Hi all!
So watching Disney vlogs almost 24/7 has made me feel a little bit self conscious. One thing I've noticed as I watch vlog after vlog after vlog is that most people wear make-up to work. I guess it makes sense because it's Disney World. No one wants to work at Disney World looking like they've just been hit by a bus. My self conscious problem stems now from the fact that I am terrible at make-up.
Permanently looking like you've been hit by a bus, represent.
A number of factors when I was younger contributed to my lake of cosmetic experience. My mother, my father, society, etc. The list goes on. The end result is a person with very little self esteem and no means to feel comfortable in her own skin.
Until now.
I've decided, for better or for worse, that I'm going to do a sort of self improvement challenge over the next month to see how well I go. I propose that in the month of August I will put make-up on every day. Nothing too insane. Just a Disney appropriate 'every day' look that is natural and simple. To train myself for Disney I will attempt to make myself up every morning to see if I make any kind of improvement in terms of quality and speed. By the end of the month I hope to have developed a consistent routine for make up application and skin care.
This process will be a kind of test to see if I can sustain this kind of routine over a long period of time. So hopefully I can go to Disney and not look like a repeated victim of pedestrian traffic accidents.
- Lily
Thursday, July 31, 2014
Sunday, July 27, 2014
And So It Begins...
Hi all!
The first set of interviews for Jan 2015 intake is just around the corner!
Tomorrow is the first Disney presentation and, because the presentation is a night one, interviews for this intake will begin the very next day. I wish a very sincere good luck to all applicants and hope that your interviews are successful.
- Lily
The first set of interviews for Jan 2015 intake is just around the corner!
Tomorrow is the first Disney presentation and, because the presentation is a night one, interviews for this intake will begin the very next day. I wish a very sincere good luck to all applicants and hope that your interviews are successful.
- Lily
A Friend In Me
Hi all!
I haven't posted in a while because I often start writing a post and then end up deleting it for a variety of different reasons. I really need to get into the habit of telling myself 'This is your blog and you can write what you want' but I can't shake the feeling that too many non-program related posts in a row will put people off. Good thing this one is kinda program related.
I've always suffered from issues with self confidence. It's a problem that's plagued me all of my life. Even things I know in my heart I could be good at I eventually beat myself down with negativity that I wholeheartedly believe I'm worthless.
Disney has been no different.
I've managed to remain mostly balanced during the process. Any sign of over confidence or hope I would pass off as preparedness and and sign of negativity as keeping myself from being cocky.
Even with all the evidence in my favor I can't help but feel like maybe there's something about me that could keep me from being accepted this time around. Maybe I'll be too loud or too quiet. Maybe I'll cut someone off without realizing or maybe I'll be cut off and become awkward. Maybe my hair is too short or my teeth aren't white enough. A billion and one 'what ifs' float through my head every time I think about the interview.
And sometimes there are people who can see through my self deprecating humor to the horrible truth lurking behind it. I'm genuinely not confident in my ability to land this position.
I've only had two job interviews in my life and they both were unsuccessful. The job I have now, and have had for the last five years, I only got because I was 16 and would work for pittance. I've never got a job based on my own experience, my own personality, my own merit. So I'm terrified. If Subway wouldn't hire me why do you think Disney would?
Today I made one such joke about having a shot in comparison to someone else and one of my friends saw straight through it. A few minutes later she sent me this encouraging checklist:
And it felt good to be reminded.
In all aspects of life we remember the bad things. The bad parts of a conversation, our lives, ourselves. And I expect that when I come out of that interview in just over a month's time the bad things are all I will focus on. The times I could have said something different, the times I stumbled over my words.
It feels good to take a step back sometimes. To take a look at events or yourself from someone else's eyes. The people around you can often see things that you don't. And they may remember the pleasant things that you weren't focusing on.
I'm in no way cured of my low self esteem affliction but at least for one night I can entertain the idea that I might do something right for a change.
