Disney PI

[surya]

Hey all!!
I'm an architecture student from India and I recently applied for a professional internship in the same. Can anyone give me an idea of how the process goes? How long till I get a call or anything? What is their selection criteria? ANY thing you can tell me will be awesome... THANKS!!

 

[Captain Hank]

Welcome to WDWMagic, and Good Luck!

Professional Internships, particularly in engineering-related fields tend to be very competetive. They'll be looking for related coursework, experience and, preferably, a good understanding of/experience with the Walt Disney Company. Unfortunately, the process can be very, very slow, though I don't specifically know about timelines for Architecture. Is the one you applied for handled through Imagineering or Ride and Show Engineering?

 

[surya]

Thanks for replying... Ummm... I'm not really sure what I've sent my application through. I had sent in a query and they had asked me to send in my resume, which I did. I got an e-mail saying my resume has been forwarded to the respective department.
I haven't had a chance to work with Disney, obviously, because I live too far away, though I've visited Walt Disney World twice.
I have decent work experience, and I had attached my portfolio as well, which isn't too bad. So I'm hoping they'll get back to me with positive news Apparently they have a Jan-May session, and a May-Aug.
And yes, I understand why competition would be so fierce, but someone told me that Disney encourages international students, because, well... it's Disney!! I'm hoping that tidbit is true(though I have no clue where this person heard that!!)
ANY information will help calm my pounding heart...

 

[SeaBreeze]

The PI application process can be very slow. You haven't applied for a specific group yet so don't worry about that; if a team has an opening and think you're a good candidate for you, they will contact you for a phone interview. I did an engineering PI at WDW and I believe that A&FE (Architecture and Facilities Engineering) would be the best group you. Facility Asset Management could also apply but they are the project management group. It's possibly you may be able to get in touch with contacts from these areas but in general, the PI process can be lengthy.

 

[surya]

hey seabreeze!!
yea i understand the process is slow and lengthy... but if I applied at the end of July for 2010 spring/summer... when can I expect a reply? anything? do they mail first if you're selected for the phone interview? or do they call directly?
and since you did engineering, which is a field really close to architecture... maybe you could tell me more... lots more??
i'm sorry for being such a pest but I was about 2yrs old when I decided Disney is my destiny (at that I wanted to be Ariel, then I wanted to draw for them, and gradually decided to settle with designing for them... if given a chance!)

 

[SeaBreeze]

hey seabreeze!!
yea i understand the process is slow and lengthy... but if I applied at the end of July for 2010 spring/summer... when can I expect a reply? anything? do they mail first if you're selected for the phone interview? or do they call directly?
and since you did engineering, which is a field really close to architecture... maybe you could tell me more... lots more??
i'm sorry for being such a pest but I was about 2yrs old when I decided Disney is my destiny (at that I wanted to be Ariel, then I wanted to draw for them, and gradually decided to settle with designing for them... if given a chance!)

Well, my application experience will be very different from yours because my Uni is only two hours from WDW so the engineers actually come here to interview us. An intern in my group applied online and they phoned him from our department to interview him. I'm not entirely sure how long it was between entering his application and the phone call. I got an email saying I was rejected...only to be called the next day from my department doing the final placement interview. It was very odd but apparently an internal glitch sent out the wrong email :shrug: I didn't have any warning before my phone interview but that may have been a result of the email error; it's possible they email you before to let you know.

My internship started in January and I had everything finalized probably by October. I interviewed about a year ahead of the internship period I wanted though so it was very slow processing! They actually interviewed me twice just to make sure they still wanted to place me in that group vs another department.

I will say though that you need to have experience related to your field on your resume. If you don't get accepted this time, try to get any internship in your area to put on your resume and apply again. It really does a make a difference! I was told point blank that they wanted to interview me because I had completed multiple engineering internships with GE. And I can't stress enough how important it is that it's in your area.

You might be tempted to try to do the International Program, which would be similar to the College Program for US student. We had a lot of applicants that only had CP experience and were hoping to network into a technical PI; I know of one who had that work out but he still had a technical internship with another company under his belt. The CP is a great program and does open a lot of doors to company jobs, but generally not in engineering and architecture. If you did take this route, you can make contacts and familiarize yourself with the company but you still need to have the technical background to get a PI. My point being that while it seems logical to work for WDW in some sense, the technical groups put a lot more weight on previous experience in your area.

Hang in there and see if they call you within the next few months. If not, I would apply to every architecture firm you can think of so you can stick that experience on your resume and try again for next fall :wave:

 

[surya]

Wow... It doesn't sound very easy to me. I have interned before, and I did it in Europe, so maybe that would count for something? I'm really really hoping for this. What is their selection criteria? Just the experience? Does being an international applicant help at all (I have a feeling I'm pushing my luck here )?
And the unfortunate thing is I cannot wait another year... we have a compulsary internship in our fourth year for which we are given six months of no college. When we get into fifth(final) year... we have classes throughout. So THIS is pretty much my first, last and only chance!!

 

[SeaBreeze]

Wow... It doesn't sound very easy to me. I have interned before, and I did it in Europe, so maybe that would count for something? I'm really really hoping for this. What is their selection criteria? Just the experience? Does being an international applicant help at all (I have a feeling I'm pushing my luck here )?
And the unfortunate thing is I cannot wait another year... we have a compulsary internship in our fourth year for which we are given six months of no college. When we get into fifth(final) year... we have classes throughout. So THIS is pretty much my first, last and only chance!!

Actually, it's not your final chance. You just have to be a student when you apply and accept, so you can actually do a PI the semester after your graduate (that's what I did). Being an international applicant probably doesn't help you either way if I had guess, but I don't know that for certain.

If you have some technical work experience, that will definitely help you. The first thing they glance at is your academic performance (not sure how you're marked there, we're on a numeric scale with 4.0 being perfect in a class) If your grades are good, they move on to the rest of the resume. Work experience is the main thing they notice and that's what will distinguish you among the other applicants. Other things that help are your extracurriculars; if you're actively involved in clubs, organizations, etc, that helps a lot. Any honors or distinctions also sets you apart.

It is very difficult just because it's so competitive, but if it's what you really want, I'd keep at it. I would definitely apply for it during your last year because it sounds like your academic program requires you complete things that Disney will look favorably upon. And remember, you're eligible to apply as long as you're a student so if you ever do any other schooling, you can apply then as well

Good luck and don't give up :wave:

 

[americangeiko]

Casting normally only looks at your GPA to see that you meet their standards for an internship--A "C" or Middle/Median grade is all that's required.

The bulk of you being accepted into the program has to do with prior experience and the interview. You can have great experience, but if you don't have the 'Team Disney' attitude, then you won't be selected.

At the same time, you could get have the right attitude, but the wrong experience.