Would you give up your current job to move near disney but make less as a career CM?

[Ziggie]

While I have the dream of leaving the UK and going to live in "The Sunshine State" - I'm afraid that there is no desire to take a drop in income / standard of living etc especially with a wife and family to support.
Plus, daily exposure to WDW would, after a while, spoil the magic and it would become mundane.
Sorry folks, but for now I'm staying put, working hard and paying over the odds for my WDW holidays :lol:

I agree that the magic might become spoiled. I love visiting Disney to experience all the magical wonderfullness I think the only job I would accept would be an office position ~ not sure in what area tho(?)

 

[ClemsonTigger]

Will contine to work the big corporate machinery...the entrapment of real money. Would consider working at Disney after retirement though.

 

[MommytoMJM]

If we didn't need the medical benefits of my DH's current job, he'd be a CM in an instant....he still may be (he isn't very happy at his current job) His dream job at WDW would be Jungle Cruise skipper followed by HM or ToT (he loves to get in character)

 

[bgraham34]

As much as I would love too. No I would not. Maybe a year but not forever. Well Maybe for a few months from October to MArch when it is cooler out. I hate the heat.

 

[spoodles]

Great question. And frankly, one I've wrestled with for years. Realistically now with a family of 5, the CM thing's no longer an option. Now if I could be an Imagineer, yeah right. I guess the only way this could happen is to get a job down there in my field (IT), for Disney or other -- then my wife would try to work for the mouse for sure.

These thoughts are really pounding now, since we're moving and haven't found our new house yet. It's like I'm in a giant tub, Orlando's the drain, and someone's pulled the plug.

 

[Bravesfn1]

No way. It would ruin the magic in my opinion. I know a bunch of people who worked there in the CP, and they all said it really sucked.

 

[MagliteL13]

I have a question that maybe you (or someone else here) could answer. When you finish the CP, do they ever ask you to stay on as an employee? Or is it just for the experience + college credit?

Very good question. They never ask, however, you can 'extend'. So, for instance, if you were doing the Fall College Program (August to January), you could stay down there Till the next May or August then. It might not be in the same role, but the opportunity is there. The school I did it through really pushes the fact that it's better to do it, come back and finish the degree, and then if you want--go back and work. Once you've worked there and providing you have rehireable status, it's not hard to go back and work--you just may be in a different role.

As for the initial question....I think someone mentioned cutting their right ear off to go back and work. I'll cut my left one off. Eventually though, I'd think I want to put the degree to work and end up as a theatre tech somewhere in the parks.

 

[Epcot82Guy]

I personally could not simply b/c of my loans for school. However, I do plan to interview with firms in Orlando for next summer (and then hopefully after I finish in 2007). I really enjoyed living in Orlando (and I did an AI, so I actually lived on my own and not in Disney housing, so, yes, I did LIVE in Orlando). On a side note, if I do, would love to meet some of the people on here! I would love to make it into Disney's legal dept., though, and then maybe lateral over to another division eventually, though.

As for the CP, it very much depends on perspective. If you are going thinking your job is going to be great, you will be disappointed. There is no difference in the physical job at WDW than from WalMart, Six Flags, etc. for the most part. However, you have an opportunity to do things you cannot do elsewhere. I would go back in a second and work because, although it did destroy some of the magic, (1) I can never get that back now and (2) the feeling you get when you make that magic for another person is priceless. Until you have been a CM there, you really can't appreciate it (not meaning that in a demeaning way; it's just something you have to ACTUALLY experience to FULLY appreciate). Therefore, if you take the job itself as a necessity to the actual goal and hope of being a good Disney representative, the experience can be outstanding and incredibly fulfilling. Granted, it gets frustrating, especially with Disney's current management and trainiing activities and decisions (IMHO), but that is true anywehre. I only hope they can get the focus in the parks back on training great managers and CM's because then the CP students (which, although difficult, can live on less than FT employees) will become GREAT CMs across the board, too (making the experience better as well).

OK... Getting off my soapbox now!

 

[pluto77]

I have a question that maybe you (or someone else here) could answer. When you finish the CP, do they ever ask you to stay on as an employee? Or is it just for the experience + college credit?