- Lily
I haven't posted in a while because I often start writing a post and then end up deleting it for a variety of different reasons. I really need to get into the habit of telling myself 'This is your blog and you can write what you want' but I can't shake the feeling that too many non-program related posts in a row will put people off. Good thing this one is kinda program related.
I've always suffered from issues with self confidence. It's a problem that's plagued me all of my life. Even things I know in my heart I could be good at I eventually beat myself down with negativity that I wholeheartedly believe I'm worthless.
Disney has been no different.
I've managed to remain mostly balanced during the process. Any sign of over confidence or hope I would pass off as preparedness and and sign of negativity as keeping myself from being cocky.
Even with all the evidence in my favor I can't help but feel like maybe there's something about me that could keep me from being accepted this time around. Maybe I'll be too loud or too quiet. Maybe I'll cut someone off without realizing or maybe I'll be cut off and become awkward. Maybe my hair is too short or my teeth aren't white enough. A billion and one 'what ifs' float through my head every time I think about the interview.
And sometimes there are people who can see through my self deprecating humor to the horrible truth lurking behind it. I'm genuinely not confident in my ability to land this position.
I've only had two job interviews in my life and they both were unsuccessful. The job I have now, and have had for the last five years, I only got because I was 16 and would work for pittance. I've never got a job based on my own experience, my own personality, my own merit. So I'm terrified. If Subway wouldn't hire me why do you think Disney would?
Today I made one such joke about having a shot in comparison to someone else and one of my friends saw straight through it. A few minutes later she sent me this encouraging checklist:
And it felt good to be reminded.
In all aspects of life we remember the bad things. The bad parts of a conversation, our lives, ourselves. And I expect that when I come out of that interview in just over a month's time the bad things are all I will focus on. The times I could have said something different, the times I stumbled over my words.
It feels good to take a step back sometimes. To take a look at events or yourself from someone else's eyes. The people around you can often see things that you don't. And they may remember the pleasant things that you weren't focusing on.
I'm in no way cured of my low self esteem affliction but at least for one night I can entertain the idea that I might do something right for a change.
- Lily
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Being Frugal Pays Your Way
Hi all!
Looks like all of my hard work is starting to pay off. I've just passed the thirty five hundred mark in my 'Disney Investment' account! If my calculations are correct that should cover all of my pre-program fees like flights, insurance, visa fees etc. So the rest of the money that I save in the next four months will be my program spending money/safety net.
I've also got my birthday and Christmas before I would be leaving (if I get accepted) and my family are all on board with giving me money so I should have plenty to keep me going.
As of now this is the most money I've saved ever! I had to save three thousand dollars to pay back my Aunt for our Disney trip so now I've beaten my savings record by over five hundred dollars.
Hopefully I can keep up the good work and I won't have to beg my parents to wire me money while I'm over there.
- Lily
Looks like all of my hard work is starting to pay off. I've just passed the thirty five hundred mark in my 'Disney Investment' account! If my calculations are correct that should cover all of my pre-program fees like flights, insurance, visa fees etc. So the rest of the money that I save in the next four months will be my program spending money/safety net.
I've also got my birthday and Christmas before I would be leaving (if I get accepted) and my family are all on board with giving me money so I should have plenty to keep me going.
As of now this is the most money I've saved ever! I had to save three thousand dollars to pay back my Aunt for our Disney trip so now I've beaten my savings record by over five hundred dollars.
Hopefully I can keep up the good work and I won't have to beg my parents to wire me money while I'm over there.
- Lily
Monday, July 21, 2014
Update Update Update Update
Hi all!
Nothing too exciting it happening in terms of Disney but I just have a few small things I felt like sharing that aren't entirely worth their own posts. So here goes:
1) There's just been a post on the Disney Programs blog about the improvements made to DORMS. Nothing that really effects us yet but it will be a great advantage if/when we get to that. My favorite change is that you can now say what housing complex, number or rooms and number of people you want which means you can put all of the options that would mean three people rooms last. E.g Chatham, 2BR, 5 people. Definitely not putting those ones at the top of my list!
