Wow 20+ hours of flight is no joke! I kept waking up and sleeping again. ANA flight was good tho. The dashi soup thing was so comforting. United airlines well...let just say they don’t greet you as much as ANA or smile as much. (I guess it’s the culture)

But I’m finally here. Feels so scared to be by myself but I’m doing well! Can’t wait to meet more people.

And I finally tried Shake Shack! It was pretty nice. The burger is so soft and the fries are awesome. But the food here is really such a big portion especially the drinks 0.0!!

Things that are new

• The cars here don’t have car plates in the front

• The coins are so confusing

• Tipping is confusing and stressful

• There is so much lands and the shops are all like separate

The Very Beginning

If you tell the 5 year old me who was sitting in the library reading books about Walt Disney World that she will be spending 10 weeks there in the future, I would probably think that you are out of your mind. If you tell the 18 year old me the same thing, I would probably say “They won’t pick me one!”. And yet, I can’t believe that I’m actually going to do it for real next month O.O!

According to Disney, “The Program provides you with the opportunity to spend your school break working at Walt Disney World® Resort...be immersed in different cultures from around the world, connect with industry experts and build lifelong relationships " and I have done a lot of researching about this program way before I even signed up for it. Previous participants all said that this is an experience of a lifetime and I can’t wait for my own adventure to start! And I will try to document as much as possible so I won’t forget anything (TRY is a very big keyword!)

My Assigned Roles

As for what I will be doing at Disney, I wanted to be a character performer (I mean who doesn’t) and the interviewer wanted me to be one as well (Since she learnt that I’m an acting student) but...I...Am...Too...Tall...Too...Tall (ㅠ-ㅠ) I kind of knew that would happen but one can still hope haha! So she asked if I want to be in costuming and I kind of didn’t want that because I’m very much in theatre in school and I wanted something different! In addition, the costuming for Disney is not for their stage shows but for cast members so I won’t be in the park and I didn’t want that because my very main purpose is to talk to people and learn their stories. So she suggested how about custodial (which is like cleaning the park and stuff) because that’s the role with the highest amount of guest interaction and of course I was reluctant and I caught myself because a job is a job and no job is lesser than other. One should try as many things as possible right (since I has retail and greeter experience) so I said yes. After google-ing, people said that custodial is actually a great role as I’m able to walk and explore the park and it has a lot of freedom so that’s great! Always try something new!

My Wants

I’m looking forward to doing all sorts of things in the park! (Will be doing a bucket list soon!)

• Going there every day and things like that haha! 

•Going to Universal (For their really great roller coaster)

• Meeting new friends (Because I’m kind of going there alone)

• Hoping my roommates won’t hate me >-<! 

• Trying new food! 

• Living a different lifestyle! 

• Travelling alone! 

• Being independent and stuff! 

• Wearing formal clothes (I don’t look forward to this part -.-). 

• Meeting Jolene (Who is so awesome and coming to visit me!)

• Most importantly, A DISNEY NAME TAG WITH MY NAME ON IT

Let’s Go!

**The following information is for UK applicants only. So this may vary depending on what country you’re applying from.  I don't really know the recruitment process for any other countries, all I do know is that Yummy Jobs only recruits from UK and Ireland. Applicants from other countries should apply via the Disney International Programs Website.**

The applications in 2016 opened the 24th July and will close 23rd September.

In this blog:

How to Apply

Yummy Jobs Application

How to apply

To apply in the UK applicants can apply through Yummy Jobs

http://www.yummyjobs.com/work/disneyculturalexchangeprogram

or, directly through Disney Careers http://ip.disneycareers.com

**The Yummy jobs website will also give you other useful information about the application, roles, housing, etc.

The applications in 2016 opened the 24th July and will close 23rd September, this is not the same every year but they do usually open in the summer time, between June/July and usually close towards the end of September.

There are two stages of the interview process; one with Yummy Jobs and another with a Disney International Recruitment Specialist.

If you are successful you will receive an email from Yummy Jobs congratulating you that you will be through to the first stage of the interview process.

This is an example of mine from this year! :D

Yummy Jobs Application

So first of all to apply you have to have a profile on the Yummy Jobs website, to do this you need to have an email address, the site will then ask you to choose a username for accessing the site, this will be your username for while ever you are on the website so ensure you choose something suitable!

Once you have a profile on the website, you can now start filling in your application, and are another step further to working in Disney!

