I want to work at wdw!!!

hannahmc

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 21, 2014
Messages
8
I'm 17 years old and in 10months I finish high school. This deadline is fast approaching and my plan and dream for years has that when this time comes I want to work at WDW! The only problem is I live in the United Kingdom on a small island called the Isle of Man. Is it possible for me to get a job at WDW or should a consider it as dream not for now?
 
Are you planning to go to university? If so Disney does schemes where you can go and work for them in the summer.
 

I always thought the Disney college program was only for American students - if it counts for UK uni goers too then that's fantastic news for my kids! ;)
 
I always thought the Disney college program was only for American students - if it counts for UK uni goers too then that's fantastic news for my kids! ;)

Yes several UK Disser's have done it.

There is also the Cultural Programme where you work in Epcot at your Countries area.
 
Hannah, a couple of things: where on the Isle of Man are you? We returned to England last year after 10 years living at Mount Murray.

Second, if you apply through Yummy Jobs, be prepared to apply over and over. My daughter has tried twice now and is in touch with people who applied 8 times before getting a job there. One of our friends from Isle of Man worked at Epcot for a year, a couple of years ago and I think it changes your life!

Pam
 
Hi I live up in peel and currently attending sixth form at ballakermeen high school. Do you have to be in uni to use yummy jobs?
Ps. Thank you everyone for all the responses, I wasn't sure if anyone would reply :)
 
Hi Hannah, you have to be in College/Uni for the 3 month student programme but Yummy Jobs for a year is open to anyone. I've even considered applying myself and I'm 58! I have very good friends in Peel on The Links, opposite QEII. I used to love the crab baps at the beach hut in Peel on a sunny day!!! I'm going to miss the buzz of TT this year. My daughter used to work for G4S at the grandstand and we used to do Homestay.

Pam
 
Hi Hannah, like others have said, you have a couple of options available to you. I believe that the visas available are inclusive of the Isle of Man (although perhaps send an e-mail to YummyJobs to check).

Firstly, the Cultural Representative Program is a one year program which recruits UK residents over the age of 18 to work in the UK pavilion in EPCOT in either Food and Beverage or Merchandise. You don't have to be in university to participate and your initial application is done through the YummyJobs website. Applications usually open twice a year, once in the winter and then again around August/September. Successful candidates have a pre-screen interview with YummyJobs, which is basically a group interview in a fairly laid-back atmosphere. The second round is a final face-to-face interviewee with a Disney recruiter. I applied in August 2013 and found out I had a place (start date of July 2014) just before Christmas. The scheme is highly competitive and many people apply multiple times before being accepted.

The second option is the Cultural Exchange Program, or more commonly referred to as the International College Program. Currently, you have to have completed at least one semester of post-secondary education at university to apply and YummyJobs begin to recruit for this program in August, so applicants now have to be in their second year of university. This wasn't the case for myself, so I did this program as a first year in 2012. You can work in a variety of roles throughout the entire resort. I worked in Merchandise at the Emporium in the Magic Kingdom, and it was one of the best experiences I have ever had. The recruitment process is similar to the one outlined above, and again, it is extremely competitive. If you haven't already, try to get as much customer-facing experience as possible.

There is a third option to take part in a longer International College Program known as the Academic Exchange program. Although this is done through select partner universities that Disney operates with.

Generally, the pay is pretty poor and the opportunities to stay permanently are extremely unheard of and rare. However, the fact that I am returning says a lot about how much I enjoyed it! Although you have to be prepared to work hard. I would have to leave to arrive for work about 1.5-2 hours before work and often worked 12 hour shifts. On average, I finished work at about 1am in the morning and once a week would finish at around 4am, working on average around 45 hours per week. This does depend on your work location however. The positives of being able to visit the parks on my days off, visiting other places in Orlando, being able to hear the 3 o'clock parade and Wishes every night, meeting and befriending people from all over the world and learning about the Disney company from the 'inside' - made this experience life-changing for me!

If you have any questions, I'd be more than happy to answer them. I know there are some other Disney program alumni from the UK boards too :)
 
As other people have said there is a few programs for UK people :)
I just wanted to say that I participated in the cultural exchange program last summer and it was the most amazing thing I have ever done!!! My advice if you're interested is to research it by looking at blogs and know that it is hard work not a holiday unfortunately!!
But I made the most incredible friends which made work even more enjoyable and if I could afford the process again, I would do it in a heartbeat :goodvibes
Again if you've any questions I'd be happy to help!
 
If I was to apply to a uni in the US how much can expect to pay in tuition fees over the period of a three year course? And how do they compare to the uk?
 
If I was to apply to a uni in the US how much can expect to pay in tuition fees over the period of a three year course? And how do they compare to the uk?

Uni's in the USA are MUCH more expensive than the UK.
 
If I was to apply to a uni in the US how much can expect to pay in tuition fees over the period of a three year course? And how do they compare to the uk?

Colleges in the US tend to be 4 yr courses unless you can get the credits required sooner, it's not uncommon for fees yo be in excess of $50k for resident students, foreign May have yo pay more
 
I was always under the impression it was cheaper, is that because there's a difference between the price of a US uni and a US college? Unless I was just misinformed? :-/
 
I was always under the impression it was cheaper, is that because there's a difference between the price of a US uni and a US college? Unless I was just misinformed? :-/

In the US they call their uni, college and it's expensive. UK uni prices are cheaper even at 9k a year
 
Someone came and gave a talk about US unis at my DD's school and I remember him saying the fees could easily be in the region of $60,000 a year although he did also say that there are more opportunities of various grants and scholarships in the US than in the UK and so the actual figure you end up paying could be similar or even less than here.
 
Someone came and gave a talk about US unis at my DD's school and I remember him saying the fees could easily be in the region of $60,000 a year although he did also say that there are more opportunities of various grants and scholarships in the US than in the UK and so the actual figure you end up paying could be similar or even less than here.

I think that used to be the case but if you read the forums here and many say the grants and scholarships are being cut back due to the economic climate.
 
My daughter has recently returned from a 15 month stint in the Cultural Representative Programme. She worked in the Rose & Crown in Epcot.

She passed her interview and was put on the wait list. Unfortunately the wait list was only for a year & expired before she was given a date. She then had to go through the whole process with Yummy jobs again including interviews etc. This time she did actually get to Florida.

Only problem with this programme is that you mix mostly with other British people as you usually only meet Americans when serving them!

This whole process is not for the faint hearted so be prepared to work either in a shop or restaurant ( the choices of jobs in Disney) to make sure you've got the experience that Disney wants.

Another thought is to do what my daughter also did & that is to take an American studies degree which has a year in the US as part of the 4 years. Choose your uni carefully & you could be studying in the University of Florida in Coral Gables for the same cost as a year in a British uni!

Best of luck with what ever you choose.
 












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