2) The Disney Careers site isn't accepting my password again. Got all my fingers and toes crossed that means they're changing things. Hopefully it means they're sending me my interview invite.
3) My cousin is coming back from London! She's been living and working there for two years and she's just booked her ticket to come home. Missed my Jesscar so much since she's been gone and it will be so good to see her again and hear all about her adventures.
4) My internet is back. It's been out for the last few days but it's finally sorted itself out and decided to stop being silly so blog posts about my Disney life are coming your way.
5) I'm slowing working my way out of my spiraling void of bleh and doing some productive stuff. Getting back to writing (even if it is just for projects) and I'm making the new intro for my Disney videos. Feels good to be doing things but not nearly as good as doing nothing.
- Lily
Sunday, July 20, 2014
Double Trouble
Hi all!
Since I returned from my trip to America last year my Aunt has always said she'd travel with me again. When she found out that I'd applied for the program she said that she'd come to visit me if I got in. And if I didn't, she invited me to come with them on their trip through the East Coast. We would even stop at Disney World for me. From the very beginning of this adventure I knew I was going to end up at Disney World one way or another.
After researching Disney World my mum has also decided that if I don't get in she still wants us to go to Disney World. Uh-oh! This could be awkward. If I don't get in I'm going to have to choose between my mother and my aunt!
Hopefully, I get in and don't have to decide.
And if I don't I guess I'll just have to go twice to make everyone happy. Ah, the burdens we must bear. ;)
Since I returned from my trip to America last year my Aunt has always said she'd travel with me again. When she found out that I'd applied for the program she said that she'd come to visit me if I got in. And if I didn't, she invited me to come with them on their trip through the East Coast. We would even stop at Disney World for me. From the very beginning of this adventure I knew I was going to end up at Disney World one way or another.
After researching Disney World my mum has also decided that if I don't get in she still wants us to go to Disney World. Uh-oh! This could be awkward. If I don't get in I'm going to have to choose between my mother and my aunt!
Hopefully, I get in and don't have to decide.
And if I don't I guess I'll just have to go twice to make everyone happy. Ah, the burdens we must bear. ;)
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
"That Disney Person"
Hi all!
*After careful research I discovered that the film was not actually banned and nor was the segment. One cartoon in the film, The Martins and the Coys, was removed by Disney from future releases because it received a lot of criticism from audiences. Disney simply decided the film was better off without it.
I really didn't want to let this blog get left behind just because I have nothing to talk about. I figured I always have Disney related stories and they do say that sharing is caring. Here's the tale of my adventures in the city today.
On a Wednesday I normally have class from 9.30am to 9pm but this particular Wednesday my Film class (1pm - 4.30pm) was cancelled. My friend Chris and I decided to pop over to JB HI FI because he needed a wireless keyboard for his tablet and we had a few hours to kill before our next class that started at 5.30pm. Unfortunately, or fortunately for me, we ended up at the wrong JB HI FI because the smaller stores in the city are separated into functions. He needed computers and we ended up in DVDs & music.
Because we had so much time we decided to wander and I spotted some Disney DVDs on sale. Now I'll let you in on a little secret, I've been actively collecting DVDs of Walt Disney Animation Studios films for a few years now. The only ones I have left are either in the vault (Snow White, Sleeping Beauty & Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh) or only available on Amazon with seriously ridiculous shipping costs (Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad & Make Mine Music).
Up until recently I was going to leave the films made by Disneytoon Studios until after I had completed my WDAS collection but when I heard that Snow White wasn't coming out until 2017/2018 I wasn't too keen on waiting that long. Upon finding both of the Lion King sequels and the Little Mermaid prequel/sequels, I decided I was going to complete one set today. "But which one?" I asked of my friend.
One of the employees of the store chimed in and said "We've got the originals out back if you want those."
Chris just laughed and told the employee, I later learned his name was Brad, that I already had them both. He was making an assumption but his assumption was 100% correct. Chris then told Brad that I collect Disney films. Well, that may have been a bad move. Brad then told us he was a huge Disney nut and collected rare Disney DVDs. Considering that I did the same I was thinking at this point that maybe Brad would be able to help me find the ones I was missing.
