CM jobs for britons.

[bassman]

hey guys.

i didnt know where to post this so if its in the wrong place please forgive me.

anyway.
i am 18 going on 19 years old,and i am strongly concidering applying for a job in WDW as a CM.

now my question is,is there a limit to what i can apply for being that i am british.

i know about the gap year programme where british people are put in the UK pavillion.
but i have a friend who has just come back from working 6 months in WDW, not on the gap year programme,and he was able to be a ride attendant and stuff.

this is what i would like to do,be a ride attendant or even a JC skipper and stuff like that,i just want to know if i can?

could someone,anyone help me out,maybe if there is any british CM on these boards who would like to tell me how theygot thier jobs and where they work.

thanks in advance.

 

[Rammstein]

I recently spoke with a CM at EPCOT that was from Puerto Rico or Mexico. I honestly can't remember what his badge said. Anyway, he was saying that if anything, you do not want to go for the International College Programme as it is not worth it. Something along the lines of underpaid and not treated well. However, he did say that, if I was to go, then the Internships that allow you to work at the UK Paviliion is better as you're paid better wages and treated better.

I do have a question if anyone could help. If anything, i would love to work at WDW full time. What are the chances of getting a full time job say after you have finished an internship or something and the government allow you to stay as a US citizen or however it works?

 

[uklad79]

There are 2 programs-

College Program - this is were you work 3 or 6 months in any park in any dept. This will not usually be extended because of visas required.

International Program - This is for 1 year (some people have had 3mth extentions on this) and you will work in Epcot. You get to choose Retail which has a fixed wage which is higher than Food & Beverage but you can get tips is F&B which boost your wages much higher in the busy season but in low season you get less than you would in Retail.

With both programs they house you and refund your flights if you stick the full length of your program (if you don't then you pay for them) You get a bit of time off to visit other parts of the US or go home.

www.wdwip.com has more info or ask on here. I have a few friends that have done one or both programs.

 

[Nic4Mick]

WDW offers 3 programmes for us Brits - Cultural Representative Programme, International College Programme and J-1 Academic Programme.

The 1st is the one you've heard of, where you would spend a year working in the UK Pavillion at Epcot. I have a friend on this programme at the moment and her experience has put me off ever taking part in this programme. The UK Pavillion is apparently very badly managed, and the CMs treat each other equally as badly as management treats them. Yes, this is only based on 1 person's experience, but throughout her time there (11 months so far) she's seen many people self-terminate as they couldn't stand it anymore.

The International College Programme allows you to work almost anywhere in WDW. You have to be between years at university to apply and it lasts for up to 3 months during the summer. I did the ICP last summer and worked as a custodial CM (which I put down as my 4th choice out of about 11) in Animal Kingdom. While it's true that it pays nothing, especially when you consider having to pay for flights out there etc, I loved every minute of it and wish I'd returned this year.

I don't know much about the J-1 Academic Programme as it's fairly new, but I've been considering doing it once I graduate in 2 years. I think you have to be a uni graduate and you spend 5 days a week working at Disney (like the ICP) but also go to college in Florida once a week to study hospitality and theme park management, or something along those lines. I think the programme can last either 6 months or a year.

I learnt everything about the programmes from wdwip.com

As for working there full time, I have no idea how the visas work. I know that you can participate in more than 1 of the programmes (I have a friend who's already done the IP and the ICP and is going back for the J-1 in Sept), but I've also heard a horrible rumour that previously having a visa can harm your chances for getting a more permanent one in the future. To be honest, I don't know how true this is since I haven't looked into it, but I hope it's not true. I basically spend my days planning how I can get back there without ever having to leave :lol:

I hope this helps :wave:

 

[Emzy]

With both programs they house you and refund your flights if you stick the full length of your program (if you don't then you pay for them) You get a bit of time off to visit other parts of the US or go home.

Not true. If you work on the ICP, you dont get refunded your flights, u pay them yourself regardless of whether or not you complete the program. Im currently working the ICP at the minute.