For this blog post I wanted to focus a little on the Disney International College Program because this program is what really opened doors for me, and really pushed me out of my comfort zone.
In 2013 I was attending a school that specialises in studies for travel, tourism and flight attending. I had left high school early to start my diploma, and boy was it was one of the best decisions I have ever made! Half way through my year at Sir George Seymour College the opportunity arose to apply for a really neat sounding internship at Walt Disney World, in Orlando, FL. Of course I jumped at the opportunity and got stuck into my application letter. Once I had applied it was approximately two weeks before I received an email inviting me to an interview and presentation with Disney recruiters in Auckland, New Zealand for the following week.
The day before the Interview a few of the others at the school and I headed up to Auckland to check into our accommodation so we could begin preparing for our Interview. I focused on general knowledge about the company and property itself, then ran over a few Interview questions which related to the role I had applied for- which was Attractions. The questions tested your knowledge on what to do in specific difficult situations or how to act during an emergency. I would highly recommend for anyone who has applied for an operations position to brush up on their emergency protocols etc.
During the interview I had a lovely recruiter who asked me a couple of questions and then we ended up sitting and having a discussion about myself as a person for the rest of the interview. My interview was approximately 15 minutes and I have to admit I left feeling as though I may not have offered as much as I had hoped, as most of the interview was revolved around my personality, rather than my experience and knowledge of the role. However, about 2 weeks after my interview I rolled out of bed at 5am to get ready for school and decided to quickly check my emails and this is what I found....
I have to admit- I cried, I screamed and ran down the hallway to break the news to my parents- I had been accepted into the Disney International College program as an Operations Cast Member for Fall 2014, and I couldn't be any happier.
Please, if you do come across this blog post and have done a Disney program, have been accepted for one or would just love to do it, leave a comment. I'd love to hear about your story and I am happy to answer any questions!
