The Disney College Program - Pros and Cons

[ladypage]

When I was a cp, we did not get any guest passes, our managers were allowed to let our guests in if they wished. That is a nice perk. Do cps still make min wage?

Some do. It depends on your area and location though. I was in QSFB, so I made about 60 cents more an hour than my roommates I think it was, but there were also different premiums, like working in MK. MK quick service was a bit more, even if you didn't normally work there. I believe attractions is minimum wage.

 

[kimmar067]

Some do. It depends on your area and location though. I was in QSFB, so I made about 60 cents more an hour than my roommates I think it was, but there were also different premiums, like working in MK. MK quick service was a bit more, even if you didn't normally work there. I believe attractions is minimum wage.

....I noticed from your 'Location' that you are from Cali - do they have a similar (CP) in Disneyland?

 

[ugadog99]

....I noticed from your 'Location' that you are from Cali - do they have a similar (CP) in Disneyland?

I am in GA, but I know the answer. There is a CP program in California. My understanding is that it is a much smaller program and the apartments cost more than Florida's program. I am sure there are other differences, but those are the two I keep hearing mentioned.

 

[kimmar067]

...hmmm.... interesting...

 

[KBoopaloo]

I did the CP in 2000, which feels like a million years ago now! I would do it again in a heartbeat and regret not going back for another run the summer after I graduated.

- I worked merchandise at the Studios, though I put Attractions as my first choice. I had tons of retail experience so I was not surprised. As a previous poster said, if you have experience in something, you will likely end up there.

- I lived at Vista Way with 5 roommates none of whom I had met before. This was in the days before you could really request a roommate. They recommended you stand in line with someone you might want to room with but there were no guarantees. My roommates and I got along fine. I chose a "Wellness Apartment" which meant no smoking or drinking in the apartment. We were all ages from 18 to 22 but I think they have changed that now and keep under 21s together?

- I made $5.65 and hour and pretty much broke even at the end. I had no car. I was not a partier at all but I did love going to the parks on my days off and definitely took advantage of the 20% Food discount while there. I ate at Yachtsman Steakhouse, Chefs de France, Rainforest, the Polynesian Luau, Hollywood and Vine and some others. I also went to Universal and Islands of Adventure and paid for the hotel when some college friends came to visit so that is where my money went.

- I worked 6 days a week most of the time I was there. They kept saying that the mandatory 6 day schedule would be ending soon but I felt like that was my schedule about 75% of the time I was there. I didn't mind. Working at WDW is still my favorite job.

- I did not get any credit from my school. I had enough credits to graduate in 3.5 years or take a semester off so I was taking a semester off to save tuition whether or not I did the CP (I wanted to graduate with my class, my school only had graduation in May). At the time of my CP, you had to complete 7 class sessions as part of the program and then you could do more to get your Mousters or Ducktorate. Even though I wasn't getting school credit, I did the extra for the Ducktorate.

If I had to sum up my experience, I would say that it was 80% fun and 20% aggravation but the fun was always worth more than the aggravation. If you go into it with open eyes and a willingness to be flexible and easy going, you will be fine.

PS - I laughed out loud when I read someone else mention someone being "terminated on the spot" in an earlier post. "Termed on the spot" was a phrase you heard A LOT during the CP.

-

 

[ladypage]

....I noticed from your 'Location' that you are from Cali - do they have a similar (CP) in Disneyland?

I am in GA, but I know the answer. There is a CP program in California. My understanding is that it is a much smaller program and the apartments cost more than Florida's program. I am sure there are other differences, but those are the two I keep hearing mentioned.

Yup! I had originaly applied for the DL one, and WDW as my back up. But they only accept oh gosh, I think it was like, 400-800 people a semester in DL. And I believe the apartments were $800 a month, per person. There were also no CP busses, it was all public transportation, or your own car. I'm glad I got turned down for them and did WDW instead now.

PS - I laughed out loud when I read someone else mention someone being "terminated on the spot" in an earlier post. "Termed on the spot" was a phrase you heard A LOT during the CP.

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Hahaha, this was a running joke for my roommates and our friends. In the housing meeting they made a huge deal out of it. Their example was that even if you just get into your apartment, grab some pizza thats sitting on the counter, if it was your roomates pizza, they could term you for theft. So every time we would share food or anything else, we would all shout "Termed!"

 

[ugadog99]

"Termed!"

This is a word I've heard a lot from my daughter in the last 7 months regarding various CPs. Seriously, you can get termed for the most random, ridiculous stuff! One CP was termed TWO days before his program was to end. Granted, he had been on "the list" for a while, and they were just looking for something. It was a petty nothing kind of violation, but they got him for it. Another one had been very sick (requiring hospitalization) and was termed because the managers at the location wouldn't work with the CP. There are great benefits to the program, but there is a real reason the regular CMs call it the "slave trade."

