Internships in general are served at office-based companies and trainees usually work with a particular leader. However, there is an alternative internship: students may work in the fairyland and to serve a high versatility of customers from all over the world. That is the Disney College Program launched by Disney World. It is a program during which students work in the park for five months, serving at different positions to gain job experiences.

Numerous students, especially those Disney World lovers, apply for the program as soon as the application form is available. Two Vincennes University students, who also are big fans of Disney World, have successfully gotten the internship offer and are going to work in the park down in Florida this coming fall. They are ready to share their enthusiasm of what they love through life and bring joyfulness to people’s hearts.

“It was a big dream getting accepted,” Allison Burress, surgical technology, Dillsboro, Indiana, said with a smile.

Although she did not get the position she wanted, she was excited about working in Disney World where she had been dreaming of staying and had fond childhood memories of. 

But what made her feel extra excited is that earning the internship offer is challenging because applicants are required to go through several stages of the interview process before getting accepted. Eligible applicants will start on a web based interview which is timed, then go on phone interview after being qualified. 

Sure to get the job, Burress suggested that practicing timing and watching related YouTube videos could help understanding how judges ask questions, and preparing interview questions beforehand may mark extraordinary results.  

“I was not even asking those questions that I thought to be asked,” she said.

Burress had a great interview and she is going to be a server of food and beverage, using carts to serve snacks to visitors.

Lexus Renee Meredith, fire science and safety technology, Knightstown, also earned the same internship. She will also be part of the food and beverage area.

She described the application progress as competitive because the positions are limited. Recalling having her phone interview, she said, “ show happiness in the phone” in order to impress the judges. Meredith also advised YouTube videos are a good tool to help prepare.

As for the vision of working the internship in Disney World , Meredith stated that working in the fire department of the park is her final wish of being a Disney trainee. Working at the park allows her familiarize with the company and that could help her increase the chance of being hired as part of the fire department through her experienced resume. 

Meredith is planning to extend the semester after getting the certificate from Disney College in response to her graduation.

In fact, the Disney College Program also provides international intern offers. Disney World welcomes all college students across the globe and American students to apply for the position to any park in the world. 

Awan Sami, communication, a student of Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong, China, used to be the merchandiser in Florida Disney Park. 

Within the five-months internship, Sami was rewarded a lot and he enjoyed working there. He stated, “it was a fun job” where he had experienced different cultures when serving visitors from Thailand, Lous, France, and Canada. And because of talking with people frequently in English, his English communication skills had boosted.

Sami used the word “magical” to describe the experience of working in Disney World. As a merchandiser, the job is often to answer customers’ inquiries and give a hand to others. And the job had offered him a chance to help one another out. As he shared in the interview, he said he used to order and deliver towels to customers when there was a rainstorm, which he had never seen a company provide such warm services to visitors. 

Compared to the working culture in Hong Kong, Sami found Disney World is a kind hearted company too. He described staff there concerned employers’ feelings, “if you feel uneasy and bad about something, you can tell them directly and they will help you out by heart,” he said. 

Besides, what he had seen most about the company was that Disney World held programs for terminally ill patients. “They are free to come to Disney and have fun. And this is what I have seen that Disney world does [for] society,” he explained.

Indeed, Disney World tries to provide different services. The internship positions scope are wide range from food and beverage, lifeguard, dancer, and working in a greenhouse as an agriculture monitor. All the positions provided are in hopes of giving students job experiences and enrich their personal growth.  

Burres, in the end of the interview, said that taking the internship in Disney World is a great benefit for her career path in future.

“My major [had] nothing to do with food, but my resume working for Disney World could set me apart for everyone when applying for a bigger job.”  

Burres advised students who would like to hunt for an internship opportunity that networking is important. By talking with others, maybe even just friends, you may learn some interesting job related information and make connections.

Both Meredith and Burress know about the Disney Internship from their siblings and friends.