Case Studies
- Christopher Loudon
- Christopher More
- Heather Price
- Julia Baum
- Dayna Guay
- Daniel Booth
- Emma Louise Flood
- Helen Baker
- Lorin Adams
- Laura Hannah
- Umair Iqbal
- Kurt Anthony
- Rachel Perry
Emma Louise Flood
Ever since I was little I dreamed of working in Disney World, of course I assumed that such a magical job would always have to stay a dream. I first heard of the Disney College Programme when I was on holiday with my parents in the Epcot UK pavilion. I just happened to ask on of the English girls working there how she got her job and she wrote down the Yummy jobs website and I put it in my purse. I had no idea how much that chance encounter would come to mean to me a few years later.
It can all seem a bit daunting at first being so far away from home, having a new job on top of sorting out flights and visa’s etc. but it really could not be made simpler. Every step of the way it’s made very clear by the Yummy Jobs team when and how to do everything for going away, and any problems there was always someone in the office to email or call to ask.
I have just finished my second programme with Yummy Jobs as a merchandise cast member in Hollywood studios. I absolutely loved my job. The team I worked with over there became really close friends, and we spent a lot of time together outside of work.
Furthermore, the management team were really friendly and approachable and made sure we were all really confident in our positions. I worked in three different locations; Rock’n Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror and Fantasmic and had a mixture of early and evening shifts which meant I really got to make the most of being out there. However, you do need to be prepared to work hard and have a really positive attitude.
One of the most rewarding and most challenging aspect of the college programme is living with entirely new people often from new cultures and backgrounds. I shared an apartment with an English girl a German girl and three Mexican girls. Needless to say six girls sharing an apartment there were a few issues over late night parties and mess, but really they became like my family out there and so long as everyone does their fair share and communicates well with each other everything works out well.
It’s impossible to imagine how many new experiences and opportunities are open to you through the programme (I mean the chance to play in the Disney Parks as often as you like is pretty awesome in itself!). But, most of these are from the unique and wonderful friendships that I made out there. I never dreamed I would be on the beach in Miami with Mexican and French girls, or at a music festival with my German roommate or watching the fireworks with so many like minded people who had become my new best friends, and I’m sure will be for a long time. As Walt Disney said, ‘You can dream, create, design and build the most wonderful place in the world, but it requires people to make the dream a reality.’
I really can’t stress how much these experiences mean to me and every year it gets harder to say goodbye. I come back home and feel home sick for Disney! I just want to thank Disney and Yummy Jobs and that wonderful girl at the UK pavilion all those years ago for giving me this opportunity. All I have left is a little bit of motivation for those thinking of doing the program:
All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.
-Walt Disney.
