Questions about Monorail Driver jobs

[MDL8981]

I'm moving down to Orlando in June to go back to school....but I'll also be looking for a job in that time. Ever since I was a kid I always thought a cool job would be to drive the monorail....so this is something I'll look into as a job. I have some questions though, so anyone who has any info and can answer some of my questions...I'd appreciate it!

1) Are there any qualifications necessary to be considered?

2) Is this a hard job to get/in high demand?

3) What is the training like? Short period of time or long period of time? Is it classroom/written test type stuff, or is it all hands on training i.e practicing driving the actual trains on the track? Is there a final test you need to pass before "graduating"?

4) Is the job itself easy? demanding? stress free or stress filled?

5) Do they hire part-time and full-time positions? What are the shifts like?


Again any info I receive is appreciated!

 

[DisneySaint]

In general, there are two groups of people that staff monorials: a very small group of luckly college program kids and the veterans who have been doing it since the beginning of time. Getting "hired into" monorials is almost unheard of and anyone who does would have to be in the right place at the right time. I'd also advise said individual to purchase a lottery ticket on their way out of Casting. Nonetheless, to answer your questions...

1) Are there any qualifications necessary to be considered?

There are no more qualifications than a street sweeper would have. One obvious one is to have a valid Florida Driver's license.

2) Is this a hard job to get/in high demand?

See my comments above.

3) What is the training like? Short period of time or long period of time? Is it classroom/written test type stuff, or is it all hands on training i.e practicing driving the actual trains on the track? Is there a final test you need to pass before "graduating"?

The training will be just the same as any other frontline position. Disney has all this stuff streamlined. Classroom training first, computer training second, then OJT (on-the-job-training) last. I'm not exactly sure how long monorail pilots do OJT but I'd have to imagine it's no less than 5 days due to the extreme safety nature of them. There's always a written and an OJT aptitude test.

4) Is the job itself easy? demanding? stress free or stress filled?

Again, no direct experience here. I had friends that worked in them, though, and it indeed can get tedious. You get a lot of interaction with people, but keep in mind that piloting the monorial isn't a full-time thing. You spend the large majority of your time on the platforms and "rotate" in to the driving positions throughout your shift. Keep in mind, as well, monorial hours are significantly longer than standard park hours. On EMH nights it's not unusual to get off at 4-5 AM.

5) Do they hire part-time and full-time positions? What are the shifts like?

Both, I'm sure. The shifts, as I mentioned in the prior question, would just be rotational 8-14 hour shifts, on average.

 

[MDL8981]

Thanks alot for the info! Sorry to hear that my chances of getting that job are pretty much zero....oh well. My backup plan would be to look into a hotel job i.e front desk since I have about 7 years of experience working in hotels apart of the Hilton chain....I bet my chances of getting one of those jobs is probably higher.

 

[Monorail Lime]

Thanks alot for the info! Sorry to hear that my chances of getting that job are pretty much zero....oh well. My backup plan would be to look into a hotel job i.e front desk since I have about 7 years of experience working in hotels apart of the Hilton chain....I bet my chances of getting one of those jobs is probably higher.

Don't give up! It's true that getting hired directly into monorails is unlikely. However, it is possible (and relatively easier) to transfer to monorails after serving some time in another role. Try to get to know some "railies" and perhaps they'll put in a good word with the department managers.

 

[Monorail Lime]

1) Are there any qualifications necessary to be considered?

There are no more qualifications than a street sweeper would have. One obvious one is to have a valid Florida Driver's license.


3) What is the training like? Short period of time or long period of time? Is it classroom/written test type stuff, or is it all hands on training i.e practicing driving the actual trains on the track? Is there a final test you need to pass before "graduating"?

The training will be just the same as any other frontline position. Disney has all this stuff streamlined. Classroom training first, computer training second, then OJT (on-the-job-training) last. I'm not exactly sure how long monorail pilots do OJT but I'd have to imagine it's no less than 5 days due to the extreme safety nature of them. There's always a written and an OJT aptitude test.

1) Florida DL is not required. It is not unusual for the seasonal and casual temporary types to reside out-of-state.

3) Training is split into three phases. First is Traditions, which is the general Disney indoctrination course that all WDW cast members go through. Next is "platform training", a 2-3 day crash course in manning the stations, basics of the monorail system, responding to area-specific guest inquiries, and that sort of thing. Manning the stations is pretty much all a new cast member does for the first 90 days. Those who make it through the platform-only period without transferring out of the department or quitting outright will be assigned a trainer and finally learn how to drive the monorails. Drive training, as it is called, is 7 days of classroom and on-the-job followed by a final check-out test and hopefully a pilot's certificate!

 

[DisneySaint]

1) Florida DL is not required. It is not unusual for the seasonal and casual temporary types to reside out-of-state.

3) Training is split into three phases. First is Traditions, which is the general Disney indoctrination course that all WDW cast members go through. Next is "platform training", a 2-3 day crash course in manning the stations, basics of the monorail system, responding to area-specific guest inquiries, and that sort of thing. Manning the stations is pretty much all a new cast member does for the first 90 days. Those who make it through the platform-only period without transferring out of the department or quitting outright will be assigned a trainer and finally learn how to drive the monorails. Drive training, as it is called, is 7 days of classroom and on-the-job followed by a final check-out test and hopefully a pilot's certificate!

Well straight from the horse's mouth! Thanks for clarifying. I meant to say D/L not Florida D/L. It would be silly to expect CPers to go get FL D/Ls for their 4 months there.