Mickey Mouse Job
Each year, the largest and most famous of theme parks imports hundreds of college students to Orlando, FL, to help keep throngs of Disney visitors happy.
Disney interns do everything from
picking up trash on Pleasure Island to selling
tickets at EPCOT in exchange for minimum wage and
an apartment for which rent is deducted from an
already paltry paycheck. Sounds no better than
indentured servitude, but "it's a great
experience.
I definitely recommend it," says Kami
Tasnady, who worked as a Disney intern before her
senior year at East Stroudsberg University.
Tasnady says just about everyone in her program
loved it, which may be why Disney internships are
not easy to land. "It's pretty competitive. There
definitely aren't as many jobs as there are
applicants," she explains. For the privilege
selling mouse ears for the summer, you need to
fill out an application and go through two rounds
of interviews.
To make sure you're the Mouseketeer chosen, "you
need to have a good idea of why you want to work
there and what you'll get out of it," Tasnady
says. Try to find a better reason than unlimited
rides on the Teacups. Explain, perhaps, that
you're a marketing or business major and that a
summer at Disney will help you better understand
customer relations and get close to the inner
workings of a major entertainment corporation. Or
something like that.
Once You're In
Don't expect to dress up as Snow White or one of
the dwarfs. Disney interns run rides, sell
merchandise and tickets, help in restaurants,
drive trams, work the front desk, and clean
roomsall with a big smile.
The Disney intern
mantra is "what can we do to make guests happy?"
Tasnady explains that "like any service job, you
run into difficult people. It can be tough to
smile at the end of the day, but you have to."
Because there is such a strong customer service
component, this internship is not for everyone.
Customer service at Disney is taken a few steps
farther than it is at the Hilton or McDonald's.
"You don't do anything to ruin the magic for
visitors, especially kids," Tasnady says. "The
Alice in Wonderland ride is never broken; Alice
went to a tea party and she'll be back soon."
Interns list their top choices, but aren't
guaranteed any position. Tasnady worked in several
of the restaurants at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club.
"I made reservations, sat people, and assigned
tables.
Interns aren't allowed to be servers,
because tips would throw off the pay scale," she
explains.
Magic Perks
There's plenty that sets a Disney internship apart
from a typical minimum wage job. Free unlimited
access to all rides in all parks at any time
you're not working is a big benefit. Of greater
longterm value are the classes you attend, the
networking you can do, and the fact that a Disney
internship stands out on a resume.
"We took classes every week where we learned all
about how the business was run, and I learned more
there than in many of my college classes," Tasnady
says.
Plus, she explains, in and out of class you
can network for future opportunities and pick the
brains of all your mentors. When she looked for
jobs after her internship, prospective employers
were impressed by her Disney experience.
And you never know what else might make your
internship memorable. "When I was at Disney I met
so many Japanese tourists that I started to pick
up conversational Japanese," Tasnady says. She
also got to do a little golfstar gazing when she
signed up to work extra hours at a major golf
tournament Disney World hosted.
You'll also make plenty of new friends. When there
are hundreds of college students living together
in one building, a cohesive community grows.
According to Tasnady, "we went out together all
the time. I still keep in touch with several
people I met through the Disney College Program."
Christie Matheson's favorite Disney World Ride
is Pirates of the Carribean.
From: articles.student.com
Photo: inter-sell.pl
last modification: 2011-02-24
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