The Disney College Program

Are you a college student who has always loved Disney World or Disneyland and always thought about what it would be like to work there? Are you a parent of a child that you know would love to experience this? Disney has their own internship program or what they like to call the Disney College Program. It is the complete experience.

I truly believe that what makes this internship special, besides the fact that you are WORKING AT DISNEY, is the three components to the Disney College Program. With these components you get an internship that leaves you with a comprehensive learning experience that you could bring to any career path. What are these components? Living, Learning, and Earning.

The Disney College Program, a 4-6 month internship program located at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, FL and the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA, makes it possible for college students to earn money by working in front-line roles in their theme parks and resorts. Students also receive real world experience and exposure to Disney operations, a Fortune 500 company. You get to experience Disney "behind the scenes". The second component is learning, which helps make this program unique. Students take part in college-level coursework, and may have the opportunity to earn college credit. It differs from university to university whether or not they will let a student earn credits at their institution, so it is recommended that students check with their college first before making any decisions. Credits or no-credits it is still the experience of a life time. The last component is living. Students live in company-sponsored housing with people from all over the world. What a great opportunity to learn about other cultures and make friends and connections from all over. These connections could prove to be very important later in your career. Once you make a connection make an effort to keep those connections over the years. You will never know when you might need it.

There are some requirements that applicants must meet in order to go hang out with Mickey for the semester:

• Be Enrolled as a full-time or part-time college student and be taking classes.
• Meet any school requirements for Participation. This means that a student must also meet any additional criteria their school requires for participation in their program. This may include G.P.A., grade level, and number of credit hours earned.
• Be at least 18 years of age by the time the program begins.
• Possess Unrestricted Work Authorization.

The application process consists of a couple of different levels. First their is the application itself. This contains a personality test. This test is meant to find those that are outgoing, energetic, and really good with people and children. I have known students that didn't pass this the first time, but tried again and eventually made it into the Disney College Program. So if you don't make it the first time. Don't give up! Try, try again!! Once the phone interview is complete, the results of your application will be sent by mail and if you are offered the internship, dates and your work assignment will be noted.

Check with your university or college to see if the classes offered by Disney University will be accepted. They are ACE recommended. Sometimes, if they don't accept them initially, you might want to plead your case to the department chair of your major. Sometimes the fact that you took the initiative alone to do this will get you the credits.

The benefits are great! You can get into the parks free any day! You get passes for friends and family while you are working at the park. You get discounts on merchandise at the parks. Transportation to and from the parks is free as well as the transportation to stores off-site such as the shopping mall and places like Walmart, where you can get anything you need!

Not only is the housing cost reasonable but you get to choose from several luxury apartments and don't have to worry about remembering to send a check or budgeting for rent. It comes right out of your paycheck.

So, now that you know a little bit about the Disney College Program it is simple to get started! I provided the link just click here: www.disneycollegeprogram.com.