The DCP is a paid internship opportunity for college students or recent college graduates (which is how I am able to do it). It is a semester long program where you are placed in the heart of Disney Parks and Resorts to work and create magic for all the guests (and trust me this place is truly magical!)
The positions available in this internship are ones where you either work in the parks/downtown Disney or you are in one of the Disney affiliated hotels.
Roles
Attractions, Custodial, PhotoPass Photographer, Transportation, Main Entrance greeter, Bell Hop, Concierge (Disney desk at a hotel), Hospitality (Front Desk at a hotel), Housekeeping, Lifeguard, Recreation, Full Service food, Quick service food, Merchandise, Ticket Sales (aka Vacation Planning), entertainment (aka character performer) and more.
For a full list of roles and their descriptions,check out this link. DCP Role Descriptions
This is not a corporate office position. It's basically an entry level paid internship with the company. However, it is a great position to put on a resume! It is an easy way to get grandfathered into the company if you aspire to work full time for Disney on any level.
Education
There is an opportunity to get college credit by taking Disney classes. Not all schools will count these credits, but it is still worth it to gain education related to your future career from a major corporation's (that is doing a darn good job at it) perspective. Also not all classes can get you college credit. The classes offered are tailored specific to different educational and career goals you might have. Some classes are related to specific majors while others are more general. There are classes where you learn how to better market yourself for jobs, courses on communication in the workplace, management, theater productions and even Disney history (seemingly most popular class) to mention a few. If you are a communication, marketing/media related, hospitality, business, engineering or theater major you should definitely consider taking a class.
I'm taking two classes even though I have graduated from college. Why? Because I figured more knowledge = better job opportunities. And it is free! Well, relatively because i did pay to be in the DCP...
Not the point...
So I am taking Advanced Studies in Hospitality Management and Exploring Marketing. The first is one that if I was still in college i could get credit for (probably not at my school though) which means it has homework. Bleh! Oh and it's like a 4 hour class once a week. My second class is not one for possible credit. It's more of a seminar class. It is also once a week but for two hours and no homework!
Housing, Pay and Transportation
Disney does provide housing! I was very excited about this. You do have to pay for it, but the cool thing is you don't have to worry about saving money from your pay check each week to pay rent (yes it is weekly pay but minimum wage). They automatically deduct the rent for housing out of your paycheck. You can choose to live in non Disney housing but...why? (unless you live in the Orlando area and still it is a great way to meet people and have more fun in your program)
Oh and pay... yes it is minimum wage but look at it this way, many internships aren't even paid! We are getting money so I don't complain.
There are 4 apartment complexes (Chatham, Patterson, Vista Way, The Commons).They are not too far from the parks and resorts and Disney does provide buses to get to resorts, parks, the grocery store and even the mall. But if you are at all able, bring your own vehicle! It just makes life better :)
Perks
We get to go in the parks for free basically whenever we want!!!! Sweet deal right? It basically makes it all worth it. (can I say turkey leg)
We can get others in the parks for free on our off days. There is a limited amount of times we can do this and a limited amount of people we can bring in each day but still awesome.
Discounts at many Disney merchandise and food stores.
Discounts at local stores and food places (it's like $4 off at Cici's Pizza all you can eat... just sayin).
Networking opportunities with the higher ups in the company.
Free Informational seminars
DCP sponsored Housing parties (most come with free food. always a plus)
Meeting people from all over the country and the world! (literally by just sitting on the bus)
And last but not least, we have the ability to say that we actually worked for Disney. Honestly what more could you want? ( a pony, my own island, a billion dollars....)
If you have any more basic questions that I did not answer please comment below.
You can also find more information about education, housing, pay, perks and transportation on the programs main website by following this link.
Disney College Program Website
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