cultural representative program - questions

[leonkennedy93]

Hello,


After receiving a positive offer for the CRP, i'm still figuring out if i'm going to do the program, coming from a foreign country all the way to the US is no easy choice . I have some questions if some of you who are familiar with the experience wish to answer.

is being 30 a bit too old ? a person on her early 30's won't seem odd around all the others?

is not being a huge disney nerd something negative, is it common among crp's , cp's... ?

what's your experience around flamingo village? some reviews especially on google are horrendous. I think that having your own room seem highly unlikely if i understood correctly , is there still a chance?

how's the management? especially if you heard from the french side. i've seen videos of people talking about employees (crp, cp...) being terminated for no reason or for very little.

how are the shifts in attraction? do you get enough hours, too much or not enough?

is the pay for a standard week enough to live comfortably and save to travel and eat well?

have the experience been beneficial to you in your professional future?
What did you gain from the experience, especially people who came back to their respective countries.

Thank you all

 

[Bad Pink Tink 2.0]

Theres a good few current Cultural Representation CM's vlogging their experiences on YouTube.
Charlie's New World
This is a guy from England and his friends who are currently in The UK Pavillion in Epcot. He has great videos about the whole process and all of your questions will be covered in his videos.

The Caitlyn Rose
She did the college program and extended after the program. She has some great videos explaining about Flamingo Crossings and the different layouts.

 

[jimmymc]

Early 30s is definitely not too old. There are people who do the CRP, internships, culinary program, and just regular cast members of all ages.

You don't have to be a huge Disney nerd, but many people you work with will be.

It is pretty unlikely for you to get your own room at Flamingo Crossing. I think about 80% of bedrooms are shared. The worst aspects, from what I've seen, are that the prices are high considering how many people are in one apartment, and the limited parking.

Management can unfortunately vary a lot by location. The leader at your specific ride, restaurant, or store will have a large impact on working there, and it's pure luck if you get a good one or not. Most of them are good, and a lot of the problems seem to come from scheduling, since CRPs have the lowest priority.

Attractions usually get plenty of shifts. As a CRP, you will most likely be working evening or night shifts 5 to 6 days a week.

The pay is good enough to live comfortably and buy groceries, but traveling outside of Orlando would be difficult. The program is great if you want to be immersed in Disney, but you won't see much of the United States.

For professional future, it's great if you want to work in the hospitality industry after the program. For something like science or business, it's not going to add anything to your resume.

 

[tony67]

Personally if given the opportunity I'd jump at it. Easy for me to say, I know.

It probably wont be all that easy, maybe even a bit of a struggle, but it will be a unique experience and I'd have a tough time passing it up. You don't want to be 40 or 50 and look back and say I wish I had done that. If you go and its terrible, at least you can say you tried it and its a learning experience.

It might not be all big a deal on your resume - but it will be something interesting on your resume - a talking point - a differentiator between two equal candidates.

As for being a Disney nerd... based on what you are saying -you are there to be French not talk about Mickey Mouse so that does not seem like a big deal and maybe a plus.

I am assuming your English is quite good, but its going to get better spending time here, so that might be a plus.

You will have to deal with lots of Americans with very poor French trying to show off that very poor French to friends and family - so as long as you can put up with that you should be fine.

 

[leonkennedy93]

thanks for the answers

 

[Rogue1677x]

I can only speak to what I know of my ex-husband's experience as a cultural rep from Morocco. When I met him, he worked in a section of the Pavillion where people would interact with him and learn more about the country. I joked with him about how the costume he was wearing when we met looked like something out of Aladdin.

He had roommates from different countries and he got along with them fine.

I got the impression he liked the experience but had no interest in working for Disney. He said some of the reps referred to EPCOT as Every Paycheck Comes On Thursday.

After leaving Disney he did eventually go into hotel restaurant management, but since we've divorced, I have no idea if he stuck with that field or left it altogether.

 

[leonkennedy93]

Ok thank you for the insight

I can only speak to what I know of my ex-husband's experience as a cultural rep from Morocco. When I met him, he worked in a section of the Pavillion where people would interact with him and learn more about the country. I joked with him about how the costume he was wearing when we met looked like something out of Aladdin.

He had roommates from different countries and he got along with them fine.

I got the impression he liked the experience but had no interest in working for Disney. He said some of the reps referred to EPCOT as Every Paycheck Comes On Thursday.

After leaving Disney he did eventually go into hotel restaurant management, but since we've divorced, I have no idea if he stuck with that field or left it altogether.

ok thank you for the insight

 

[Karin1984]

If it's beneficial for your future really depends on what you want your professional career to look like. In Epcot at the pavillions all jobs are some form of customer service, whether you work at an attraction, at a restaurant or in merchandise. Having experience with customer service can come in handy in a lot of careers, but mainly in careers where you have to deal with customers (internal or external), hospitality, but also sales for example: how to get to know your customer, how to satisfy a customer, how to deal with angry customers, etc.

If, however, you would go back to a job where you are working from home all day and just insert numbers into a computer, then it's less beneficial.

In some countries having worked and lived abroad can be seen as a bonus. A big cooperation like Disney usually works well on resumes.

Which country are we talking about?

 

[leonkennedy93]

If it's beneficial for your future really depends on what you want your professional career to look like. In Epcot at the pavillions all jobs are some form of customer service, whether you work at an attraction, at a restaurant or in merchandise. Having experience with customer service can come in handy in a lot of careers, but mainly in careers where you have to deal with customers (internal or external), hospitality, but also sales for example: how to get to know your customer, how to satisfy a customer, how to deal with angry customers, etc.

If, however, you would go back to a job where you are working from home all day and just insert numbers into a computer, then it's less beneficial.

In some countries having worked and lived abroad can be seen as a bonus. A big cooperation like Disney usually works well on resumes.

Which country are we talking about?

sorry for the late reply, i'm from France

 

[Mle8308]

Age, you are fine. THough the majority of people you would be living with at FC would be more in the 18 - 24 range. Management can vary from area to area but is generally quite fair, and Disney does have strict attendance policies which they strongly adhere to, as well as safety protocols. No drug use is allowed, even if it is legal in some states. You will make enough to live and buy groceries, but you won't have enough to be eating out at actual restaurants on a regular basis unless you don't care about saving any money. If you work a lot of OT, then you'll have extra money, but less time to enjoy it. Extensive travel, no, because you will be expected to work a minimum of 30 hours (but more likely 40) and that can be split up over 5 days or some times 6. You really don't get time off as a CRP and if you call out, you can be disciplined. Can it be a great experience, definitely. But it is work and there are no special exemptions made for a CRP. As others have stated, if you want a career in hospitality or tourism, it can be beneficial. At 30, if your career is pointing in another direction, it's probably not a good use of your time.

 

[leonkennedy93]

thanks for the replies