MagLiteL13 did a good job answering, but I'm just going to add that it's very easy to change to seasonal status at the end of the program. All you have to do is tell them about when your going to to go back to start back again.

They also have the new summer alumni program, so if you wanted to do the program again without missing any school you can just go for the summer.

 

[KingStefan]

I am an engineer, and when I was younger, I occasionally thought about what it would be like to be an imagineer for Disney. I imagined (no pun intended) that it could be the best job ever! Now, however, when I heard about huge layoffs of in-house imagineers in recent years that sort of burst my bubble.

I disturbs me just a little that if I had seriously pursued that dream, as remote of a possibility as I thought it was at that time, I might have had the most ideal job for me that I can think of for a few years, and now be on the street with no benefits.

 

[abe_bb]

Well, if life circumstances were differently, my wife and I would at least seriously think about it...

But then again, I am already a telecommuter, so I could work from anywhere in the world. And I am sure my wife would gladly give up her job to live near Disney!

 

[marksniles]

If I didn't have a wife and I was living by myself I wouldn't think twice about moving down there!

 

[celticdog]

Daily exposure would ruin the magic for me. I'd rather not get accustomed to the whole experience. I would rather not know all the inside workings at WDW. That way there will always be mystery surrounding every visit.

To coin and old cliche: It's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't want to live there.

 

[drdoom1001]

No chance, even though when I was younger I did think about. You can't live on what CM's make, even tipped positions are not jobs most people would want and I do think some of the magic would be gone when going there becomes a JOB! I do love Orlando and do plan to move there, as far as someone saying Orlando isn't a good place to live, my opinion is totally opposite, I think it's the best place to live (ignoring the heat, humidity and rain in the summer months).There are tons of very nice areas to live, I just wouldn't work at the parks. I'm a huge theme park enthusiast living in south Florida and put an average of 30,000-35,000 miles a year on my car driving to theme parks, water parks and amusement parks.

 

[Fantasmic!329]

I make diddly squat with my current job (babysitter), and I have no job in the summer. So if I could, I would love to go down to Orlando, and work for the Mouse.
I know it would probably ruin some of the magic for me, I think it would be great to make so many people's vacations magical. It is almost like paying back all the CMs that went out of their way to make my vacations so nice.
I do have some time to think about it though, I'm 13. :lookaroun

 

[lawyergirl77]

What a great idea for a thread!

In my dream world in which I kept on the stage performer track, I would totally take a performance CM job (i.e be a character or even do a bit part in one of the musicals or parades) in a heartbeat! Unfortunately, I've let my Actors' Guild membership slide what with the whole law thing, so it's no longer really an option!

However, ITA with Epcot82Guy - if TWDC legal came a knockin', I would definitely come a runnin'!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (The Florida Bar can't be that bad, can it??)

 

[Computer Magic]

As much as I enjoy WDW, I think living out there would cause the two worlds to collide. See, there is fantasy world and the real world. If the two worlds meet, the real world would kill fantasy world.

 

[Laura]

I work from home (internet business) so I can take it anywhere. I'd love to work as a CM but seeing as my husband is in the military and I have 2 toddlers its not feasible LOL.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Around the time I was leaving the RAF, my wife was approached by some agency looking for nurses ( I believe the hospital was in the Sarasotta / Tampa area), at the same time I was given info about a job for Kodak looking after the digital printers at WDW, I mean I couldnt believe it,there on the screen it named the parks and a job description that was similar to my post at that time (although I was teaching the stuff) .

We were realy tempted, Sell our house, no need for a mortgage, better weather, better working conditions for my wife, then reality hits. Ageing parents still need looking after,the job was a pay cut and sounded fairly restricted, kids at critical stages in exam cycles.

Id still love to do it, but family rather than money is always going to be the drawback

 

[spoodles]

But what if instead of a CM position, you were a professional and had the opportunity to stay in your field but work for WDW. Would it still kill the magic?

I'm worried about the "worlds colliding" -- has anyone moved there, been there a while, and still feeling the magic?