Do you want to work at the parks or corporate? For the parks, I know a bunch of people got their start at the Disney college program and work full-time/part time afterwards as a cast member. It's depend on what you want to work at Disney. They have different requirements for certain positions especially if you're working at animal kingdom to work with the animals, being a Disney character, wedding planner, etc.

My husband bartends at Disney and loves it! Just apply online or go to a hiring event

Supervisor? No, probably not. And they almost always promote from within. If you don’t want to work hard and take the bad days with the good, I don’t recommend working at Disney.

Working for Disney was a personal career goal of mine at one point. I wanted to work for their IT division.

Until all the layoffs happened. That dream has ended as I’d have no job security there. No matter how skilled I was. Not on a full time basis anyway.

But that’s different from working in the parks and DS, and such. What are you wanting to do?

I was hired on the Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) for the summer of 2019 at WDW. The CEP application process takes about 5 months from the time you apply to the time you are accepted, then another 3 months before you actually move down there.

It was pretty life changing for good and bad. My previous employment background was far above the tasks required of my job in WDW so I found it really easy and excelled at it. I spent a good portion of my shift interacting with guests so my people skills and communication got way better.

The best part though were my program housing roommates. I now say I have 5 extra brothers and a sister, we are quite close and I go out to visit them on the east coast once a year!

The biggest downside to it was having to come home. For a lot of international college program participants this is one of the only times they’ll go to WDW so having to leave is difficult and the post program depression is real. I’m lucky in that I live next door to the USA and can go to WDW or DLR every couple years, but I still fell into a pretty bad funk after having to say goodbye to my job and roommates in Florida.

I never got to work for Disney myself.

However, I do know Disney is BIG on ITIL for IT process framework so study up on that.

Get to know MacOS and Windows endpoint OS’s well. Troubleshooting them, command lines, networking, file shares, etc.

For their graphical design, ILM could be using some in-house stuff but otherwise, I’d get to know platforms like Adobe, Lightwave, DaVinci, and especially Autodesk. ILM is big on Autodesk, so the more you know about supporting that platform, the better. Look up Autodesk Maya.

I’ve done the college program three times. I’ve worked QSFB in Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, ODV (outdoor vending; popcorn and ice cream carts) in Epcot, and Custodial in Hollywood Studios.

It’s a LOT of fun. It can be very magical! But it is of course a job, and comes with everything a normal job comes with - rude guests, some shitty coworkers, and really really hard work. But also you get to be in Disney World every day, work with some of the best people, and have some very rewarding moments with guests. I had days where I came home glowing from the magic and days where I came home and cried because it was so tough. My first program I wanted to quit for a good two months but I stuck it out. Of course looking back I remember the good parts. It’s kinda like when a woman gives birth she forgets all the pain when she holds her baby, lol.

You apply online. Be ready to move there quickly if you do get hired. There are so many articles and YouTube videos about the interview process to look up.

Just keep applying to anything that interests you that you think you're even 50% qualified for. In my personal experience, talking to leaders hasn't gotten me anywhere. The only people I saw this work for were the extreme kiss-ups to leaders. I just scour the internal careers site and apply. I was in parks for 5+ years, got a temp assignment with DCL, and now I work in an office and technical role for engineering.

Make sure your resume is up to date and modify it slightly for every role you apply for. I would have different versions of my resume based on the type of role I was going for and then I would edit some keywords from the job posting into the more applicable resume. I had a communications/social media resume and a guest service resume.

Do you actually mean 'corporate' or just in general a professional/office-type job? There are lots of professional jobs in the park division.

My advice would be to try and find an entry level office job. Ask around and try to find some. Then talk to your leader to ask about meet and greets.

You can slowly climb up the ladder, certainly. A lot of corporate employees started off as park CMs. However, your BA in English isn't gonna get you there. Pursue a masters degree in something relevant to the line of work you want to eventually do: business administration, HR, organizational leadership, public affairs, marketing, etc.

There are two things that you need to do to make that leap to a salaried position.

You have to have patience and you have to be awesome in your current position.

Any open position in TWDC gets hundreds of qualified candidates applying for them. What is going to set you apart from all of these other candidates?

Talk to your leader. Let them know your goals.

They will be able to put you on contact with whoever may help you with said goals

Disney is all about making connections, and yes ass kissing, to move up.

The earlier you start, and the more vocal you are about want you want to do FOR the company the better chance you have.

suggestion - apply. You won't know anything until you apply.

are you specifically looking for an operations role? it's really challenging right now because of our union contracts most front line roles are extremely well compensated so not a lot of people are leaving, which of course means they don't need to hire very many people. the only thing i can recommend is applying for something that may require slightly less experience and speaking with your recruiter during the interview process, letting them know that you're interested in other types of roles. this happened a few years ago with someone i know who applied for housekeeping, but had Starbucks in their resume and was pulled for Starbucks/specialty food and beverage in the parks.

I think some departments are in a hiring freeze so that might be why your having issues at least that's what I heard.

