Resort town all my life I know that what makes a place a great vaction is not how you spend you time when you live there. You are always to busy working, cleaning the house, etc... to actualy do those "fun" things.
2. Cost of living! Wages are way to low and everyting cost to much! Blowing that kind of money on vaction is one thing but for everyday it would be to expensive on the salary you earn there. While housing is way cheaper than where I live. Because of the distances involved I would have to own a car which eat up more money than I could afford. There are no walking distance jobs at Disney! And my scooter going 25 mph would get me run over on I-4 for a commute to work.
3. Moving north. I am the opposite of those who can't do the summer heat. I love the heat, I can't do the cold. I am a cold wennie. I was verry unhappy when the weather man said its going to get down to 55 Sunday. Brrr... Freezing! Going to have to sleep in the kitchen on a cot with the oven on all night again. Am desperatly waiting for Puero Rico to become a state so I can move south.

 

[Eeyore's Girl]

I'm dreaming that when DH and I are experiencing an "empty nest", we'll move to Orlando for one year. I'll work as a cast member by being a fairy godmother in MK's parade.

 

[billybaruch1]

On this board I'm finding a disconnect between people's love of WDW vacations and their "less-than-love" of Disney as an employer.

I want to retire and move to Orlando and work for Disney part-time. But if they are so stingy, I may be better off buying shares of their stock than buying into their corporate culture. Is there no one who loves working for Disney as much as they love visiting Disney?

 

[SandrainNC]

We always talk about it right after a trip. My two problems with living there are heat and hurricanes. DH looked on Disney's website a few weeks ago and saw a few jobs that he qualified for (in the computer area), so he wouldn't be in the parks at all for his job (I wouldn't think so anyway). I would like to do something with the make a wish trips on the Disney side of everything (arranging itineraries, etc.). I think I would really enjoy it. I have no idea where to even look for positions for a job like that on their website though. As long as I wasn't in a park everyday, I don't think I would get tired of it at all.

Sandra

 

[ryanmilla]

If I were to do this, I would need to find a similar job I have here with my company over at WDW. Mainly a behind the scenes type job in their IT Dept (databases). I often check out their webpage and every-so-often a position comes up. However, I am already in my dream job (fantastic pay, great benefits, LOADS of vacation, great corporate culture and its in the most vibrant city in the world, NYC 1 block from Times Square). So, I can't see giving that up for Disney. I would much rather live where I am now than in Orlando. However, I have often thought it would be fun to work for the company that I love.

But if they started paying the tour guides the salary I'm making now, then maybe I would consider it. That I think would be a fun job.

 

[MouseWorshipin]

EVERY SINGLE DAY! And more on the gray, dark, dreary, snow & ice & slush-filled depressing Ohio days.

 

[Simba's Mom]

My Dad was offered a job at Disney.

At the time, he was a Golf Pro with 15 years exeriance managing Country Clubs.

My Dad came home from his third interview and disapointed us, when he told us that he turned down the Disney Head-Pro job.

He tried to explain to all of us kids (as we couldn't understand).

But it basicly boils down to this- "We are Disney, It will look very prestigious on your Resume' if you work for us...But we don't need to pay market rate for our staff....people are lined up to work for us"
Dad just got up and said see-ya

My dad took a better paying job and we spent the extra money on a bigger house and taking nice vacations to Disney anyway.

Wow, is that job still available? DH is in his 50s and he'd definitely do that-retire from his current job, go to WDW and be a golf pro. There's just one problem-he has no experience. When he graduated high school, he wanted to try to make a career of golf, but there was a draft so he went to college to avoid being drafted. But now, the only way I'd get to move to WDW is alone-DH won't go unless it involved golf. So I feel so guilty about saying this, but I've already decided that if anything happens to him and I'm widowed, I'm on the next plane to WDW. Last year, I struck up a conversation with a retiree who works 2 days a week in MGM. Disney actively recruits part time retirees. He said they don't pay much, but the benefits and fun he has, make the job well worth it. I'd rather DH could find a golf job there, though, so we both go.

 

[LoveWDW]

The hurricanes are a concern, and the heat. But I'd love to work there, in theory. I am a people person and would enjoy helping out at a ride, for example. It would have to be a retirement job.

 

[Elysiannn]

I often thought that but I'm a polar bear and the Florida summers would roast me. Plus I've heard so many complaints from those who work there which is so odd cause we've all seen the fantastic CM's that spread pixie dust and definitely from the school of WWWD.

I think one might be sick of it or it would become mundane - it being a job so I guess what with the heat and this, I'll just be a happy Disney-holic.

Ely

 

[Enchanted]

EVERY SINGLE DAY! And more on the gray, dark, dreary, snow & ice & slush-filled depressing Ohio days.

HA! Mom, is that you?

No, seriously. My mom claims that when she and dad retire, they're moving to Florida so that she can work part time at Disney. She cares nothing about the pay or whatever. She just wants to experience the magic of Disney every day and help to provide it to other families.

 

[DeeCee735]

Not only did we think about it (every time we're there) but we actually went to the cast member services building to look at what jobs were available, rates of pay (not much at all to start), benefits, etc. We even looked at real estate close by. In the long run we both decided that moving to the place we love to vacation most just wouldn't be the right thing. Vacationing there on Disney property is the magic. Living there with low pay, high costs of living, and way too much traffic would kill it for us. It'll remain our ultimate vacation destination. (Maybe in the future we will move further south so we can get there more often without flying but that's about as far as we'll go - no desire to live in FLA).