DawnM Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 (edited) I am way more excited than he is! 🤣😜😝😏 Starts mid May and goes to early January, 2021, so 7.5 months. It is at WDW in Florida. WHOOHOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (middle son, currently a sophomore in college) Edited March 5, 2020 by DawnM 41 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Congratulations! Where is he going to be working -- attractions, food, life guarding or something else? My ds did the college program at WDW back in 2011. He was in attractions (rides), and had such a great time he extended and did a second session. The housing is terrific, and I especially appreciated how they keep those young adults safe. And they are (or were 9 years ago) vey strict about enforcing the rules. People were kicked out for rules violations -- usually parties in the housing. We visited him during the program, and he was able to get us a great hotel rate and free entry to the parks. Fast forward -- this same ds is now a full time Disneyland (California) employee, a stage technician in charge of stuff like the lights that adorn the castle at Christmas. 15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheReader Posted March 5, 2020 Share Posted March 5, 2020 Congratulations!!! That's great news! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kassia Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 Congratulations! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 6, 2020 Author Share Posted March 6, 2020 4 hours ago, JennW in SoCal said: Congratulations! Where is he going to be working -- attractions, food, life guarding or something else? My ds did the college program at WDW back in 2011. He was in attractions (rides), and had such a great time he extended and did a second session. The housing is terrific, and I especially appreciated how they keep those young adults safe. And they are (or were 9 years ago) vey strict about enforcing the rules. People were kicked out for rules violations -- usually parties in the housing. We visited him during the program, and he was able to get us a great hotel rate and free entry to the parks. Fast forward -- this same ds is now a full time Disneyland (California) employee, a stage technician in charge of stuff like the lights that adorn the castle at Christmas. He got merchandising, so he will work in a shop or sale's cart or hotel or Disney Springs, we don't know yet. But one person said the good thing about merchandising is that if you are trained to do it, you can trade shifts with anyone else who does it, so if you work at Magic Kingdom and want to trade a shift with someone working at the Grand Floridian, you can. And you can cover shifts for extra pay in merchandising as well. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommyoffive Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 Congrats. That is so neat. I have never heard of this. So do they still attend college classes at the same time? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsheresomewhere Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 I guess we need to plan a disney trip together.. lol. Tell him congrats. I hope he enjoys it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennW in SoCal Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 1 minute ago, mommyoffive said: Congrats. That is so neat. I have never heard of this. So do they still attend college classes at the same time? Nope, unless they are taking on-line courses. They are almost full time employees, working up to 35 hours/week at minimum wage. And working all sorts of crazy shifts - it would be impossible to take a regular college course. Housing is safe and very inexpensive (and pretty darn nice) and there is a free bus transportation network. Depending on the college major, generally business or hospitality industry majors, some students get college credit. And there are Disney courses available, too. It is a win-win situation. College kids from literally all over the world come and spend 6 months or more working at the parks. The students get the Disney benefits of store and dining discounts, and a limited number of free passes to the parks for family and friends. In turn Disney gets an enthusiastic crew of workers who are inexpensive -- no need to cover health insurance and the like. Next time you go to a Disney park, look at the name tags on the young cast members. If it is a young person and the city is someplace far away, ask if they are on the college program. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ellie Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 How exciting! My neighbor's dd did that. She was planning to be a veterinary and to graduate with a double major (music and vet science). And then she did the Disney college program. And now she works full time with the horses at Fort Wilderness. 🙂 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 How wonderful! Our neighbor who grew up next door to us did it, 6 yrs ago. We went to visit, and had such fun! She was a life guard, and actually saved a life on the last day - got all kinds of awards. She loved the experience, and had a such a good time. Congrats to your son! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 Awesome!!!!!!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 6, 2020 Author Share Posted March 6, 2020 (edited) 7 hours ago, JennW in SoCal said: Nope, unless they are taking on-line courses. They are almost full time employees, working up to 35 hours/week at minimum wage. And working all sorts of crazy shifts - it would be impossible to take a regular college course. Housing is safe and very inexpensive (and pretty darn nice) and there is a free bus transportation network. Depending on the college major, generally business or hospitality industry majors, some students get college credit. And there are Disney courses available, too. It is a win-win situation. College kids from literally all over the world come and spend 6 months or more working at the parks. The students get the Disney benefits of store and dining discounts, and a limited number of free passes to the parks for family and friends. In turn Disney gets an enthusiastic crew of workers who are inexpensive -- no need to cover health insurance and the like. Next time you go to a Disney park, look at the name tags on the young cast members. If it is a young person and the city is someplace far away, ask if they are on the college program. Min. wage in FL is $8.46 and he will make $12 per hour in merchandising. So, a little above. His paperwork said to expect 35-40 hours per week during regular season and around 45 hours per week during peak seasons. To answer the other question, he was told there are some opportunities for classes/learning (like one day seminars) that are optional, but they do encourage each college student to meet with their advisor and ask if the internship will count towards anything. Some colleges require internships for graduation, and many times it can be any internship. So, he is going to meet with his advisor to tell him he won't be coming for Fall semester, and to ask some questions. Housing is like campus apartment housing. Most likely he will be in a 2 bedroom apartment with 3 other people. They do need to get their own meals. As I understand it, there are cast member places to buy food at Disney (underground) and it is much less than the parks. He also gets a discount in the parks. Housing is between $114-$200 per week, depending on the accommodations you choose (the oldest apartment complex is not as nice, not as large, and cheapest.......and I have been reading online that you can sometimes score your own room since no one wants the older place.). They take it out of your paycheck so that you don't have to worry about budgeting for it. It includes all utilities and internet. He doesn't mind an older place and may choose that one, but we are signing up tonight. I don't see the point in spending $800/mo when you can spend $460. DH is going to help him drive down, so. he will have a car while there. I have heard that if you take the Disney transportation it can take over an hour to go a couple of miles, where a car will get you there in 10 min. We are fine with him having a car there, but not sure he is ready for an 8.5 hour drive alone quite yet. Edited March 6, 2020 by DawnM 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Storygirl Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 Congratulations to your son!!! It sounds like a great opportunity for him! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lanny Posted March 6, 2020 Share Posted March 6, 2020 Congratulations to your DS on being selected for this group of WDW Cohorts. I hope that he enjoys his experiences at WDW. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted March 7, 2020 Share Posted March 7, 2020 Congratulations! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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