Messaged u

Look morning afternoon and night. Good luck

I’m not saying these are the reasons but just to start the conversation.

1. overqualified - like any other job, they have a budget and they want to pay people to keep the cogs spinning. Even if you can do more or become unmanageable because the manager might think you’ll take their job one day, they won’t hire you

2. previous park history - have you been a guest to WDW or Disneyland before? Do you have a “history”? If so, it is rumored that they look into that type of stuff.

3. Do you have the cast member attitude? Service-oriented, positive, action oriented, proactive, etc.?

4. Also as one other poster mentioned, do you have a degree in the field? Some jobs require a degree and even if you have experience, it becomes a liability were something to happen.

Disney Careers are very competitive with a high volume of applicants for niche roles. It sounds you have a passion for working with animals but overall have a limited amount of education and career history related to animal care. These type of roles are limited and have a high number of applicants.

I’d recommend tailoring your applications to roles where you have experience/education. Have you had your resume reviewed as well?

I’ve been applying to Disney IT positions for 5 years. I live 15 minutes from the parks. 10 years of experience in a leadership role. I’ve been denied dozens of times for various roles which I’m qualified for. I’m convinced there’s a very selective criteria HR uses to filter out what they consider “bad candidates”. Though, we’ll never know what that is. Their denial emails are automated, and I’ve never once received a phone call. It’s upsetting, because I want nothing more than to work for this company, but their selection process seems to be entirely automated with no human interaction.

tldr; It’s not just you.

More than qualified doesn’t mean the most qualified.

I have almost 4 years of full time AZA keeper experience located in Florida and am a frequent park visitor as a semi local annual pass holder.

BS degree in wildlife studies and have taken various professional courses and certifications designed for the zoo/wildlife industry.

I have previous theme park experience working as a ride operator in my youth.

I’ve also been trying for almost 2 years now to break into DAK as a keeper and have not had luck, you’re going against a pool of hundreds of applicants way more experienced and qualified.

Which agency does WDW use?

Not sure where you are with your life but the college program is great way in. Enroll in a CC if nothing else and then apply.

I was a CM thru the DCP (Disney college Program)

I personally had a blast, but that’s cause I was lucky enough to get the role I wanted (merchandising) in a great work location and had amazing management.

Both my coordinators and managers had our backs for everything. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for some other work locations. I lived in the Disney housing complex with people who had a very hard time during their program, and even self terminated. So I guess it’s pure luck.

Working in the parks is low wage, high stress, front line work. Think mall retail or fast food, but on steroids because everyone has already spent 10k to get to FL, tickets, hotel, and are expecting/entitled to the best fucking day ever.

A salaried corporate job? That’s easier to manage, and comes with actual benefits like health, silver park passes.

(Source, worked in Tomorrowland foods for 6 years in high school/college)

Long opinion:

I was a CM for several years. I personally truly enjoyed it. It has been quite awhile and from what I see and hear from many current CM’s, it is not the same as when I was there.

Many of the perks and activities we had and much of the management has changed quite a bit from my day.

Apparently there is a “point system” for being late and other attendance related stuff that wasn’t in place back when I was there. Some other policies have also changed quite a bit, as well as the culture.

I do see a lot of the same camaraderie between CM’s that we had, and I do ask CM’s every time we go to the park how long they have been there, and how much they like it. Some love it, others say they are there “just for awhile”.

I have noticed (at least in my experience) that many CM’s I talk to are generally less than 2-3 years into their roles. There are a few that have been there for 10 years plus (including a friend of mine who who has been at Rancho Del Zocalo and has been there since 1989 when it was still Casa Mexicana), but they are few and far between in my experience.

Another friend of mine worked in DCA at Animation Academy for 3 years with a few roles at other nearby attractions. He loved it and only left a couple of years ago to pursue higher education and a different career. He misses it a lot.

So I would say it really is an individual thing. If you really want it, go for it. If it doesn’t work out, the worst that happened is you got to call yourself a CM for awhile.

You only live once. Choose what’s best for you.

I was a CM. At first it was great until it wasn’t. My magic was destroyed. It ruined my mental health and gave me PTSD. If you are looking to make living, just don’t. A very small percent make a good living. If you have savings and just wave to have fun, sure, but just don’t have high expectations.

I worked for the mouse in merchandising and loved it. It’s very different than being a guest. Your job is to make the magic rather than receive it. I love being part of the process so, for me, it was better than being a guest but that doesn’t mean it was easy. There’s no 8-5, you’re working when needed and that can mean early mornings and late nights. Some guests make it all worth it while others will make you cry. If you’re guest-facing you have to have thick skin and be able to move from being screamed at by one person to smiling and making magic for the next. 

I found the good guests far outweighed the bad but there were some rough days and many long days where I could barely drag myself to my bed. I have some ongoing leg issues from being on my feet all day. 

You’ll also get to see behind the curtain. I met some in leadership who absolutely keep the magic alive and some who shouldn’t be in charge of a pet rock. Only you know if that will ruin the magic for you or make you more committed to keeping it alive. 

