WDW Job Help!!!

[ravenclawtrekkie]

I moved from the northeast to Florida to work at WDW because I was had no commitments (no spouse, kids, mortgage) and no better options for employment where I was living at the time. I had no problems getting hired with an out of state address, but I did have to fly here in person to do interviews. (I set up a bunch of them for the same week at other places as well, so I'd have a backup, and I did work concurrently at WDW and Universal for a little while until I got full time at WDW - but I was really lucky to get FT pretty fast, most people wait longer than I did.)

I wouldn't recommend uprooting kids and bringing them here just so you can make $10/hr in a customer service job. A lot of the areas around here don't have great schools and the ones that do have fairly high costs of living (not compared to the northeast, but still high for the money you'd be making). I'm about to be 31 years old and I live with two roommates who are also CMs, and I can't see that changing anytime soon.

If you're qualified to work in a higher level specialized job, just know that Disney pays "professional" roles less than the equivalent job would make at almost any other major company.

 

[DisneyElite4]

Just chiming in.

I left WDW 7.5 years ago, but I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I had a college degree and started on the CP, then moved to a PI (professional internship) and then went full-time in a professional, office role. My hours WERE 9-5, so that schedule definitely exists outside of the parks. However, even in a professional role, I earned very little. I always had a roommate - either other girls working in professional roles at Disney like myself, or my DH who also worked in a professional role at WDW. We eventually moved cross-country because while we loved living in Florida and working for Disney, we realized that we might never make enough money to support a family the way we wanted to.

Our salaries both doubled when we moved, so it was the right choice for us. As you can tell from my signature, we visit a lot! VERY few of my friends down there have children - I don't know if this is by choice or financial circumstance. But it was something talked about often among the younger women I knew - it's very hard to support a family even in a professional role unless you are very, very high up, or have a spouse working in a different (pays more) industry.

 

[SureAsLiz]

What type of role are you applying for? That's the big decider here IMO

I am in a professional role and work M-F, 9-5. Since this is the only professional role I've worked in I can't say if my salary is on par with the industry, but it is generally accepted that you could get more money by leaving - here you get the prestige and the parks. Plus, being in technology, Central Florida is not the market for competitive salaries.

 

[DizBelle]

Sort of OT but does WDW hire seasonally? I have a thought that once I retire to work for WDW during November-December-January.

 

[SureAsLiz]

Sort of OT but does WDW hire seasonally? I have a thought that once I retire to work for WDW during November-December-January.

They do, but not often anymore. Those roles have mostly been delegated to CPs

 

[Jules76126]

I did two CPs with Disney and have friends who still work there full-time. First, I want to say I really loved my time there. It was so much fun working in the parks, being able to access the parks on your days off and after your shift. And I did truly enjoy the people that I worked with. That being said, the pay left much to be desired. As a college student, it was fine. I wasn't there for the money, more the experience. But many of the full-time people had to pick up extra shifts so they could make overtime money. When those shifts were not available, they did struggle.

As PPs have mentioned, it is not all pixie dust and smiles. There are rude guests, tough managers, and bad hours. If you can get a professional role, the hours are definitely better as well as the pay. If you want to work in the customer service field (merch, food, attractions) it will be terrible hours and limited money. One of my friends was hired from out of state. However, he was able to use his CP connections to get an interview. He started part-time as well (although he was able to pick up shifts to make full-time hours) and then was eventually hired full-time. He enjoys it right now, but he does have roommates and would not be able to survive without them. As others have mentioned, I would really research the move before doing anything. Many people that I were friends with and stayed on full-time after the CP left due to the financial strain. Best of Luck!

 

[rastahomie]

As long as we're talking about WDW jobs, I have a question of my own. I oft fantasize about working at the World, but one thing I have against me is that my people skills aren't that great, and I don't really have the temperament to have a lot of contact with the general public. On the other hand, I go out of my way to avoid seeing Backstage whenever I'm at the World. So if I ever worked at WDW, my two job requirements would be a) minimal guest contact, and b) minimal time backstage.

What would be some good jobs to consider that fit those two categories? I'm thinking probably sanitation, transportation, and perhaps room cleaning. Anything else?

