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Disney Internship

ImagineAtl23

ImagineAtl23

Active Member
Original Poster
Hey everybody im only 16 and i want to be an accountant and do the disney internship program during college b/c Disney is the greatest most awesome place in the world. I would like to know if anyone here has done it and if it is worth it. Or just tell me what you think. Thanks

Malcolm
 
se8472

se8472

Well-Known Member
well I have said it before and I will say it again, I loved almost every second of it.

Granted I hear people talk about the pay being low and stuff but when I got down there, that was the highest paying job I had ever had. I think this complant comes from people who don't live in the south for the most part, and arn't used to the lower cost of living in the area, and besides it was always enought for me to get by with.

But the friends that you make and the things you learn will almost seem life long. I am still finding things about myself that changed after the CP.

There are some other similar topic's out there about this very thing. Also many web sites that people who did the CP made as journals. I know I have one.
 
R

rebeson1

New Member
Loved It!

The program is definitely a great step to take, you will be able to network and you will be putting in "your time" as my co-workers liked to tell me.

I am actually graduating in May and I am in the process of applying for a management internship. I'm working on my cover letter right now:)

If anyone has knowledge about the interviewing process and the food and beverage management internship i would greatly appreciate any advice/suggestions you can give!

Malcolm- you will get out of the internship what you put in to it and if you want it to be the most amazing and rewarding time of you life it will be! Good luck!
 
MagliteL13

MagliteL13

Active Member
I, too, would do it again. Actually, just got off of it in January--going back in August. Have worked seasonally since then and then working a week in May. If you have a lot of questions about it, check out http://www.wdwcpinfo. That site should answer them all.
 
tigger248

tigger248

Well-Known Member
beauty_Belle27 said:
in the internship do you work at disney? like in the rides or shops or be a character.
Click to expand...

Yes. For my program, I worked in merchandise. My shops were Splash Photo and the Briar Patch (my area was lower frontierland, which is the Splash/Thunder area). You don't necessarily get to pick which area you're in. You can request the area, but it is only a request. They asked my favorite park and character and I answered MK and Tigger. And, I worked in a "Tigger store" (Briar Patch at the time was still a Pooh and friends store) in the MK. I loved every moment of it and miss it dearly. I can't believe it's already been nearly 3 years since I left for my program (it was fall advantage 2002).
 
Mickeyman819

Mickeyman819

Member
I am going to start my internship in the fall but, I am not doing the Disney college program though. I will be studying at UCF and my major is Hospitalilty Management. Part of the degree includes you actually needing 800 hours of internship in a way that is hospitable. So I can work basically anyplace that help hospitality and get my hours. Im going for disney obviosly and hoping to be working in the parks but im not sure where i will be.
 
se8472

se8472

Well-Known Member
TESTDUMMY S64 said:
what program would you choose if you wanted to go into imagineering like i do, speifically ride design engineering?
Click to expand...

there is a imagineering intership that is starting (or starting up again depending on who you talk to)
 
AEfx

AEfx

Well-Known Member
Although many people report having great experiences, it's best to know what you are getting into.

The WDWCP is not an internship but a job program. You work operating an attraction, serving fast food, or janitorial work (sweeping up the ground, etc.). You get paid less than the people who do that as an actual job, and out of that reduced pay you have to pay back Disney for housing. You work a lot of hours, and are the low-men on the totem pole.

There are advanced internships available which I am not clear if they are under the umbrella of the CP or not. Those, from my understanding, are very limited and only go to people who have been in the CP before. They are the ones that may hold educational value.

I found that the CP wasn't my cup of tea. I was accepted between my Sophomore and Junior years at college, but what I was sold at the interview was far different from what I found out once I investigated how it worked financially and educationally. At that point in my college career, no matter how much I loved Disney, I couldn't spend a whole summer doing something that, in the end, was work unreleated to what I wanted to do, that I didn't desire to do, or with such low wages.

It would look good on a resume, but the kind of work I do doesn't depend on resumes. I wasn't going to actually further my education, or my wallet, and I wasn't willing to sacrifice both of those just to work at a job I wouldn't have worked any place but at Disney in the first place. And, I'd have been graduated by the time I became elligble for any of the advanced internships that would have possibly benefitted me - and there were not promises it would ever happen anyway.

In the end, I ended up spending the summer renting a very cheap but very nice apartment in Orlando with a friend, getting a job that paid 4x as much as Disney wanted to pay me, and taking a couple of interesting classes. I ended up going home with a few more academic credits, a nice bit of cash, and still got in a lot of themepark time as a happy guest.

Now, if you just want to go some place where just about everything is taken care of for you (i.e. you've never lived away from home, and you like dorm living or you just enjoy having your life somewhat regulated), just tp be in WDW 24 hours a day, and work one of those jobs I described above, then it may be for you. You may not make a bunch of money, and you may not do anything really relevant to your education, but if you'd be happy spending a summer, or semester, sweeping up under the castle or cooking burgers for hungry guests then I'd say go for it.

Just look into it very, very closely, listen to a lot of different opinions on it, and most importantly really think if you want to be that intimate with the mouse. I found I enjoyed staying a guest and just having the good fortune of knowing a bunch of CM's, both regular and CP - some of whom were happy and some of whom were not.

Good luck whatever you decide!

AEfx
 
M

mkepcotmgmak

Well-Known Member
TheOneVader said:
Care to explain the differences? :)
Click to expand...

The Walt Disney World College Program is not a true internship. It is a great experience, if you make it to be. The pay is horrible, but you know that before signing on. You can't move up, get a raise, take benefits or most anything that fulltime and partime cms can take advantage of. the college program is honestly one of those things that depends on the type of person you are, as to if you will enjoy your experience. i had to leave mine a month early, because 6 dollars an hour was stretching me WAY TOO THIN, and I have bills to pay. The program is promoted as an internship, but in all honesty, it's just a way to bring in a lot of cheap labor for disney, but, it is a lot of fun, and you will make friends for a lifetime! HI JONNIE, BETH, JILL, AIMEE, KELLY, AARON, and the list goes on and on...just on these boards alone...haha. if you are going, to be only part of the disney magic, then enjoy, but a large majority of cps, i would dare say 75-80% care NOTHING about making magic, but making hangovers. you do learn A LOT on the college program. you will learn how to make quick decisions, deal with large amounts of people, learn how to work with many different cultures, races, and many other walks of life.... BUT... as far as an internship, i don't think being a custodian, or operating attractions or doing merchandising is a true intership that disney makes it out to be...

a professional internship with disney is totally different. you are not part of the college program, or associated with it in anyway, although, doing the college program can increase your chances of getting an internship. i have two friends who interned with WDI, and both were very talented at what they did, and excelled in the internships!

after completing the WDWCP, you can apply for an Advanced Internship in certain areas around the park. The ADVANCED INTERNSHIP is part of the college program, but is actually an internship that might go towards your focus in school. If you majoring in Public Relations, you might seek out a Guest Relations AI, or Hospitatlity = working in a resort, Education = Disney's YES! Program, etc...

i hope this explains the difference between a disney internship, and the wdwcp and wdwcp advanced internship.

overall, the walt disney world college program is one of the biggest rollercoaster rides you will ever ride. you will hit the highest of highs, and could possible hit the lowest of lows, but it's all a learning experience.
 
TheOneVader

TheOneVader

Well-Known Member
It looks like I probably won't be doign the College Program. lol

Does Disney have any sort of internships in the computer field? I'm probably gonna take computer classes and such. Not sure on what I want to do, but I know I love computers. I'm leaning into networking.
 

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