Half-way through saying something along the lines of "If you collect rare Disney then you might just be the man I need to see." he interrupted me and said very matter of factly "I own every Donald Duck cartoon ever made."
That's great, Brad, but back to the customer you're supposed to be assisting? I could already see that this was pushing into that dangerous 'pissing contest' type interaction that often becomes uncomfortable and the worst part was that I wasn't even trying to fight him. I genuinely wanted his help. I then explained to him that there were only a few movies that I needed that weren't in the vault but were hard to find.
He then proceeded to explain to me what the vault was. Even though I was the one who brought it up.
I told him that I couldn't remember which ones I needed (I had a list on my ipad but I didn't have my ipad on me) and he said to come find him when I remembered. I looked up the WDAS list for a bit and decided that I needed Fun and Fancy Free. We found him again and he said that they might have that one. He found one at another store that he could get them to transfer over for me. While we were filling out the transfer form he asked if there were any other films I needed so I mentioned Make Mine Music.
I told him that I couldn't remember which ones I needed (I had a list on my ipad but I didn't have my ipad on me) and he said to come find him when I remembered. I looked up the WDAS list for a bit and decided that I needed Fun and Fancy Free. We found him again and he said that they might have that one. He found one at another store that he could get them to transfer over for me. While we were filling out the transfer form he asked if there were any other films I needed so I mentioned Make Mine Music.
He then proceeded to explain that Make Mine Music was banned* and out of print because it had a cartoon deemed unsuitable for children in it. That was pretty interesting. But as soon as I went to mention Song of the South he jumped right down my throat and explained to me the story of Song of the South being banned even though I already knew all about it. Every time I tried to actually contribute to the discussion he would interrupt me before I could get a word in. When I finally did get to tell him that I had a copy and had actually seen parts of it he acted all insulted and said 'So do I but I don't advertise it." in the most snarky way possible.
The one chance I got to contribute to the conversation and you shut me down completely? Wow. Just wow.
Eventually we completed the transfer form and they promised to call me when it arrived. I decided to pick up some Disneytoon DVDs on the way out so I grabbed these bad boys.
Eventually we completed the transfer form and they promised to call me when it arrived. I decided to pick up some Disneytoon DVDs on the way out so I grabbed these bad boys.
On the way to the JB we were supposed to go to in the first place I talked to my friend about why that guy grated on my nerves so much. Chris expected me to be thrilled to find someone who I could talk to about liking Disney. The thing was we weren't actually talking. Brad was just talking AT me. It really bugs me when people get into these competitions with each other about who knows more. When I meet a Disney fan I want to have an in depth discussion about what their favorite movie is and why. But most of all I want that person to be considerate enough to include me in the conversation.
We're not having a conversation about Disney if you're just spewing facts at me. We're not connecting on any personal level because I now know that you have every Donald Duck cartoon. I want to know why you like Donald so much out of all the characters. I will talk with you about Disney for hours but only if you talk to me and then let me talk back. Our interactions are not a contest. Enjoying something is not a contest.
I love Disney, you love Disney and that should be enough.
So I left JB happy that I'd placed my order but also upset at the hostile attitude I'd been met with. After class I popped on home and went to place my new additions on my shelf when I realized something.
Notice anything wrong with this picture?
If you guessed 'She already has Fun and Fancy Free' then you would be 100% correct. Send me your address and I'll mail you a broken (and possibly moldy by the time it gets to you) cookie.
Yup. I went through that whole interaction for absolutely nothing. Go me.
My two options now are either buy it out of guilt/embarrassment when it arrives or ignore their calls and never go back to that store again. Ever.
- Lily
*After careful research I discovered that the film was not actually banned and nor was the segment. One cartoon in the film, The Martins and the Coys, was removed by Disney from future releases because it received a lot of criticism from audiences. Disney simply decided the film was better off without it.