Are you in school? The Disney College Program accepts college enrolled students of all ages to work in the parks, and it’s a great launching pad into a career with the company. I did not stay with the company after the program, but many people I know did and used their time in the internship program to establish themselves in the area.

> I’m not local yet but willing to move to the area if I get hired.

You're not going to get an entry level position in WDW if you don't live here. They do hire people for salaried positions if they're willing to move (and will relocate people for some positions), but for entry level, as others have pointed out, you'll need to be here already.

Having said that, you can go to the disneycareers.com website, sign up for the e-mail alerts for any job(s) that might interest you, and be prepared to apply literally as soon as you get the e-mail. Very few of the position openings for hourly cast stay open very long.

Magic is one that takes a special person to work there. In my opinion anyway. Getting in and out on a bus because you park about a mile away takes some commitment and I salute the cast members that do it regularly.

Rent is pretty expensive in the area, not to mention the high cost of certain things like car insurance. Entry level pay at Disney may not be enough to sustain the current cost of living in Orlando. I’d definitely suggest the DCP as a way to get your foot in the door and cover your housing (the cost will come out of your pay).

“I’m not local yet…”

Do NOT say that. Get a PMB with a local address. I hope you’re also not too far away, because you will have to show up to interview. If this is what you really want and are committed to it, move now.

I got hired through the Disney College Program in 2019 (but no longer work there). Almost everyone I knew who was working in the parks full time while I was there, both in entry-level positions and management, transitioned into full time after completing the DCP. The few who applied without this connection said it was really hard for their application to get seen, and that they had to apply a handful of times before getting offered an interview.

I started in Custodial, which allowed me to pick up shifts in all four parks plus ESPN Wide World of Sports. I then transferred into Disney’s Floral & Gifts, which no longer exists unfortunately.

My tip for making a strong impression is to be confident and bubbly! My interviewer and I made a really great connection this way and I just knew after that I was gonna get an offer. I also really emphasized how important it was for me to make magic for others and how I loved the possibility to elevate everyday interactions into memories people may remember forever. This was a genuine answer for me so I wouldn’t copy/paste it if it doesn’t ring true to you, but stuff like that probably helps!

Before starting, I wish I knew that cast member culture can actually be pretty bizarre. People usually put their best foot forward for guests thankfully, but behind the scenes it can be pretty cutthroat, catty, and sometimes just plain miserable. Big egos everywhere and a lot of high school mindsets. Finding your people is super important for this reason - I made a circle of cast member friends who are my ride or die’s to this day. I traveled across the country to go to one of their weddings even! So if you can filter through the bad, you can find some good.

I figured I wouldn’t get into my application process much since it was DCP and not a general application, but I had a standard online application to fill out with my resume. Then I got an email to do a phone interview. After that was my acceptance into the DCP! Not sure what the general app is like. When I transferred roles, it was done internally through the Hub (online Disney employee portal) and didn’t require any additional interviews.

Happy to answer any questions! I saw you were looking at online colleges so I really do recommend applying for the DCP. If you’re really looking to experience Disney Magic as a cast member, that’s the best way to do it. You get a lot of special experiences and opportunities that regular CM’s don’t get, and I knew a lot of CM’s who wish the started through the DCP for this reason.

You have to stalk the Disney Careers page daily.

The reality is the workforce has stabilized, wages are up, and turnover is at a historic low.

It’s going to be competitive to get hired there for a while.

check here daily

Try to look at it as like you're just applying for any other job, and just apply, apply, and keep applying. Check this job page regularly, hopefully you'll land something.

You put out your thumb 👍 and hope the Monorail stops.

There's nothing elusive about it. We are just not hiring the numbers we were a couple years ago after reopening. I think people forget we weren't hiring 24/7 before the pandemic.

Go to the Disney Park Jobs page. Go there daily, once in the morning, once in the afternoon. You can set alerts, but in my experience, you could get the alerts after a posting has come down because of demand. If you are looking at frontline/starting roles, going to the website often is the one sure way of doing it.

Have your Resume ready to upload. Don't worry about making it too fancy with graphics. Cover Letters are not the most important for starting roles, but they don't hurt either. If you don't have a lot of work experience, volunteer stuff is also good to showcase.

Damn I wish you could hire in as a server into Disneyland.

I applied right after it popped up and got an interview set for Wednesday! I was a server w the company in 2022 though so I’m sure that helped my odds.

This is good money! There are a lot of times when the automatic 18% gratuity kicks in

may i get the link

Wow. You don’t see those pop up very often.

Server and bartending jobs are some of the hardest to get at WDW. Most of the competition is from internal hires. Most of the places at Springs are 3rd party so you’re not hiring through Disney. Might be easier to get

You won’t get serving and bartending externally for full time - keep an eye out for those part time applications

Everyone and their brother wants to work for Disney, so you're in for a long haul.

Watch the website for openings, apply ASAP (they can close very very quickly), hope you get an interview. If you pass the interview, then you go on a waiting list and can stay there for many, many months... Some people on this sub have been on waiting lists for up to a year.