Disney Jobs - Don't Overlook Summer Internships With Disney

Disney offers a paid internship program for college students at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, and Walt Disney Resort in the Orlando, Florida, area. Candidates interested in applying for the Disney College Program can apply online. The program is open to both U.S. residents and applicants from outside the United States.

This program operates during the school year; the Disney College Program is not available during summer months only. Applicants must be a minimum of 18 years of age and have an unrestricted work authorization.

The Disney College Program is open to students studying any major. If a person accepted into the College Program is receiving financial aid, they will need to consult with advisors at their school to find out what effect the paid internship will have on the level of assistance they can receive.

Disney staff conducts presentations at schools in California and Florida each spring and fall. Prospective interns have the opportunity to view a presentation designed to provide more detailed information about the program. Interviews can be conducted immediately or a short time after the presentation, either by phone or in person.

In addition to working at a Disney resort, College Program interns also have the opportunity to take courses for both personal and professional development. Interns are hired to work in food service, guest accommodations, stores, attractions, and other employment roles.

A person accepted into the College Program can customize their experience working at Disney to reflect their learning goals and interests. Disney consults with the intern's school to try to determine how the intern can get college credit for participating in the Program.

Senior Disney employees share their work experience to help the intern gain an appreciation for career paths available at the company. Computers, books, and videos are also made available to the student as part of the learning process.

Professional internships are offered to recent college graduates as well. Being accepted to this program offers some definite perks, including discounts on food and beverages, free admission to Disney theme parks, and invitations to staff social events. People who are interested in being considered for one of these opportunities can apply online through the Walt Disney website.

An example of one of the professional internships offered by Disney is the Operations Management Training Program. This is a full time, paid internship that includes training in leadership skills, project management, and business operations. The intern will have on the job training as well as classroom instruction.

The Program starts in January each year; applications are accepted in September for the following January. To be eligible, applicants must have completed a four-year program offered by a college or university within the previous 10 months. A person who has accepted a job with Disney is not eligible to participate in the Professional Intern Program.

Due to the nature of Disney resort's business, preference is given to applicants who have successfully completed programs in Travel and Tourism, Leisure Studies, Communications, Hotel/Restaurant Management, or Retail/Merchandise Management.

A Professional Intern will be working in the program for a period of between five and seven months. They will need to find their own accommodation while participating in the program, and must have a reliable vehicle to drive to and from work.

If working in the hospitality industry is of interest to you, you may want to consider applying for a paid internship position at Disney. It's a great way to get some practical experience in your area of study, and you will have the opportunity to show the management at the company that you are an excellent candidate for a full-time Disney job.

Disneyland Summer Vacation - Ten Tips to Making it All Worthwhile

I'm no expert but I've been to Disneyland a gazillion times and Disney World twice so I have picked up a few tips and tricks along the way! And seeing as this may be the year for traveling to Disneyland, with all of their great deals, I decided to share what I've learned to help those of you planning on hitting Disney this summer, have a fun, magical and less overwhelming vacation. Here's wishing your next trip to visit the big Mouse is not too hot, not too expensive, and not too crowded, but just right.

The best thing you can do when traveling to Disneyland or Disney World is to get prepared! I don't have kids but it takes a lot to plan for just the two of us so I can imagine how important it is to get in gear for families. This means:

1.Pack comfy shoes!!! I really can't say that enough. The husband and I actually tried to track our steps this time and found out that we walked approximately 7,500 steps in under 2 hours and we were at the park for 12! Thanks goodness I wore my most reliable walking shoes and not a new one that still needed breaking in.

2.Do your research. I get motion sickness on certain rides. Specifically, the ones that involve simulated movement so I always do a quick check on Disney's website and this time I borrowed The Unofficial Guide to Disneyland from the library which has a good section on each of the rides and how suitable it is for different age groups. I reread the guide after and felt that the ride descriptions were true to form.

3.Get snack packin'! Either get them in advance or head over to Target before you hit the park. Fill your bags up with bottled water (it's better if you can bring your own water filter and water bottle to save on waste and $), energy bars, fruits and anything else you might need to keep hydrated and fueled up. Otherwise, you and your hungry kids will go bonkers when you hit every snack stand in Disney tempting even the most healthiest fiends with things like Mickey Mouse cookies and cream ice cream sandwiches, churros, popcorn, turkey leg and corn dogs! While it's nice to have a treat, I'm sure you won't want to end up with a stomach ache from OD'ing on junks.

4.Wear layers and sunscreen. It's always freezing cold in the morning and then super hot in the afternoon when I go. So I've learned to wear a tank top or T-shirt and then bring a light jacket or sweater which I can tie around my waist or store in my backpack later. Speaking of which...

5.Bring a good backpack. I have an Eddie Bauer's kid's backpack that I got from Target like 3 years ago and I love it! It has two places for bottles and stores a lot of stuff but comes in a small package. It's great for holding your water, snacks, camera and extra clothes (you might need that if you go on the Grizzly River Run) without breaking your back.

6.Take a break from park restaurants. This time we ate at the Grand Californian hotel and were amazed! The quality of the food was really good-good enough so we said we'd even eat here if it wasn't at Disney and wondered why we never did it before. Plus the Storyteller's Cafe where we ate at, is great for kids since characters come around while you're eating to say hello! Even we had fun with them. And the best part? Though it was still about $9-17 for lunch it was still about the same price we paid at the park for dinner and SO much better!

7.Take a hotel break in the afternoon. I thought that this would be something everyone did. But it seemed like most families came in the afternoon and stayed throughout the day. The good thing about waking up early is that the park is less crowded. Then you can relax back at your hotel before you hit the parks up again, refreshed and ready to go!

8.Have fun without riding. Although I do try to ride as much as I can, as I said earlier, I do get sick on some rides. But I also hate missing out on anything. So I figured out a way around that. When there's a ride I want to see but not necessarily get on (like the Tower of Terror for example), I'll get in line with my husband all the way until the last minute and then let someone there know that I don't want to get on the ride. While I admit, I do feel like a wuss, it's worth it because I get to appreciate all of the Disney magic without the result of getting sick in the end.

9.Plan with room for flexibility. It's good to plan out which rides are everyone's priority. I usually bring a small notebook with a list of my top ten favorites. But I also think that the things we didn't plan for were probably the most magical parts of the trip. For example, the Indiana Jones ride got shut down mid-way and while we were a little bummed, we did get a "go to the ahead of the line" for any ride pass that more than made up for it. It's how we got to ride the Finding Nemo submarine ride which is notoriously slow with an hour or more wait, without any wait.

10.Enjoy it! Try to really enjoy being there and if that means you don't ride all of the rides you wanted to go on, so be it. I saw a lot of kids screaming and crying because Disney while magical, is exhausting and they were still out with us at midnight! I'd say it's much better to really enjoy it while you're there than to try to do everything.