Hello there I've been thinking about a summer job in Florida for a number of years now. I was going to apply for this Summer but decided not to because I don't think I would have enough money left over for my second year of univeristy, I need more money than my first year because I must go away on placement in the second year. And that happens in summer 2011. My second placement is during the third year of uni and I'm hoping it will be somewhere abroad, either Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, USA or Singapore maybe. My question is to you guys, what benefits will Disney have on your CV? i'm a design student so there is no real link between the design field and hospitality or whatever. Can't remember how much flights are, but they are still a lot to ask for, somewhere between £600-£1k???. I did check on sta just before but they decided that there were no fares to be found. If any of you guys are in a similar position as me, what were your reasons behind going to Disney? I really want to go there for a Summer, but need to know is it worth it? in terms of improving a CV. Hopefully that made some sense to you Thanks guys
Ok, firstly, if you love Disney/Disney Movies then it doesn't matter about the career stuff because you'll love it anyway! Secondly, I do TV production which I didn't really see as relevant (I know that loads of people do so many different degrees which don't seem related as well) and yet, having such a massive company as Disney and the fact it's in florida really makes your CV stand out for whichever career path you end up on... it just shows that you stepped out of your comfort zone and did something different which is fab ;D Since I went in 2008, I had a job interview for a job in a hospital (totally unrelated!) and yet ended up spending about 15 minutes of the interview having a discussion about working for disney! The job has many benefits, for example, working in a team, working long hours, working unsociable hours, working abroad, dealing with different currency, talking/communicating with people from all over the world, customer skills etc which although some might seem like they are not "benefits" (e.g. long hours!) it actually is because they show you are a hard working person who is flexible Also, if you like the theme parks then of course there are other fab benefits like being able to go into the parks whenever you want for the 3 months!! The second part of your post deals with flights and costs... you were probably not looking at a good time for flights because they are pretty much all sold out now for the dates we have all been accepted for so they will be either hugely expensive or non-existant. When I booked my flight for the 20th june (til 9th sept) I booked it on xmas eve and it cost me £419. So not that bad at all. However, there are several other costs to consider, such as insurance, visa costs and various housing fees etc... in total the amount I spent getting to florida in 2008 was about £1000 including everything (and my flight was more like £650 because I booked it in march...) whereas this time it will probably all-in cost me about £800 ish. However, you do of course earn money whilst you're out there... my pay rate will be about $7/hour and you usually work at least 35-40 hours a week (often more) so on that basis you could earn about about $3000 over the summer... subtract your US taxes and rent and you will have about $2000... I spent it all but some people come back with some (I just bought loads of stuff and food That's optional!). Even though it costs a lot, I decided to go back in 2010 because it would be the last chance I'd have to do the ICP as I finish uni this year and the amount of fun and experience I had outweighed the overdraft I am sitting in now But obviously, it's always a personal choice. If you have any questions you can feel free to email yummy jobs and they are very friendly and will always answer your questions Sorry for the really long post, I am not a rep of yummy jobs or disney - promise!! ;D
haha thanks for that! I am just worried about the trade off between the cost of getting and living there, compared with the cost to the CV. I understand all about how, customer relations, culture shocks etc etc can enhance a CV, I am just more concerned with what a potential employer might say to me in an interview; "what made you decide Disney was a good career move?". It really does not have anything in common with what I'm studying and what I would like to do as a job, but... I suppose it will broaden my experience a bit more, right? I'm now perhaps more interested to hear that it may only cost as little as £800, so it is probably good to do now I thought you only get a 6 day pass for the theme parks? or did you share with friends?
