Working for The Mouse (WDW)

k5thbeatle

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 22, 2005
So I have a cousin who has been in senior management with a major retailer nearly all his life who is losing his job due to his company recently filing for bankruptcy.

His wife passed away a few years ago and being only 48 he decided to shoot for what he calls "his dream job" by going to work for WDW.

He's moving to Orlando area to pursue his dream and start his life over. I have no idea as to exactly in what capacity he is applying at WDW but I get the sense it doesn't matter to him at this point.

I wish him well of course, but my question here is for those who do or have worked for WDW to maybe chime in and give me a sense for how they are to work for. I'm not going to change his mind either way and that is not my intent but my curiosity has peaked and I'm really curious what is it really like to work for WDW???
 
DD completed a nine month college program, working at ToT. She then got a professional internship at DVC. She had always dreamed of working there, relocating, getting married, and raising her family there.

What she discovered was that working at WDW was not unlike working anywhere. There are politics in every workplace. It's still a job.

Living in Orlando was a bit difficult. At the time, she felt it was a very transient area.

She enjoyed her time there. She has no regrets.

We also have a friend who as been there as an entertainer (an equity performer) for 25 years.

I think like any job, it's what you make it.
 
Work politics caused my son to leave WDW and go back to grad school earlier than he planned. He had way more subject matter knowledge than his supervisors and was paid way less than them. They were salaried and he was paid hourly wages. Housing in the area is expensive. Hourly wages are very low, perks are plentiful if you can afford to use them.

Disney does have signing bonuses for some positions that they are having a hard time filling, like housekeeping and transportation.
 
Sounds like your cousin has been through a lot, maybe working at WDW is exactly the right thing for him--total immersion in a job in an atmosphere he finds appealing. In general I think that any WDW fan with some legit knowledge/experience/degree in a specific field would do better getting a job in that field in the Orlando area and continue to enjoy the parks as a guest.
 


I've never worked for them, but know others who have and agree with Micca. Definitely move closer if he liks the idea of being near the parks. Central florida has lots of opportunities and continues to grow, outside of the tourism/travel industry. Many residents enjoy having the parks to escape to year-round - for a pleasant afternoon or dinner - without any preplanning, costs/vacation time regular guests need.

But WDW isn't an ideal employer for mid/higher level employees - they're really better as gigs for college kids and retirees making extra cash. They pay less because so many clamor to work for them and there's a LOT of frustrating politics - I don't get the sense it's a great place to build one's career overall from the few folks I've spoken too. All were in professional roles - HR, other corp depts and got burned out and left for other companies.
 
Sounds like your cousin has been through a lot, maybe working at WDW is exactly the right thing for him--total immersion in a job in an atmosphere he finds appealing. In general I think that any WDW fan with some legit knowledge/experience/degree in a specific field would do better getting a job in that field in the Orlando area and continue to enjoy the parks as a guest.

Yeah we were kind of worried about him as he has been through a lot with his wife passing(that was actually about 5 years ago now) and losing his job and were concerned this might be a "knee-jerk" type reaction but actually it is something he has been considering for some time and recent events have just now made it possible for him to pursue this. He's a level headed person so I think it'll be good for him. I don't think he's hurting for money but I also don't believe he's ready to retire just yet. I'm sure he's checked out a lot of this himself but it kind of sparked my curiosity to maybe hear from some who have worked for WDW to get a picture of what it might be like for him?
 

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