If you’ve ever researched the Disney College Program, you may be aware of the main aspects of the program: living, learning, and earning. The program is a paid internship that allows students to work at Walt Disney World and Disneyland, while taking (sometimes optional) classes in exchange for college credit. The obvious advantages of the program include the ability to work for the Walt Disney Company, network with leaders and other cast members, earn college credit, and spend some time living on one’s own. There are even more benefits to be had as a result of the program that are often overlooked:
Budget
Image: Brittany DiCologero
For many students, living away from home while in college or on an internship will be their first dose of financial independence. Much like a dorm room, paying for housing during the Disney College Program is a less independent than paying rent or a mortgage in the real world would be. Rather than holding students responsible for paying their rent, interns on the Disney College Program have rent deducted from their paychecks weekly.
While this method of paying rent ensures that rent will be paid regardless of whether or not the students are financially responsible, it does at least serve to demonstrate what a paycheck minus the cost of rent will look like. Students participating in the Disney College Program are often surprised to learn how small their paychecks are while working 35+ hours per week with rent automatically deducted.
Image: Brittany DiCologero
The cost of housing on the Disney College Program includes much more than rent generally would. Included in the weekly housing deduction are utilities, Wi-Fi, cable, heat, hot water, and A/C, in addition to other amenities including swimming pools, 24-hour security, gyms, transportation to and from work, Publix, Walmart, and the Post Office, and events like pool parties, grocery bingo, movie nights, and more. Still, for a student who has never been financially responsible for housing, the program can be a good introduction to what it is like to live on one’s own.
In addition to rent, students are responsible for purchasing their own groceries, and anything else they may need. With a careful budget, it is very possible to pay for groceries, toiletries/other necessities and the occasional entertainment on the Disney College Program. Unfortunately many CPs often find themselves broke—first time budgeting may not always be successful, and although many may spend their programs hard for cash, they will likely at least learn the importance of budgeting for the future.
Image: Brittany DiCologero
For students who enter the program with other bills and financial responsibilities like car insurance, payments, and upkeep, or student loans, credit card bills, and phone bills, learning how to budget properly becomes even more important. If a CP is already responsible for paying for things like credit card debt or car insurance, the budgeting aspect of the program may not come as much of a shock—the take home pay with the rent deducted however may be. The best advice for this situation is to save up as much extra money as possible before participating in the Disney College Program.
Though some CPs do stay on after their programs, and continue to live in Orlando and work for Disney, the program is a once in a lifetime opportunity for many. To make the most of each moment on the program, saving up extra money prior to arriving is always a wise decision.
Social skills
Image: Brittany DiCologero
Future CPs are probably not expecting to learn social skills on their programs—in fact it may be surprising to think that there is still more to learn in terms of social skills. One aspect of the Disney College Program that makes it so unique compared to other internships is the ability to interact with guests from all over the world. As such, CPs are able to learn about different cultural norms and practices without every setting foot outside of the United States.
This exposure comes not only from guests during the work day, but from other CPs as well. Thanks to the International Programs, students from foreign countries will work with and live with CPs. Whether it be understanding words in different languages, or teaching oneself to communicate regardless of a language barrier, there is a variety of understated social skills that CPs will pick up during their programs.
Image: Brittany DiCologero
Other skills may come with the varying ages of guests CPs interact with on a day-to-day basis. All Disney cast members for instance, are taught to get down to a child’s level when speaking to younger guests, so that the guest will feel like an equal, and he or she will not need to look up to you to feel included. Even more than this simple behavior, CPs will learn different ways of talking to guests based on their age. A CP working in Animal Kingdom for instance may explain one of the animal’s behaviors to a child in a way that is easier to understand compared to how this information would be explained to an adult.
CPs are also instructed on how to interact with guests with disabilities. This may seem like common sense, but for many CPs the program will be the first time they need to use such knowledge in interacting with guests, and it will likely be the first job they’ve had that will lay out clear guidelines for how to do so. Simple behaviors like speaking directly to the person with the disability rather than his or her family members, and using people-first language (like “guest who is hard of hearing” rather than “a deaf person”) can make all the difference in terms of providing the best guest service. For CPs, it can also be helpful to get them into these kinds of habits for them to be respectful of others and be taken seriously in different situations.
Handling conflict
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For CPs who have never worked (or have never worked full-time hours) handling conflict, especially in the workplace, can be an entirely new scenario. Whether it be working out an issue with a coworker or dealing with an unhappy guest, any student on the Disney College Program must learn how to handle conflict.
Another perhaps more difficult conflict CPs may need to deal with can come up with roommates. Even for students who have had roommates in dorm-room situation, the housing set up on the Disney College Program is much more independent. There are no Resident Assistants a few rooms over to take care of roommate problems, instead CPs are encouraged to work through their problems on their own. Of course, if the issues persist, the housing team can step in with mandatory meetings, but in general CPs are responsible for working through their own apartment conflicts.
Time management
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Most college students are capable at managing their time in reference to the workloads for their classes. Few college students work full-time, and the ones who do may not be relying on public transportation for work or taking many classes. Whatever it is that CPs take up their time doing, one thing is certain for CPs on the program—they will need to learn how to properly manage their time to best avoid stress.
Even something as simple as taking the bus with multiple stops instead of driving to work can be an adjustment for a student who has not lived on one’s own before. In some cases, depending on the time of day and the bus route, CPs would need to leave over an hour early to get to work on time. This timing means that the last hour before work cannot be spent goofing off or relaxing before getting ready for work.
Image: Brittany DiCologero
Another potentially new problem CPs may encounter when trying to manage their time is the fluctuation in their work schedules. For most jobs outside of the hospitality industry, a work schedule is fairly consistent. At Walt Disney World however, a CP may work in the morning one day, and late at night into the next morning the following day—and this can make balancing a sleep schedule, routine, grocery shopping, getting to work on time, and maybe even collegiate classes even more of a challenge.
Public speaking
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Public speaking, something students may sometimes be able to avoid in college, can easily become a part of any role on the Disney College Program. A custodial cast member may end up assisting in crowd control, and a merchandise cast member may even end up spieling over a microphone depending on the specific location (like the carnival games in DinoLand U.S.A).
CPs working in attractions may think that they are free from public speaking if they do not work at a location that requires “spieling,” like the Jungle Cruise or the Great Movie Ride. Most cast members who work at shows however must address large crowds in order to efficiently fill theaters with guests. Other roles too may involve CPs addressing multiple guests and even relatively large crowds at one time. If public speaking isn’t one’s strong suit, the Disney College Program is sure to change that!
Independence
Image: Brittany DiCologero
Some CPs never really do anything (especially for fun) by themselves until they arrive on the Disney College Program. With coworkers’ and friends’ schedules being all over the place, it is not uncommon to find oneself spending lots of time alone. Whether it be grocery shopping, exploring the theme parks, or a different part of Orlando or Florida, CPs learn to be more independent and outgoing by continuing to experience all that the program has to offer regardless of whether or not their friends have the same days off.
Even picking up shifts in different locations, and basically being forced to navigate the backstage routes to said location by oneself can instill a sense of independence that may not have been needed before the program. Of course, other cast members are often around to help in situations like this, but the CPs must take the initiative to ask for help when they need it.
