Ask a Disney employee

[disney_emp]

Hi all,

I'm a Disney CM, who is currently a Professional Intern. I started in Aug 09 as a College Program in Merchandise, and was offered a PI in November, and transferred to Patterson the week I was offered the position because of housing's rules. I was offered a full time position this month, and I'm starting the paperwork on that soon.

I have some friends who are applying to Disney and they have quite a few questions.

So, what I'm offering is just some advice and knowledge to anyone that has any questions about anything, really.

Let me know!

 

[elsie]

hi

Hello

I have a couple of questions:
I am auditioning for a face character what excatly is expected as far as look wise goes?
Is the pay any good ?
When i go and audition , i was told i do not need to bring in a resume or portfolio is that true?

Because i have never done this before i was always into medical and i decided to do something that i think i would really enjoy .
I would really appericate your imput .

Thanks so much :wave:

 

[htfdwlfpack]

wow ive actually got a few since ive been thinking of moving there and possibly working in Disney.

1.I live up in the NE and get paid 12.50 an hour i see there pay rates for the job i know i can do with my eyes closed(i cook btw) stat at 7.50 to 12.50 per hour. 7.50 is WAy below what my state pays for minimum wage so is this the norm in florida?

2. How much a week are the benefits for a single person no kid
2A: What company is the insurance covered by.
2B: is it any good. Like for medical and stuff like that (i LOVE DETAILS if you cant tell lol )

3: What are the employee benefits and i MEAN all lol. Like what percentage off food do you guys guy. CAn you go into the parks for free on your days off. After your shift can you just stay in the park if its still open for business, stuff like that

4. Ive heard good and Bad things about working for them. Are you able to give a review of how it is to work or them?


Thanks thats all. Take your time replying i just love as much details as you possibly can give me

 

[Tinkrbell]

I'm also a cast member, so I can try to answer your questions too.

elsie- Most of the face characters are under a size 6, some go up to 8 or 10, but most are size 6 or smaller. I've never gone to an audition, but from what I've heard, you don't have to bring a resume/portfolio/headshot, etc. If they decide to pull you for face, they'll take you picture & everything there.

htdwlfpack- I'm seasonal, so I don't get benefits through Disney, so I can't answer your questions about that. I started out doing the college program. A year after my program started, I got a letter saying I could enroll in the Disney pension plan thing. I'm not sure how it works for full time people, but apparently for seasonal, you have to be a cm for a year before you can enroll in that. The food discount depends on what restaurant. Alot of the quick service places in the park don't offer a discount, but the ones in the resorts usually offer 20% off. I think the sit down places are 20% as well, both in the parks & resorts. You can get into the parks for free on your days off & you also get a main gate pass that lets a certain number of people (usually 3) into the park for so many days (I think 6-12, depending on full time, seasonal, etc). You can stay in the park after your shift ends if it's open & you can go before your shift starts. When I started working for Disney a year & a half ago, I got $6.79, which was minimum wage. I think FL minimum wage is now $7.25. I have gotten a few 10 cent raises because of the amount of time I've worked for them.

I love working for Disney. It's both the best & worst job you'll ever have. It's the best because you're working for Disney, it's the worst because it's long hours with little pay. But its so worth it in my opinion. I work in costuming, by the way.

 

[Kristi]

I was just randomly looking online and came across positions and was wondering what the H/H means at the end of the positions.

 

[Dave Disney]

Tinkerbell...can you tell me what the Cast Member discount is on Annual Passes? My fiance and I are going in for our Honeymoon and her Grandfather is a Cast Member so we're hoping to have him purchase our AP's.

 

[htfdwlfpack]

Just curious about a few things. I may be moving down to Florida after next summer.

What are some towns that are in the area but not RIGHT in orlando lol. Lets say a 15 min drive from orlando.

Looking for towns to possible move to.

What are the cable companies in the area, and what do you guys use as far as the electric company and gas company/heating company.

I know up here in CT I pay rent,cable,and electricity so im just looking for information on that too

 

[brent2124]

To people who have done the CP;

How much did you take home in pay after they take out rent?
Did you get the role you wanted?

 

[Courtney1188]

To people who have done the CP;

How much did you take home in pay after they take out rent?
Did you get the role you wanted?

