Question for CMs

[Jenny-Rebecca]

Hi...I am not sure if I am putting this in the right place, so I am really sorry if I didn't. My question is my daughter did the Disney Career Start program...basically the CP for recent high school graduates...in 2010-2011 and did well. After we moved down to FL a few months ago, she applied for regular employment with WDW. After waiting about a month, she was sent an email today offering her a job at an area where she had jokingly said was the last place she wanted to be placed. She is really upset because she wants to go back there, but it seems that every time she gets an offer, it is the last place she wants to be placed. While she appreciates the job, she feels she won't be happy at it. Will it hurt her to send an email to her recruiter saying that, while she appreciates the offer and would obviously take it, if there are any other job areas available? She is worried that they will get angry with her and withdraw their offer. Thank you!

 

[SammySlythers]

Will it hurt her to send an email to her recruiter saying that, while she appreciates the offer and would obviously take it, if there are any other job areas available? She is worried that they will get angry with her and withdraw their offer. Thank you!

Does she know that she can accept the job offer, work 6 months in that role, and then go into casting and put in for a tranfer to an area she would like better? It is a lot easier to move around in the company once you're in and have proven that you can show up and work than it is to get your dream job right off the bat.

 

[Jenny-Rebecca]

Thanks! I think she knew something about it because she has a few friends who work there. She is just really nervous. Do you know if attractions in Dinoland is something that rotates around? She is afraid she is going to be out in one of the game booths all summer long. I am sure it will turn out fine once she gets started...it did when she was at Speedway and All Star resorts...it is just hard to see that sometimes when you are young. I really appreciate your answer...thank you!

 

[TheRustyScupper]

1) Not everyone gets everything they want.
2) She should take a job and try for a transfer later.
3) It could take 6-7 months, or 12-18 months.
4) All depends upon vacancies and who else wants the job(s).
5) Declining too many jobs can hurt her.

 

[Jenny-Rebecca]

1) Not everyone gets everything they want.
2) She should take a job and try for a transfer later.
3) It could take 6-7 months, or 12-18 months.
4) All depends upon vacancies and who else wants the job(s).
5) Declining too many jobs can hurt her.

She isn't looking for everything she wants. She is looking to make sure all the pieces fit together and work out because she doesnt want to fail. She doesn't have her own car right now and was looking to use public transportation quite a bit and that seems difficult at AK. She hasn't declined any jobs yet. She was wondering if it would hurt her to ask if there was anything available at MK as she has worked there before and knows her way around a bit more. Also, she has friends at MK who get back and forth from work just fine using public transportation. And since we both get notifications from the Disney Career Facebook page about the online job fair they are running at the moment, it would seem to indicate there is more than one job available. We haven't raised our children to believe they get everything they want. She isn't ungrateful, but there is no reason to make things unduly difficult on herself and set herself up to fail either...especially if a simple question could help.

 

[LockShockBarrel]

I don't think many people get what they want right off the bat. It'd be much easier for her to get her foot in the door then try to move around. I can only imagine there's any number of people that would take the job without questioning the location and they could very well reconsider her offer based on her questioning it.

 

[Disneyandphilliesfan]

So lets say I apply for a job as bus driver because it is the best paying entry level job.Your saying there is a chance I get offered a lower paying job?

 

[eadavis]

So lets say I apply for a job as bus driver because it is the best paying entry level job.Your saying there is a chance I get offered a lower paying job?

It all depends on what openings they have. Lets say a spot opens up to work at the haunted mansion. The first thing they do is check the transfer request list from existing full time cast members and take the one with the highest seniority. If there is nobody on the list, they go to the part time transfer request list, then to the seasonal request list, then to walk ins off the street.

You can apply for whatever job you want, it may not be available. If you meet the qualifications of another role, you may receive an offer. My first role was housekeeping, did that for a few months and got promoted up pretty quickly.

Just get your foot in the door and move around afterward. You don't have to wait the 6 months if you receive a promotion. A "promotion" is any role that will pay you higher. Also helps if you network and learn how to get the system to work for you.