I’d recommend starting off by firstly setting a profile picture of yourself; Yummy Jobs state it should be a true representation of yourself now and should be lighted well on a plain background. I’d recommend using the smiliest picture you have of yourself! Because, it is Disney!

This is my picture on my profile...

So once all this is done there are a few sections to fill in.

Your personal details

Your full name, date of birth, country of residence.

Your contact information and emergency contact information

Your email address, telephone numbers, home address. Then emergency contact information of your parent/guardian.

Education

Your place of education, the dates of study to and from, and the qualification you will receive.

Work Experience

You can add up to 5 previous employments, you're required to fill in where you worked, the department you worked in, the dates you worked at this employment or whether it is a present employment, and your main responsibilities. Don’t worry if you haven't got any work experience, they understand you are studying and may not have the time to have worked. It is always good to have volunteering experience as this shows you are committed.

Availability

This is the date you are available to start the program. I recommend you don’t just put before to boost your chances as you may actually have to go this day.

Documentation

They have changed this slightly so you do not have to upload a copy of your passport at this stage or your previous visa, you do however have to provide this at the pre screen interview if you get through to this stage. You are however required at this stage to upload your CV and Covering Letter.

Additional Questions

This section of the application varies year to year, luckily when I applied in 2016 I was only asked one question however I have read blogs before that have had two or three in the past. My question was “What is your motivation for the program?” I’d suggest thinking long and hard about your answer, I wanted to send my application off more or less as soon as they were open, however I decided to take the time to put effort and thought into my answer.

Hey everyone, hope you’ve had a magical day!

Today I thought I would finally sit down and write about the application and interview process involved with applying for Disney programs (at least the ones in the UK!) I know the Cultural Exchange Program and the Cultural Representative Program follow the same application process as while I was applying for the CEP, one of my close friends was also applying for the CRP (which I just found out he got onto which is super exciting!), so whether you are applying for the CEP or the CRP, hopefully you will find this helpful. I know that a lot of people who blog about their program talk about the application process, but I found that when I was applying, reading as many different people’s posts really helped in telling me what to expect, so while this may seem really similar to a lot of other posts, I hope you still find it useful! I have also included some links at the end that you may find helpful!

The Online Application

So the first thing you do when wanting to apply for the program is look to see if they are recruiting yet! If not, you may have to wait a few months for applications to open. Once they are open, the first thing you do is fill out the online application. You have to do this both through the Disney Careers website, and on the Yummy Jobs website. Yummy Jobs is the company that Disney outsource their recruitment to in the UK, and they are the people who will be communicating to you throughout your application process.

On the application you must include a headshot. This probably goes without saying but SMILE! You are trying to work in the happiest place in the world, and Disney won’t want to hire you if you look miserable! For my headshot, I had a friend help me. I stood in front of a plain white wall, tried to look as relaxed as possible and gave my biggest smile. Then it’s just a simple case of uploading it to your computer and attaching it to your application on Yummy Jobs.

You also have to upload a CV and cover letter. Make sure that you tailor your cover letter specifically to Disney. Emphasise the cultural aspect and if you are going for the CEP (which only takes university students) try and talk about how the program will help you in your degree and future plans! They just want to get a feel for you as a person and why you want to do the program.

You also have to answer two questions, which is what I personally found the hardest! They are:

1.     Why do you value cultural exchange and interaction?

2.     What is your motivation for the program?

Take your time and really think about what your write in your answers. The great thing is that anytime up until the submission date, you can go back and edit your application, including your answers to the questions and your cover letter/cv, so don’t feel like you have to rush! Another important tip: SPELL CHECK! Disney get a lot of applicants for these programs, and narrowing down the pool of applicants is hard, so a small thing such as spelling may make a big difference!

Lastly, make sure you research the program you want to do and fully understand what it will involve, not only to help you with your application, but also to make sure that it is something you actually really want to do.  Don’t forget that there is more than just one program out there too. Find the one that you think it most suited to you.

The closing date for submitting was 27th September, with applications opening around the middle of the summer I believe. You tend to hear back pretty quickly about your online application. I submitted mine on 16th September and found out I had made it through to the pre-screen interviews on the 18th!

Now I had been planning to do just one post about the application process, but this has got so long I think I’ll leave it here and discuss the next part another time!

Hope this is helpful to anyone wanting to know a bit more about applying for the CEP/CRP!

Much love, Kit xx

Helpful Links

Disney International Careers website: http://ip.disneycareers.com/en/default/ Yummy Jobs website: http://www.yummyjobs.com/work/disney-international-programs