-Enough to pay for food and the occasional souvenir. Altho that varies a bit depending on how much you spend on food, how many hours you work, etc. But keep in mind that you're making minimum wage and paying quite a bit for rent, when you consider how many people you're sharing an apartment with. It's not a job that people do for the money!

-I did. Really depends on what you want...I listed about 5 choices, with Operations (specifically working on a ride) being my preference, and that is what I got. But if all you list in transportation or something like that, you may not be so lucky.

 

[Dave Disney]

Hey Courtney what attraction did you get to work on? Just curious!

 

[TheBeatles]

To people who have done the CP;

How much did you take home in pay after they take out rent?
Did you get the role you wanted?

Depends on where you work and what your lifestyle is.

I usually worked 32-35 hours a week and always had enough for gas, food, and fun.

I did not get the role I wanted, but still had fun in the one I did. Met some of my best friends.

 

[Courtney1188]

Hey Courtney what attraction did you get to work on? Just curious!

I worked on Mission:Space, but had the misfortune of having a super crappy trainer who got written up for the many insults he tossed my way, as well as mistakes he made as my trainer, and he basically made my life/job heck after that, and my attempts to transfer or get something more done about it were futile. I ended up quitting after about a month and a half. I regret it, but at the time I was completely miserable - waking up every day with my stomach in knots over the idea of having to face that man and endure more obnoxious and rude comments.

 

[Andrew54]

I worked on Mission:Space, but had the misfortune of having a super crappy trainer who got written up for the many insults he tossed my way, as well as mistakes he made as my trainer, and he basically made my life/job heck after that, and my attempts to transfer or get something more done about it were futile. I ended up quitting after about a month and a half. I regret it, but at the time I was completely miserable - waking up every day with my stomach in knots over the idea of having to face that man and endure more obnoxious and rude comments.

That person is in every job sadly.

 

[joanna71985]

I was just randomly looking online and came across positions and was wondering what the H/H means at the end of the positions.

Host/Hostess

To people who have done the CP;

How much did you take home in pay after they take out rent?
Did you get the role you wanted?

To answer the second question- I've gotten my third choice, my second choice, first choice, first choice, second choice, and first choice (I've done 6 CPs).

 

[Dave Disney]

I worked on Mission:Space, but had the misfortune of having a super crappy trainer who got written up for the many insults he tossed my way, as well as mistakes he made as my trainer, and he basically made my life/job heck after that, and my attempts to transfer or get something more done about it were futile. I ended up quitting after about a month and a half. I regret it, but at the time I was completely miserable - waking up every day with my stomach in knots over the idea of having to face that man and endure more obnoxious and rude comments.

Well it's cool you got to work on MS but very lame that you had such a jerk for a supervisor. It's way more important for you to be happy at work. You spend the majority of your waking hours there so you should at least not hate it!

 

[Courtney1188]

Well it's cool you got to work on MS but very lame that you had such a jerk for a supervisor. It's way more important for you to be happy at work. You spend the majority of your waking hours there so you should at least not hate it!

Yep...and I'm well aware there's going to be jerks in every workplace, but it was very over the top, and being 1200 miles away from home with no one to comfort me after a bad day just kinda pushed me over the edge. But I did have friends who had great experiences, one remained seasonal and works at HM, she loves it! I still love Disney World (obviously, I'm on this message board, aren't I? lol), but as far as my day job goes I am much happier at Best Buy!

 

[Duke of Disney]

What did your cover letter look like? Was it filled with "Disney"? I've been applying monthly for years, even for jobs im overqualified for. (Masters Degree in Communication) I've considered taking one class this summer to attempt to sneak in the CP that way. I have not worked in 9 months, so Im not concerned about the money really. I was hoping that if I got in the front door, I could move around some. Any pointers would be awesome!

 

[Courtney1188]

What did your cover letter look like? Was it filled with "Disney"? I've been applying monthly for years, even for jobs im overqualified for. (Masters Degree in Communication) I've considered taking one class this summer to attempt to sneak in the CP that way. I have not worked in 9 months, so Im not concerned about the money really. I was hoping that if I got in the front door, I could move around some. Any pointers would be awesome!

It definitely helps to have Disney anywhere on your resume, so many of their internships require that you have previously done the CP. I would definitely take the one class so that you can apply