To be honest, if you do the summer ICP it's not so much a "career move" as more of a "summer gaining life experience"... put it this way, I found a good answer to that question is to say you would have preferred to go abroad and do an experience for 3 months than just earn money in a part time job here whilst you have the opportunity of doing different things as a student. Oh, and no, you get an unlimited pass to the 4 main parks for yourself whilst you're a cast member (magic kingdom, epcot, animal kingdom and hollywood studios) except black out days (I think thats only 4th july when you're on the summer icp but I got round it and ended up in MK on that day anyway!) and then you get a discounted rate for the waterparks and disneyquest etc whilst you're a CM as well. The 6 day thing is the pass for family and friends if they come out to visit you, you can get up to 3 people in on 6 occasions throughout the time you're a CM. ;D
Hi water boy! Well, first of all let me tell you that I have a money issue too. My whole family is going to sponsor my summer in WDW. I am from Mexico and I have made an estimate of around 2000 USD considering everything (round trip, insurance, visa, assessment fee, expenditure for living the weeks of training, etc). It´s not THAT much and I think that the experience worths it all!! ;D What Cathy says is SO true!!.. Employers want people who can work in team, with leadership skills, who can work under pressure and for maaaaaaany hours etc.. And the ICP can train you in these respects. Besides it, if you ever want to start up your own business Disney has A LOT to teach you!! Every year, people from all over the world go to Disney and pay a considerable amount of money just to learn how Disney makes their "guests" come back several times during their lifes. The loyalty of the people to Disney as whole is something anyone would like to learn and apply for their own business. Think about it!.. And consider that the ICP is a lifetime experience, it will teach you a lot of useful things for both, your personal and professional life!!.. It´s gonna make your CV outstanding, it´s going to give you cultural awarness, you are going to have lots of fun there and you will have friends from all over the world!!! ;D Is that enough for you?
When I went last summer, I was only going to do it once, and then do something more Environmental Science related or a different work abroad job to broaden the experience. But I love Disney, and had such a good time there that I am returning this summer! It will make your CV stand out, and you can learn a lot about your field even without direct links - how Disney have themed their parks, costumes, merchandise etc., and even how their competitors do it. You can also ask to maybe work shadow someone there for a day in something more directed at your specific degree. It is a MASSIVE enhancement for your CV, whatever you end up doing. Would you be guaranteed a related job for your degree at home for the summer - because if not, something different will be better! In terms of costs, sure the start-up costs are reasonably expensive, but I know a lot of people who asked for their flights for Christmas - so although it cost the same, it was one less expense for them. And when I left last summer, I had $800 left (although I soon spent that because I travelled after!). You can pick up extra shifts as well if you want more money to save and take home, I know I made enough to cover the costs of the program. I think it is definitely worth doing, even for the experience - as long as you know what you are getting into! And if, after all, it wasn't as good as you were hoping, you'll still learn from the experience and can relate that to an employer. xxx
I totally agree to everything everyone has said here. I am studying Microbiology which i have no use for at Disney at all, well unless i want to go about searching for funky organisms which should not be there, but it certainly would not be as exciting as the summer i had over in Florida. Just because my degree was not related to the experience it did not stop me and actually for that fact made it more appealing as it was something different and new to try out, as i may never get a chance again to have such a role. I worked at Epcot in Merchandise and i absolutely loved it. Just being able to put that into my CV gives me a great sense of joy and excitement and it certainly is a great conversation starter. The costs can be high but if you search about for deals especially for flights you can save yourself so much money. I know some people last year got their flights for around £350, this was for summer 2009. I really would give a massive thumbs up for you to take a chance and try it, it would give you a chance to see how Disney works and would slightly work with your degree in a way. Especially if you did what Katie said and shadow someone for any TV production roles. It certainly could work in your favour and you could have a massive bunch of fun. I loved it and i will be reapplying for summer of 2011 which i cannot wait to do
at the end of the day if you graduate with 'Disney' on your cv its better than graduating like maybe the other people in your class with just the degree on your cv. I'm the only person in my class with an international placement, some students are doing absolutely nothing this summer. Therefore i know for a fact that at the end of year 1, in terms of uni related cv stuff, i have the most outstanding cv And besides it gives u something to talk about in interviews, people are bound to be suprised u worked for Disney in Florida =] I know my boss was utterly shocked when i handed in my notice and said i had a job for me in America.. Ooh and also my degree is entertainment management, so disney is related but in terms of what i wanna do in life i actually wanna work in an office writing for a magazine, so actually disney qs food and beverage has nothing to do with that! lol x
