LOTS of stupid questions, but hey I need the answers!:)

[disneyworldluvr349]

Alright well I am a junior in high school and I want to apply to a college in Florida that let's me work at Disney World to pay for tuition.I would also just love to work at Disney as a part of my education...I really have no clue about any of the programs you all are going to...Some of you in Jan. 2009 and other things... Where do you go and how are you in the parks on you day off! I am so ready to apply but...without help I will have some trouble finding the right address!

--Robin

 

[deadtoaster2]

As I understand it (and I haven't been around very long yet, so this might not be super correct) there are three programs that Disney offers.

The first is the Career Start program. This program is designed for students who recently graduated from High School, or are in their senior year and wish to get started working for Disney. If I am not mistaken the CS program does offer housing as an option. See http://disney.go.com/disneycareers/careerstart/index.html for more.

The second program is the College Program in which students who have completed at least one semester of college courses may apply and work at the parks while also given the option to take classes offered by Disney. Some schools will offer credit for these classes and others will not so you need to check with your college. The CP program does offer housing as well. See http://disney.go.com/disneycareers/disneycollegeprogram/ for more.

The third program is the Professional Internship that is offered by Disney. This functions in a similar way to the CP however the roles typically involve more professional type jobs such as office work and such. Sorry for the lack of description, this is the one I am not too sure about. As far as I know this program does not offer housing as an option. See http://disney.go.com/disneycareers/internships/home.html for more.

Of course you could always simply go and apply for a position in the parks without applying for one of the programs. That is always a choice but you will not have any help from Disney to find housing.

For your situation there really isn't anything that will allow you to work at the parks to pay for college tuition. The money made in the programs is usually not very much and goes towards food and other necessities, however it is a good learning experience.

Hope that helped.

 

[csaribay]

If you're interested in coming and working at Disney for a semester, just out of high school, you may want to consider the Disney CareerStart Program - a unique, one of a kind living, learning and earning experience at the Walt Disney World resort that offers transferable skills and an opportunity to grow and network within The Walt Disney Company. The Disney CareerStart program is a full circle program that includes housing, transportation and stable employment during its two program seasons - Spring (February - August) and Fall (August - January). If you've heard about the College Program, the CareerStart program is identical, except that the variety of roles available to you are a little more limited. Educational programs and most other elements of the College Program are part of the CareerStart Program as well (....the easiest way to characterize the CareerStart Program is a College Program for people just out of high school).

To apply for the CareerStart Program, you'll need to be within 48 months of your high school graduation and be at least 18 years old at the time of application. For the College Program, you need to be an actively enrolled college student who has finished at least one term of school, and meet any specific requirements that your institution has for participating in the program. Applications for the CareerStart and College Programs are taken the term before participation, so if you were planning to participate in the fall of 2010, you should apply early in the spring of that same year. Both programs offer elements of the Disney Difference benefits package, which does include unlimited free admission for yourself into Disney theme parks during your time off from work.

For more info, you may want to take a look at the fall season's E-Presentation for the College Program, which is a good primer to the type of experience offered on both programs.

On the other hand, if you're talking about moving down to Florida and working at Disney to cover your tuition, you need to consider your options. Picking up a full-time/part-time job at Disney is going to average around $7.50 an hour, barely enough to cover your living expenses in central Florida. It will not be enough to support your education alone.

 

[khancock]

I am a junior in high school and I want to apply to a college in Florida that let's me work at Disney World to pay for tuition.

Hi Robin,
The 2 above responses talk about the "programs" that Disney offers, but they didn't really address your real question about what colleges in FL are close enough for you to work at Disney. I did a bit of research on this myself for personal reasons when I was considering doing this.

University of Central Florida is in Orlando. Rollins is in Winter Park (just outside of Orlando). Valencia Community College is the big community college system and they have several campuses around Orlando.

According to waltdisneyworld.jobs, most hourly positions start around $7.25/hr. You can call 407-828-1000, the Walt Disney World Job line, for more info on part time positions and how to apply.

Walt Disney World offers some sort of tuition reimbursement. I don't have any details on this other than it does exist.

Personally, I wouldn't recommend going to a Florida school for the sole reason of being able to work at WDW. I'd suggest looking at schools that offer degrees in areas that interest you. If that happens to be in FL, that's great. If not, go to another school. You can always get the WDW work experience through the College Program and Professional Internship program.

 

[disneyworldluvr349]

Thanks you guys, that was really helpful. The CP program sounds awesome but as khancock said I will keep my options open and not limit myself to an area for the work...

 

[Jules76126]

I just want to say that I went to college in Florida for my freshman year. I attended the University of Tampa which was about an hour from Disney. I am orginally from Massachusetts and living in Florida is definitely something I wasnt excepting. The closest school to WDW is UCF. However, just going to school in Florida to work at WDW is not a realistic option. UCF is a private school so its more money than a state school and it contains about 40000 students, quite bit.

Honestly I wouldnt recommend going to school in Florida. Yah you cant beat the weather, I mean who likes snow and cold lol. After a year I was done. I moved back to New England and havent regretted it at all and I wasnt homesick lol. I mean I dont know your major or anything but Florida is a tough state with their economy and lower standard of living. Its tough to move out of Florida to another state that night have higher standards so you would need to think all that out. More than anythign else go and visit any school that you apply to. Those things they send you in the mail are a total different thing than the actual campus.

Good luck and always remember you can do the cp once you get to college.

 

[disneyworldluvr349]

I just want to say that I went to college in Florida for my freshman year. I attended the University of Tampa which was about an hour from Disney. I am orginally from Massachusetts and living in Florida is definitely something I wasnt excepting. The closest school to WDW is UCF. However, just going to school in Florida to work at WDW is not a realistic option. UCF is a private school so its more money than a state school and it contains about 40000 students, quite bit.

Honestly I wouldnt recommend going to school in Florida. Yah you cant beat the weather, I mean who likes snow and cold lol. After a year I was done. I moved back to New England and havent regretted it at all and I wasnt homesick lol. I mean I dont know your major or anything but Florida is a tough state with their economy and lower standard of living. Its tough to move out of Florida to another state that night have higher standards so you would need to think all that out. More than anythign else go and visit any school that you apply to. Those things they send you in the mail are a total different thing than the actual campus.

Good luck and always remember you can do the cp once you get to college.

Great advice....thanks!