 

[ladypage]

This is a word I've heard a lot from my daughter in the last 7 months regarding various CPs. Seriously, you can get termed for the most random, ridiculous stuff! One CP was termed TWO days before his program was to end. Granted, he had been on "the list" for a while, and they were just looking for something. It was a petty nothing kind of violation, but they got him for it. Another one had been very sick (requiring hospitalization) and was termed because the managers at the location wouldn't work with the CP. There are great benefits to the program, but there is a real reason the regular CMs call it the "slave trade."

Yeah, you can get termed for the most ridiculous stuff, but in a way, most of it makes sense. They tel you what you can and can't do, and it's not *that* hard to follow the rules. For a CP to get termed two days before, like your example, I can pretty much assure you there was something going on. If Disney really doesn't want you, they can just put you on a rehire list, which the managers are allowed to recommend. I'm betting you guys just don't know the whole story.

As for the girl, when you come aboard, they tell you straight away, if you are gone for 10+ work days in a row, you will be let go, even with a doctors note. It's not quite the same as getting termed if you're sick, you're just let go, with a note on your file saying why, so there is no recourse if you decide to apply again. In some cases, they'll let the person come back, but not many. Honestly, it's not exactly unfair of them to do that. If you can't come to work for over a third of one month, they're still letting you live in cheap housing, and you get the benefits. Disney does have modified duty, so if you get hurt, that's not a problem, but actually sick sick? If you're that sick for that long, it really is in the companies best interest to let you go. Can you blame them for that?

 

[ugadog99]

Yeah, you can get termed for the most ridiculous stuff, but in a way, most of it makes sense. They tel you what you can and can't do, and it's not *that* hard to follow the rules. For a CP to get termed two days before, like your example, I can pretty much assure you there was something going on. If Disney really doesn't want you, they can just put you on a rehire list, which the managers are allowed to recommend. I'm betting you guys just don't know the whole story.

As for the girl, when you come aboard, they tell you straight away, if you are gone for 10+ work days in a row, you will be let go, even with a doctors note. It's not quite the same as getting termed if you're sick, you're just let go, with a note on your file saying why, so there is no recourse if you decide to apply again. In some cases, they'll let the person come back, but not many. Honestly, it's not exactly unfair of them to do that. If you can't come to work for over a third of one month, they're still letting you live in cheap housing, and you get the benefits. Disney does have modified duty, so if you get hurt, that's not a problem, but actually sick sick? If you're that sick for that long, it really is in the companies best interest to let you go. Can you blame them for that?

Oh definitely the one two days before the program ended was intentionally done to have a no rehire status on his record. No doubt about that one.

The other one I do blame Disney for because there were some unusual circumstances in it. I can't go into a lot of detail, but the managers at the location could have and should have worked with the CP. It is truly the only thing that has happened in the last 7 months that has left me with a bad taste for the program, and it isn't even my kid.

 

[Elmo9607]

Honestly, it's not exactly unfair of them to do that. If you can't come to work for over a third of one month, they're still letting you live in cheap housing, and you get the benefits. Disney does have modified duty, so if you get hurt, that's not a problem, but actually sick sick? If you're that sick for that long, it really is in the companies best interest to let you go. Can you blame them for that?

Yep, it's spelled out right in the handbook. Our trainers and managers always said that if you were so sick you missed 10 days of work, you needed to focus on getting better and not the CP. It's not up to the managers at a certain location to decide if a student gets termed for being sick over 10 days, it's a company-wide policy that is well-known.

 

[ladypage]

Oh definitely the one two days before the program ended was intentionally done to have a no rehire status on his record. No doubt about that one.

The other one I do blame Disney for because there were some unusual circumstances in it. I can't go into a lot of detail, but the managers at the location could have and should have worked with the CP. It is truly the only thing that has happened in the last 7 months that has left me with a bad taste for the program, and it isn't even my kid.

Yep, it's spelled out right in the handbook. Our trainers and managers always said that if you were so sick you missed 10 days of work, you needed to focus on getting better and not the CP. It's not up to the managers at a certain location to decide if a student gets termed for being sick over 10 days, it's a company-wide policy that is well-known.

Exactly. And it's not even just ten days, but ten work days. So if your normal week consisted of only 4 out of 7 days, you would have to be sick for over two weeks for it to effect you. If you are that sick, it really isn't the best time to do the CP. Again, they make some exceptions, I knew a girl who had surgery and was able to come back on modified duty, but it's not like "Oh! Surprise, you're fired!" It's perfectly valid.

And as for the guy who was fired two days before, again, they didn't have to fire him to get a no rehire status. And they definitely wont go around sharing why he was fired, so I can bet you that you don't have the whole story. They don't like to have to fire that close to the end, because it messes up their scheduling. He had to have done something pretty bad, or had a history, that put him in that situation.