Disney Employment (bad credit, jobs, college)

[TrishP7]

Cmj--thanks for the great advice and contact number. I just moved to Orlando from New Jersey. I worked for Toys R US corp making very good money as an admin assistant. i have tons of experience but I know the pay cut down here will be quite significant. Very scary. I'm glad that my fiance has a great salary but i'm sure its going to take some time getting use to not make as much money as I did up North. Right now i havent started job hunting but while i was in Jersey Disney was definetly on my job search list. I even have a contact at disney already..not sure how reliable she is..but we will see. I will begin my search once I get my 7 year old acclimated to school and the move all together. Thanks again.

[bdpop]

I moved here from NJ four years ago and still have yet to find a decent job down here. It is a totally different type of ecomony than that of NJ.

[TrishP7]

Originally Posted by bdpop

I moved here from NJ four years ago and still have yet to find a decent job down here. It is a totally different type of ecomony than that of NJ.

Thats what I hear..I'm not looking for my time to start job searching at all. We shall see.

[BeenAroundTheBlock]

When I first moved here from PA 3 years ago I must have sent over 100 resumes out (including Disney) and heard back from very few. I finally used a temp agency and was hired permanently after 1 year. If you can't find an administrative job quickly you should sign up with a temp agency. Oh and I'm making my 1994 wages here in Orlando! PM me if you want more info, I'd be glad to help.

Good luck!

[bdpop]

I have heard too that the temp agency is the way to go. A lot of companies are using them these days. I have applied at quite a few myself, but have yet to get anything. These are tough times.

[NolongerCinderella]

I worked for the Disney company for 9 years. I'm sure I'll get lots of rude comments for what I'm about to say, but you did not experience what I experienced there. So please keep that in mind.

It had always been my dream to work for Disney. Even my college education was structured with Disney in mind. Throughout art school, I was warned along the way about how horrible the company was. Like many of you, I didn't listen. I chalked it up to disgruntled employees. I wish I had listened to them.

To get right to the point, working for the parks is very much like being a Stepford Wife. You are expected to smile throughout your entire shift, no matter what extreme conditions you are placed under. In my area, we were often standing in one spot in the Orlando heat and humidity for 7-9 hours straight. No break, no water, no shade, no bathrooms. We were told that we were only allowed to "roam" 3 feet (about arms length) from the spot where they told us to stand. To move beyond that was "job abandonment". If you fainted from the heat, you were suspended. If you were sweating too much, and a guest commented, asking if you were okay, you were written up for "destroying the magic". You had 3 chances with the smiling....caught not smiling 3 times, and you were terminated. (Not such a bad thing, to be terminated, by the way.)

Now, I'm sure you are going to ask: "Why did you stay 9 years if it was that bad?" Well, the answer is simple. I had no self esteem. And that's a quality they look for in the casting process, they look for those who are so "into" Disney, that they will be willing to give up basic human rights to work there and be part of the "magic".

Once I was there about a year, the magic was losing it's luster. I started to speak out. This was unacceptable. So I was sent to a "class" called "Sparkle". In this class, we were forced to sit on a hard floor in a fake picnic setting, with checkered cloths, baskets of plastic food and even plastic ants. There, we were (sorry, I have to say it) brainwashed in Disney philosophies and traditions. We had to parrot back everything that was said, how great Walt was, how great the company is, blah, blah, blah. We were not allowed to leave this room for ANY reason.

When Sparkle didn't work for me, I was sent to one of the therapists who are IN PARK (this is at Epcot, behind First Aid in the middle of the park) I was told that if I didn't go to their therapist, I would be fired. So I went. I was given drugs to make my job easier, and coached on handling my emotions. I was taught how to turn off my emotions so I could get through the day as a mindless animatronic.

Finally, one day, I was sick and tired of being pawed by my supervisior. I turned him in for sexual harrassment. I was fired the next day. I did belong to the union, and they hired a lawyer for me. Luckily, I had printed out my work records the day I was fired. By the time we went to court, Disney had altered my records to make it look like I was a bad employee. Not only did they alter my work record, they told two co-workers that if they wrote fake statements against me, they would be promoted. They agreed, but were never promoted. All this came out in court, and I won a nice settlement. But working there had done it's damage. Sometimes, money isn't everything.

I've been away from there for many years now. And I'm finally getting my life back. It took 10 years for me to recover from that experience. Some of my co-workers were not so lucky. I know many people who couldn't handle the abuse, and committed suicide. They don't talk about those things. Most people don't. I know I used to be afraid to. But not anymore.

Please, please, PLEASE...if you are considering moving to Orlando, please reconsider. The entire city is being corrupted by Disney, it's an awful place to live. I finally got the chance to move, but it wasn't easy. Once you go against the Mouse, they will do whatever they can to ruin the rest of your life.

The Disney image is simply that...an image. What you see on the surface is not reality.

I am no longer Cinderella....thank God.

[marypoppins]

Originally Posted by NolongerCinderella

I worked for the Disney company for 9 years. I'm sure I'll get lots of rude comments for what I'm about to say, but you did not experience what I experienced there. So please keep that in mind.