P.s. If anyone wants a free copy of Fun and Fancy Free give me a shout.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Disney Fact #8
EPCOT's nightly firework show, IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth, fires off one thousand one hundred and five individual shells. Combining those brilliant explosions with music, lasers, fire, fountains and a twenty eight foot globe make IllumiNations a sight like nothing else.
A Milestone Of Sorts
Hi all!
To celebrate the fact that people other than me have been looking at this blog I thought I'd share with you some of my photos from my trip to Disney last year. So without further ado I give you: Pictures of me looking awkward at Disneyland!
This one isn't actually at Disneyland but at Disney's Soda Fountain and Studio Store on Hollywood Blvd. It was right down the street from our hotel so we snapped this cute little photo while waiting for the adults to decide what we were doing for the day.
Shot of Main Street Station as we came in.
Little bit of Main Street but a lot of Emporium. Good thing Emporium turned out to be one of my favorite places in all of Disneyland. Weird, I know but we had some magical moments there.
Me and my cousin outside Sleeping Beauty's Castle. The sun was shining right in my eyes here so I definitely didn't take the most flattering photos. Probably should have kept my hat on for this one.
Through to Fantasyland we go!
Chilling in the teacups while waiting to ride....the teacups.
See if you can spot me.
Oop there I am. All alone. On the teacups. What a loser.
This is one of the only photos where I look okay. Sadly I'm not looking at the camera. I really enjoy this photo because everyone in our party (except my aunt who was taking it) is here and no one else! Everyone in this photo was with me the entire way through the trip. It's such a cute little shot of everyone being their candid selves.
Needed a shot to show how warped the buildings in Toon Town are. Give me a second to drool over the themeing.
...
....
.....
......
.......
Okay I'm done.
Chilling by the fountain on a hot day.
The random appearance of Pluto made this photo 100% better.
On our way out with our arms laden with purchases. Great end to one of the best days of my life.
Astro Orbiter at sunset.
The Partners Statue as the sun goes down and the park closes.
Main street with the lights on as night falls in the happiest place on Earth.
That's been it for my reminiscing and celebrating. I honestly hope people continue to return to this blog as I document my Disney life and hopefully my Disney program. I hope that the information and stories you read here help you on your journey or at least entertain you for a short while. See you real soon!
- Lily
Monday, July 14, 2014
All Roads Lead To Disney World
Hi all!
One thing that has kept me going throughout the process of collecting money for my Exchange is the fact that no matter what I will use it. My aunt, who took me to Disneyland last year, promised me that if I get in she'll come and visit but if I don't get in we'll all go to Disney World together anyway. So I've been popping away money every week to save for my 'Disney World Fund' whether it be for working there or just visiting.
My one concern is that if I do get rejected and end up going with my aunt she won't let us go to all of the four parks. Firstly because she's not as big a Disney fan as I am but also because a four day park hopper is hugely expensive. If I do go with my aunt I'd be lucky to see two parks and the water parks would definitely be out. I'm struggling to decide where I would want to go if plan B becomes my only option.
At the same time though it would be amazing to travel with them again. I had so much fun last time when we did the west coast. Seeing all of the east with them would be incredible. New York, New Orleans, Florida and even Vegas (again) would be our go to stops. Seeing the rest of America with the people who made my Disneyland dream a reality would be another great experience I would be eternally grateful to have.
I guess I just need to roll with the punches and cross that bridge when I come to it. But at the same time, the thought of missing out on fully experiencing Disney World terrifies me. Looks like we'll just have to wait and see.
- Lily
One thing that has kept me going throughout the process of collecting money for my Exchange is the fact that no matter what I will use it. My aunt, who took me to Disneyland last year, promised me that if I get in she'll come and visit but if I don't get in we'll all go to Disney World together anyway. So I've been popping away money every week to save for my 'Disney World Fund' whether it be for working there or just visiting.
My one concern is that if I do get rejected and end up going with my aunt she won't let us go to all of the four parks. Firstly because she's not as big a Disney fan as I am but also because a four day park hopper is hugely expensive. If I do go with my aunt I'd be lucky to see two parks and the water parks would definitely be out. I'm struggling to decide where I would want to go if plan B becomes my only option.