 

[chartle]

So lets say I apply for a job as bus driver because it is the best paying entry level job.Your saying there is a chance I get offered a lower paying job?

It all depends on what openings they have. Lets say a spot opens up to work at the haunted mansion. The first thing they do is check the transfer request list from existing full time cast members and take the one with the highest seniority. If there is nobody on the list, they go to the part time transfer request list, then to the seasonal request list, then to walk ins off the street.

You can apply for whatever job you want, it may not be available. If you meet the qualifications of another role, you may receive an offer. My first role was housekeeping, did that for a few months and got promoted up pretty quickly.

Just get your foot in the door and move around afterward. You don't have to wait the 6 months if you receive a promotion. A "promotion" is any role that will pay you higher. Also helps if you network and learn how to get the system to work for you.

wouldn't it be a little different for bus drivers?

i'm not a cm at wdwd but do work in the transportation industry. to be a disney bus driver you have to have CDL with possible extra certifications. so if there are spots open for bus driver and you apply you could work somewhere else first. i would think there are always open bus driver spots.

 

[Disneyandphilliesfan]

wouldn't it be a little different for bus drivers?

i'm not a cm at wdwd but do work in the transportation industry. to be a disney bus driver you have to have CDL with possible extra certifications. so if there are spots open for bus driver and you apply you could work somewhere else first. i would think there are always open bus driver spots.

Well bus drivers get paid good money and don't need a Cdl right away so that would be why I would apply for that if I was moving down there now.

 

[chartle]

Well bus drivers get paid good money and don't need a Cdl right away so that would be why I would apply for that if I was moving down there now.

I would have thought that you would need it before you could apply. I'm pretty sure we do.

But I guess you can apply and then if you don't get it there are tons of other places to work at wdw.

 

[mm1971]

Hi...I am not sure if I am putting this in the right place, so I am really sorry if I didn't. My question is my daughter did the Disney Career Start program...basically the CP for recent high school graduates...in 2010-2011 and did well. After we moved down to FL a few months ago, she applied for regular employment with WDW. After waiting about a month, she was sent an email today offering her a job at an area where she had jokingly said was the last place she wanted to be placed. She is really upset because she wants to go back there, but it seems that every time she gets an offer, it is the last place she wants to be placed. While she appreciates the job, she feels she won't be happy at it. Will it hurt her to send an email to her recruiter saying that, while she appreciates the offer and would obviously take it, if there are any other job areas available? She is worried that they will get angry with her and withdraw their offer. Thank you!

I am guessing the job is open because most people feel the same way about the position. It is possible that most new hires start in that location and then after so much time ask to transfer to a better spot. Thus, the better spot is not open as they transfer from within and the less desirable locations are now open again. Makes sense to me. If she wants to work there, I would take the position. Once working, I would let them know I would prefer a different assignment should one open up and then put in for transfer at the earliest opportunity. Good luck.

 

[Cadenza]

It sucks, but if I were I would just suck it up and take the offer. In my experience everyone starts off at the worst place when they start a new job... when I used to wait tables you always started off working the smallest/worst sections so you could prove you could handle things before you got the bigger/better sections.

Best of luck to your daughter!

 

[Traveliz]

My daughter works at Disney and worked at AK (not Dinoland) for a time. My guess would be the carnival games rotate with the Triceratops Spins but I have no idea. At any rate she should take the job and keep her record card squeeky clean and then put in for a transfer at the 6 month mark. That is what many many people do to get started at Disney. BTW, I really don't think letting anyone know you want to transfer will help - you need to work the 6 months and then put in for the transfer.

Here is an advantage of AK...it closes early...there are no shifts until 3-4 in the morning and unless there is a special event you are out of there at a decent time most nights. I don't know about bussing there but I am sure a car would be the easiest way to get there. I do know a lot of Disney employees do use the Lynx bus system combined with the Disney buses to get where they need so I am sure it can be done but probably time consuming.

