Hi!!! I'm Alejandra from Mexico and I've been accepted to work as custodial this summer. I really want to know everythig related to this position the good and the bad stuff. And also I need tips on what to do or not to do.. Byee
I was custodial during the summer. Your main role is to keep your area clean and tidy, sweep up rubbish from the floor, empty your trash cans if they are getting full (i usually emptied mine if they were half full or more). Where you work will determine the methods that you will use. There is a lot of guest interaction. They often come to you to find somewhere if they are lost or just to talk at times, especially if you aren't from America. It is good to interact with the children. To talk to them go down to their level and just have fun, ask how their day has been etc... My friends and I carried bubbles with us to blow for the children which they absolutely love and we also carried around stickers which we gave to them if they were playing with us nicely or if they were upset. If you want any more specific information just holler, there are a couple of others on here who did custodial as well so I'm sure you will get as much info as you want. You will be given a lot of info in your training as well, stuff that you just learn as well.
Also, you'll be allocated a particular part of a park or resort. I worked in the Magic Kingdom's Adventureland and Frontierland, but was occasionally scheduled to work in another part of the park. The lands are sub divided into six or seven zones e.g. around a particular attraction and the computer system will rotate you around these zones throughout the day giving you breaks along the way. You'll be in each zone for 1.5-2hrs and be the only person responsible for the cleanliness of this area for that time, so you have to make sure the trash cans don't fill up and the streets are clear of litter. As stated above, a lot of your time could be taken up with guest interaction - chatting to people and helping them find places or give information. The other aspect of the role is restroom cleaning. It depends on various factors as to the proportion of your shifts allocated to restrooms - as a male in an area with plenty of male custodial cast members I only did it about 3 times during my summer program. You'll be allocated about 3 nearby restrooms to clean throughout your shift. You've got to make sure they're regularly cleaned and stocked with things like soap and paper towels. You'll be rotating round these restrooms thoughout the shift and again be the only person responsible for their upkeep. The only exception is when you have scheduled breaks. Another Cast Member will clean the restrooms during your breaks to make sure they're not left unattended (you could also be scheduled as the person to clean during somebody else's break). This role is obviously inside the air conditioning, though involves less guest interaction and personally I preferred working the streets. When you get there some of these things I've said may have changed or be different in the part of the resort you're allocated to. I'd imagine if you're positioned at one of the resort hotels it would involve a less hectic cleaning schedule but also less guest interaction. Though I was initially aprehensive I really enjoyed working in custodial, and would happily go back and continue.
As far as I know, the only thing that has really changed in Magic Kingdom is the rezoning which supposidly makes it more efficient but as we weren't there when it happened we can't really comment on that aspect. In my opinion, Rest Rooms is the worst part of custodial. There is very little interaction - it's not as though people want to talk to you when they have just gone to the toilet. There is also more pressure on you as you are in charge of those rest rooms and you don't just get one unless it is an extremely busy one. Usually, us women would get 3/4 rest rooms including those backstage.