 

[wilkeliza]

As long as we're talking about WDW jobs, I have a question of my own. I oft fantasize about working at the World, but one thing I have against me is that my people skills aren't that great, and I don't really have the temperament to have a lot of contact with the general public. On the other hand, I go out of my way to avoid seeing Backstage whenever I'm at the World. So if I ever worked at WDW, my two job requirements would be a) minimal guest contact, and b) minimal time backstage.

What would be some good jobs to consider that fit those two categories? I'm thinking probably sanitation, transportation, and perhaps room cleaning. Anything else?

Not much to be honest. Transportation and room cleaning still require guest contact. It may seem like minimal but it is a requirement.

Custodial (if that is what you mean by sanitation) is one of the most guest facing positions there is. The only way to have minimal guest interaction in that is to work over night on third shift.

I can't think of any role where backstage is avoided especially because Traditions is all backstage in MK and then if you work at another park you will always come in from backstage.

Minimal on both would probably be housekeeping. I just personally could never do housekeeping again. I didn't do it at Disney but the one summer I worked in housekeeping I was shocked at home down right disgusting people can be. I'll never forget having to draw straws to see who would get the room assignment that included a bathroom with poop smeared all over it.

 

[SureAsLiz]

As long as we're talking about WDW jobs, I have a question of my own. I oft fantasize about working at the World, but one thing I have against me is that my people skills aren't that great, and I don't really have the temperament to have a lot of contact with the general public. On the other hand, I go out of my way to avoid seeing Backstage whenever I'm at the World. So if I ever worked at WDW, my two job requirements would be a) minimal guest contact, and b) minimal time backstage.

What would be some good jobs to consider that fit those two categories? I'm thinking probably sanitation, transportation, and perhaps room cleaning. Anything else?

Office jobs are really the only ones that fit this category. I have been in the Magic Kingdom tunnels a total of 3 times in 2 years (twice for Traditions, once for a tour) and have zero guest interaction.

In the parks, you would want to go 3rd shift, though you would have to experience backstage

 

[rastahomie]

Well of course it would be impossible to avoid backstage entirely as a CM. But I'd want it kept to a minimum.

My dream job would be a Haunted Mansion CM, where you dress and act "in character." So if I were having a grumpy day I would just be in character! Of course, I imagine that CM's are lining up for that role and there's a long waiting list.

 

[PigletsPal2]

DH and I retired from the federal government 14 years ago and moved to the Orlando area for the weather. I had lived here in 1973-75 with 2 kids (age 6 and 1 at the time) when DH was in Viet Nam with the State Department, and we all liked it.

After about a year of being retired, we were bored. and on a whim we went to the Casting Office to see what they could offer on a part-time basis. All they had at the time and for which we were qualified were retail positions at Downtown Disney, but since we had both worked retail and didn't hate it, we accepted the jobs offered at the interview. DH worked at Toy Story and I worked at The Disney Store. The pay was only $7.25 an hour with a raise to $7.50 after six months' satisfactory performance. We were asked about our schedule preferences and were very pleased when they agreed to our requests - no weekends (they had college students who WANTED those hours), and no after-dark hours (we don't see very well to drive after dark). Because we worked at different stores, we had different team leaders, but our team leaders were friends with each other, and they made a concerted effort to schedule DH and me for the same hours. The pay was minimal, but we had our retirement annuities and Social Security, so the salary wasn't really an issue for us. Time off and health insurance weren't important to is either, as we would be part-time with days off, and we had health insurance through our retirement plan, We were really working for the perqs - free admission to the parks, free guest admissions if we accompanied our guests (I think we each were allowed 12 guest admissions per year) two Golden Passports each per year (park-hopper guest admissions where we didn't have to accompany guests), a 20% discount on dining and 20% discount on shopping, which increased to (I think) 30% for December. Also, many retailers and service providers in the Orlando area offered discounts to cast members - Hair Cuttery and Fantastic Sams, many chain restaurants, even some apartment complexes,

I don't think I'm allowed to post it here, but if you're interested, send me a PM and I'll send you the name of a reputable job search site that posts LOTS of WDW jobs, both professional and park and resort support.

For the record, we left our WDW jobs because our private consulting business was taking up more time than we expected it to when we established it, not because were dissatisfied with Disney.

Queen Colleen