Liz

 

[lennymore]

I work in recruitment herein the UK so I can go by past experience and say that if she feels she would be truly unhappy working in that role then perhaps she should decline the offer.

However, if she really wants to work at WDW I would advise she grit her teeth and accept it in the knowledge that if she works hard, shows willing, drive and commitment she will move on and up fairly quickly. It's fairly certain that there will be dozens of other people who will accept that role and Disney may have their pick.....which means your daughter may miss an opportunity. Although if she really hates this role then it will show in her day to day work and getting selected for promotion or transfer becomes less of an option because of attitude and fit - I've seen it a million times.

Ultimately the decision is hers but to answer your question directly, I do think asking for an alternative role at this very early stage would do more harm than good. There may be a reason why she has been matched to that particular role - perhaps a more suitable question for her to ask is 'I am interested in eventually working my way up to (insert her dream role!) and I'm interested in why you felt my skills and attributes matched this role in particular?'

Hope she works out whatever is best for her

 

[Prock]

She doesn't need to worry about the games, since they handle cash they probably (I'm 98% sure of this) aren't considered attractions, Dinoland attractions would be considered Primeval whirl, triceratops spin, and Dinosaur, possibly the bone yard as well. If she worked at triceratops spin she would also work at primeval whirl. Dinosaur is a big attraction and would be the only place she worked if she was placed there. And its attractions at AK, she'll have normal and regular hours which will make it easier to use public transport.

My recommendation for her would be to look at how badly she wants to work for disney if its something she can wait to do then pass on the offer but if its something she really wants then take it, like other posters have said 6 months in you can apply for a transfer although with being a new hire it would take longer than that probably closer to a year for it to happen. Transferring isn't a bad thing, a lot of people say that moving around somewhat often creates more opportunities to move up due to networking.

And you don't have to have your CDL to apply to be a bus driver they will pay for you to get it if you get the job.

 

[Traveliz]

She doesn't need to worry about the games, since they handle cash they probably (I'm 98% sure of this) aren't considered attractions, Dinoland attractions would be considered Primeval whirl, triceratops spin, and Dinosaur, possibly the bone yard as well. If she worked at triceratops spin she would also work at primeval whirl. Dinosaur is a big attraction and would be the only place she worked if she was placed there. And its attractions at AK, she'll have normal and regular hours which will make it easier to use public transport.

My recommendation for her would be to look at how badly she wants to work for disney if its something she can wait to do then pass on the offer but if its something she really wants then take it, like other posters have said 6 months in you can apply for a transfer although with being a new hire it would take longer than that probably closer to a year for it to happen. Transferring isn't a bad thing, a lot of people say that moving around somewhat often creates more opportunities to move up due to networking.

And you don't have to have your CDL to apply to be a bus driver they will pay for you to get it if you get the job.

Oh you are right - I didn't even think about the games being a cash handling position. I just read the post as saying that was where she was placed and that is not the case.

Liz

 

[flashcal]

My sister currently works those games in Dinoland. She is in merchandising and not attractions. Attractions are the rides only. BTW. Everyone including her dreads the games but it turns out its not so bad and kind of fun. The time goes by fast and she has lots of funny stories.

 

[eadavis]

wouldn't it be a little different for bus drivers?

i'm not a cm at wdwd but do work in the transportation industry. to be a disney bus driver you have to have CDL with possible extra certifications. so if there are spots open for bus driver and you apply you could work somewhere else first. i would think there are always open bus driver spots.

Even if you don't have a CDL, Disney will sponsor you, however, it will be very difficult without some sort of professional driving experience. Having friends who have been bus drivers with Disney, the requirements to get in are tough, staying in, even more so. Must have a perfect driving record, literally spotless and cannot have any health restrictions.

At the end of the day, bus drivers are just like every other role, granted it has some tougher requirements, but it is a union hourly host/hostess role.

 

[Disneyandphilliesfan]

There is a reason why they pay so good for the bus driver role.Cdl's are not easy to get so I backed off that job anyways.