Working for Walt Disney World

[rugman1969]

Has anyone or know anyone who has moved to Florida to go work for Disney? I have been wanting to do this for a long time, and was just wondering if the pay is good enough to live on without having to work 3 jobs. If so, any idea on what some different positions pay? Do you apply somewhere in particular out there?

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

It really depends on where you live and what your do. I wanted to go full time in 2007 at the end of my 3rd and last College Program. I was in entertainment and would have been earning a little over $7.00/hr. Unfortunately that was the height of the housing market and all the apartments there had gone condo. Most were charging well over $1,000/mo for a two bedroom apartment. I would loved to have done it, but I decided that I didn't spend that much time and money on a bachelor's degree to barely get by. Now that I have my teaching certification, I plan on going back.

There are full timers who make it. Granted, they work a lot of hours, oftentimes have spouses who work in other jobs or higher positions, or have multiple roommates. Many do work more than one job. I have a friend from my CP who just went full time. She is doing really well, but I don't know what her housing situation is. It's probably easier now that the housing market is not as good.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

For most "non-professional or non-management" positions the pay is terrible. As a part-timer I get the same pay rate as a person who is full time doing the same work. And with five years of employment I am getting $8.30 per hour (this will go up about 30¢ at the beginning of October). So for a full-time person with five years the pay is about $17,000.

 

[Dax]

Working for "the mouse" isnt as special as it seems...While many do enjoy what they do, the pay leaves a lot to be desired...

My cousins retired from NJ to come to FL and work for Disney..they used to travel to ALL the Disney parks and led fun full lives...He got a job at Disney, and he is working 6 days a week to make ends meet. Life at Disney has not been kind to him...he has missed many family events due to not getting time off, has been run over by a careless woman in an ECV(and had lasting issues because of it) and is generally just tired. He told me if he could do it all over again, he would not have chosen to work at Disney, though he still loves the mouse..LOL...

Moral of the story...many people think working for Disney is the ultimate in jobs...when in reality...its really not all it seems...

 

[DMass]

Working for "the mouse" isnt as special as it seems...While many do enjoy what they do, the pay leaves a lot to be desired...

My cousins retired from NJ to come to FL and work for Disney..they used to travel to ALL the Disney parks and led fun full lives...He got a job at Disney, and he is working 6 days a week to make ends meet. Life at Disney has not been kind to him...he has missed many family events due to not getting time off, has been run over by a careless woman in an ECV(and had lasting issues because of it) and is generally just tired. He told me if he could do it all over again, he would not have chosen to work at Disney, though he still loves the mouse..LOL...

Moral of the story...many people think working for Disney is the ultimate in jobs...when in reality...its really not all it seems...

It seems to me that it would kill some of the magic if you worked there. I know the last place I want to be is where I work on my days off.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

It didn't kill the magic for me. But then, I had never really been to the parks before working there as my family never did theme parks. All of our vacations were national parks. For me, it was amazing to see how much thought goes into everything. I can honestly say it was the best company I have ever worked for, although a lot of that will depend on the department you are in.

While Disney has a well deserved reputation for micro managing, they also trust their people more than any other company. At my current theme park, I could never write a No Strings Attached to replace a lost item, make a "magical moment" by bringing somebody down the exit, etc. Disney let front line CMs do these and more without management knowledge or approval. Fantasyland Attractions, which is where I started, had wonderful Cast recognition programs. Duing one memorable campaign, they would give us chocolate bars and little raffle tickets every time they saw us showing one of the guest service guidelines. Prizes included Keys ot hte Kingdom tour for two, manager of your choice works in position for an hour while you go play, etc. It made for a very positive work environment. Sometimes I wonder if I had done entertainment first if I would have had as positive an outlook on the company since entertainment is much more global and didn't have those kind of things. I thnk how you feel really does depend on your manager.

And they are right about the time off issue. It is very difficult to get time off. I know a girl who couldn't get approved time off for her own wedding and had to get people to take her shifts so she could go on her honeymoon.

In the end it's a job like any other. Some people love it, some people hate it, most are somewhere in between. A lot of it will depend on your particular job/department/manager and the attitude you bring in. But no, it isn't always pixie dust.