Jennifer Smith
Published: April 13 2004
The Walt Disney World College Program will discuss its fall internship program and conduct interviews on the Pensacola campus at 2 p.m. Thursday, April 22.
Students of all majors are invited to attend the meeting in building 5, room 509 (the Student Center) after they have registered with the college’s cooperative education office.
Disney interns gain experience while earning a paycheck and, in some cases, receiving college credit. The interns are paid for a variety of jobs including cashiering, sweeping, serving food, answering phones, taking tickets and being a lifeguard. The glamorous job of being a character, such as Mickey Mouse himself, requires a road trip to Orlando for auditions.
While working at Disney, an intern may choose to take two of six courses offered by Disney’s educational division. The classes focus on communication, management skills, personal career development and leadership training. Students learn skills ranging from writing a resume to producing a 30-second commercial, according to he Disney website.
PJC awards one to three credits for these courses when they are taken by students in hospitality, culinary management or business.
All interns are paid $6 an hour for a minimum of 30 hours per week. Fully furnished apartments with utilities are provided on Disney property for a fee of $67-$79 per week, which is deducted from paychecks. Meals are not included in the package.
As for the rest and relaxation, all interns have free admission to the parks and receive a 20 percent discount at Disney stores.
General college internships, offered in the fall and spring semesters, last five months. Some Disney “alum” qualify for advanced internships, and there is a separate management internship program.
Before thinking it is as easy as wishing on a star, however, students must meet some prerequisites to attend the April 22 meeting. First they must get approval to be in the program from Gil Bixel, PJC’s coordinator of cooperative education. He can be reached at 484-1653.
Also, a student must have attended PJC for one semester and have at least a 2.0 GPA.
The next step is to apply on-line at www.wdwcollegeprogram.com. Bixel said students should dress appropriately for the presentation if they plan to sign up for an interview that day. (The Disney website says employees dress in a “business casual” style.)
Interested students do not have to interview on April 22. They can attend the presentation and, if interested, interview later, Bixel said.
After an interview, an applicant will usually be notifed by mail within two to three weeks.
Across the nation 6,000 to 8,000 students are accepted as Disney interns, and 500 to 600 students are accepted internationally. Each semester Disney visits about 500 schools like PJC to promote its internships.
According to Kez McCollum, a Disney assistant and three-times college intern from the University of Kentucky, there are only two reasons people may not like the program: they become homesick, or, despite prior explanations, they expect something different.
But McCollum, a marketing major, says he has enjoyed each of his experiences in the program.