It had always been my dream to work for Disney. Even my college education was structured with Disney in mind. Throughout art school, I was warned along the way about how horrible the company was. Like many of you, I didn't listen. I chalked it up to disgruntled employees. I wish I had listened to them.

To get right to the point, working for the parks is very much like being a Stepford Wife. You are expected to smile throughout your entire shift, no matter what extreme conditions you are placed under. In my area, we were often standing in one spot in the Orlando heat and humidity for 7-9 hours straight. No break, no water, no shade, no bathrooms. We were told that we were only allowed to "roam" 3 feet (about arms length) from the spot where they told us to stand. To move beyond that was "job abandonment". If you fainted from the heat, you were suspended. If you were sweating too much, and a guest commented, asking if you were okay, you were written up for "destroying the magic". You had 3 chances with the smiling....caught not smiling 3 times, and you were terminated. (Not such a bad thing, to be terminated, by the way.)

Now, I'm sure you are going to ask: "Why did you stay 9 years if it was that bad?" Well, the answer is simple. I had no self esteem. And that's a quality they look for in the casting process, they look for those who are so "into" Disney, that they will be willing to give up basic human rights to work there and be part of the "magic".

Once I was there about a year, the magic was losing it's luster. I started to speak out. This was unacceptable. So I was sent to a "class" called "Sparkle". In this class, we were forced to sit on a hard floor in a fake picnic setting, with checkered cloths, baskets of plastic food and even plastic ants. There, we were (sorry, I have to say it) brainwashed in Disney philosophies and traditions. We had to parrot back everything that was said, how great Walt was, how great the company is, blah, blah, blah. We were not allowed to leave this room for ANY reason.

When Sparkle didn't work for me, I was sent to one of the therapists who are IN PARK (this is at Epcot, behind First Aid in the middle of the park) I was told that if I didn't go to their therapist, I would be fired. So I went. I was given drugs to make my job easier, and coached on handling my emotions. I was taught how to turn off my emotions so I could get through the day as a mindless animatronic.

Finally, one day, I was sick and tired of being pawed by my supervisior. I turned him in for sexual harrassment. I was fired the next day. I did belong to the union, and they hired a lawyer for me. Luckily, I had printed out my work records the day I was fired. By the time we went to court, Disney had altered my records to make it look like I was a bad employee. Not only did they alter my work record, they told two co-workers that if they wrote fake statements against me, they would be promoted. They agreed, but were never promoted. All this came out in court, and I won a nice settlement. But working there had done it's damage. Sometimes, money isn't everything.

I've been away from there for many years now. And I'm finally getting my life back. It took 10 years for me to recover from that experience. Some of my co-workers were not so lucky. I know many people who couldn't handle the abuse, and committed suicide. They don't talk about those things. Most people don't. I know I used to be afraid to. But not anymore.

Please, please, PLEASE...if you are considering moving to Orlando, please reconsider. The entire city is being corrupted by Disney, it's an awful place to live. I finally got the chance to move, but it wasn't easy. Once you go against the Mouse, they will do whatever they can to ruin the rest of your life.

The Disney image is simply that...an image. What you see on the surface is not reality.

I am no longer Cinderella....thank God.

If this is genuine, then I am truly sorry this happened to you.

But.....I have to say, this sounds like one of those "spoof" interviews you see on TV. I mean, c'mon....really?

[mojoe01]

I guess every company has its problem employees.

[NolongerCinderella]

You don't have to believe me. Your opinion of me is none of my business. But these things DID happen and are continuing to happen to others.

If you choose to work there, I hope you have a great time. I really do. Just watch your back.

I was not a problem employee. Management was the problem. I was just fighting for basic human rights. The truth is that once people pay their admission and enter the front gate, Disney doesn't really give a "rat's you-know-what" about them. Pedophiles bring in their video cameras and take video of kids who have been innocently stripped down to run naked through the fountains. The parents are trusting...after all, Disney is a family park, right? To be caught warning the parent's was immediate termination. Management said the pedophiles paid their admission, they have the right to do whatever they want.....I was mearly speaking out. I care about people, and especially children. So I spoke up. I don't see that as a problem, and I don't regret doing it. I do, however, regret not hearing or believing the warnings I was given before moving out there. If I had, my life would have been much better.

I guess the problem is that it's kind of like working for a magician. When you are in the audience, watching the show, but not participating, it seems like magic. But when you are actually there on stage, and know how it's all done...seeing what the audience doesn't see, the magic is no longer there. It's just tricks and deception at that point.

If you are truly a Disney fan, don't work there. The magic will lose it's luster, whether you have experiences like mine or not.

And if you take your children there, keep them safe. Don't leave it to Disney to protect your child. Good luck....and as they say, "Have a Disney day!"

[GOODTOGO]

I totally believe in your decade experience with Disney, Cinderella. Have neighbors who are retired that work there part-time, but enjoy it. I would NEVER work for them since their pay is pittance & have heard stories from other's that it is a true LA/LA experience & must stand-up straight with a smile or else. Great choice you finally blew that place and hopefully you have found peace with another company.