At the same time though it would be amazing to travel with them again. I had so much fun last time when we did the west coast. Seeing all of the east with them would be incredible. New York, New Orleans, Florida and even Vegas (again) would be our go to stops. Seeing the rest of America with the people who made my Disneyland dream a reality would be another great experience I would be eternally grateful to have.
I guess I just need to roll with the punches and cross that bridge when I come to it. But at the same time, the thought of missing out on fully experiencing Disney World terrifies me. Looks like we'll just have to wait and see.
- Lily
The Almanac
Hi all!
I want to preface this post by saying that I'm not religious. I'm not here to knock people who are and I certainly don't care what your personal belief system is. I was just raised in a household that had literally no hint of God fearing or God caring. It just wasn't something I was exposed to.
As I child I was always told that I could choose what to believe and my family would support me no matter what. I never took to God. I never took to fate either. But sometimes I entertain the notion.
A lot of times in my life something that appears bad has come around to give me great strength. A terrible relationship taught me about the importance of respect and consent. A terrible year of education taught me about the importance of mental health and self esteem. I'm here today to tell you what a disappointing rejection taught me.
In a very long series of posts I told you guys the story of my last attempt at applying for the Cultural Exchange. I ended that series with a spiel about how much I have changed since last year and how much more prepared I feel. And while that all remains true I made another realization last week that kind of blows that all out of the water.
So last semester of uni was really tough for me. I'll try not to go into too much detail but I need to put it into perspective for you. There was this one class. Funny how one tiny thing can take you down so much. This one class I knew I wasn't going to be good at but I thought that learning it could assist me in other areas of my writing. This one class had a brand new teacher. We were like the test rats and the teacher was a new line of blush not fit for human application.
That class was hell. The teacher was incapable of setting proper deadlines, explaining what was expected of us, giving constructive feedback, basically anything pertaining to being an effective teacher. Instead of facilitating exploration of ideas she would ask students to start entirely anew if they ever incurred any issues. And this is where my biggest problem lies. I had to change my assignment, the assignment that we were supposed to work on for six months and was worth 100% of our grade, twice.
The first time was my own choice and occurred in good time to complete before the due date. The second time I was forced to by the teacher with no explanation as to why and with only five weeks before the due date. That's right, folks. Six months of work to complete in five weeks. Add onto that the fact that she vetted everything I did and so two weeks before the due date I still had no solid concept to work with.
A while before this I had huge troubles with anxiety and depression that caused me to drop out of high school. I had managed to keep it under control except in times of insurmountable stress. This situation was definitely something I would qualify as insurmountable stress. My anxiety sparked up so bad that I was throwing up every morning, spending the whole day feeling nauseous, refusing to eat anything and the list goes on. I had headaches all the time. I lost around five kilos. I wasn't sleeping. It was like hell.
I managed to get myself a two week extension on the project and complete the project on time but talking about it still brings me to tears. Afterward I honestly felt worthless. All of the time I'd spent on other projects and building my confidence was now wasted. And for a good two weeks I considered deferring second semester or maybe even dropping out all together. But then I remembered Disney.
One of the stipulations of the Cultural Exchange Program is that you cannot differ the semester prior to your arrival. If I deferred second semester Disney would be off the cards entirely. So I stuck it out. I attended my first week at uni and let me tell you, this semester is going to be rainbows. One of my classes is even about getting work out there for people to see. Work that I'm proud of. And you know who I'd be approaching? People who have connections at Walt Disney Animation Studios! People who could be interesting the script that I wrote as part of my portfolio for Disney.
I know I've asked you to imagine a whole lot of things in the past but imagine that!
So I don't want to be one of those people who harps on about 'things happening for a reason' but if I'd been accepted into the program when I tried to apply last year I would have had no reason left to stick it out through the horror of a semester I just experienced. I wouldn't have gotten to see through all of these amazing opportunities. I would have missed out on so much.
Now I can look back on that experience and say that while it wasn't fun at the time I'm genuinely glad it happened. Because if things have been different for me then, things would be so different for me now. And I honestly feel like this is the better of the two realities.
- Lily
I want to preface this post by saying that I'm not religious. I'm not here to knock people who are and I certainly don't care what your personal belief system is. I was just raised in a household that had literally no hint of God fearing or God caring. It just wasn't something I was exposed to.
As I child I was always told that I could choose what to believe and my family would support me no matter what. I never took to God. I never took to fate either. But sometimes I entertain the notion.
A lot of times in my life something that appears bad has come around to give me great strength. A terrible relationship taught me about the importance of respect and consent. A terrible year of education taught me about the importance of mental health and self esteem. I'm here today to tell you what a disappointing rejection taught me.
In a very long series of posts I told you guys the story of my last attempt at applying for the Cultural Exchange. I ended that series with a spiel about how much I have changed since last year and how much more prepared I feel. And while that all remains true I made another realization last week that kind of blows that all out of the water.
So last semester of uni was really tough for me. I'll try not to go into too much detail but I need to put it into perspective for you. There was this one class. Funny how one tiny thing can take you down so much. This one class I knew I wasn't going to be good at but I thought that learning it could assist me in other areas of my writing. This one class had a brand new teacher. We were like the test rats and the teacher was a new line of blush not fit for human application.
That class was hell. The teacher was incapable of setting proper deadlines, explaining what was expected of us, giving constructive feedback, basically anything pertaining to being an effective teacher. Instead of facilitating exploration of ideas she would ask students to start entirely anew if they ever incurred any issues. And this is where my biggest problem lies. I had to change my assignment, the assignment that we were supposed to work on for six months and was worth 100% of our grade, twice.
The first time was my own choice and occurred in good time to complete before the due date. The second time I was forced to by the teacher with no explanation as to why and with only five weeks before the due date. That's right, folks. Six months of work to complete in five weeks. Add onto that the fact that she vetted everything I did and so two weeks before the due date I still had no solid concept to work with.
A while before this I had huge troubles with anxiety and depression that caused me to drop out of high school. I had managed to keep it under control except in times of insurmountable stress. This situation was definitely something I would qualify as insurmountable stress. My anxiety sparked up so bad that I was throwing up every morning, spending the whole day feeling nauseous, refusing to eat anything and the list goes on. I had headaches all the time. I lost around five kilos. I wasn't sleeping. It was like hell.
I managed to get myself a two week extension on the project and complete the project on time but talking about it still brings me to tears. Afterward I honestly felt worthless. All of the time I'd spent on other projects and building my confidence was now wasted. And for a good two weeks I considered deferring second semester or maybe even dropping out all together. But then I remembered Disney.
One of the stipulations of the Cultural Exchange Program is that you cannot differ the semester prior to your arrival. If I deferred second semester Disney would be off the cards entirely. So I stuck it out. I attended my first week at uni and let me tell you, this semester is going to be rainbows. One of my classes is even about getting work out there for people to see. Work that I'm proud of. And you know who I'd be approaching? People who have connections at Walt Disney Animation Studios! People who could be interesting the script that I wrote as part of my portfolio for Disney.
I know I've asked you to imagine a whole lot of things in the past but imagine that!
So I don't want to be one of those people who harps on about 'things happening for a reason' but if I'd been accepted into the program when I tried to apply last year I would have had no reason left to stick it out through the horror of a semester I just experienced. I wouldn't have gotten to see through all of these amazing opportunities. I would have missed out on so much.
Now I can look back on that experience and say that while it wasn't fun at the time I'm genuinely glad it happened. Because if things have been different for me then, things would be so different for me now. And I honestly feel like this is the better of the two realities.
- Lily
The Important Stuff: DOC
Hi all!
So I've already blabbed on and on about my DOC experience here and here if you want the long version. If you've come here for me making a long story short then you have come to the right place. Read on for all the information you need to know about DOC.
Disney Onboarding Central is a secure site for the uploading of sensitive information Disney needs for your application. At some point after applying International Recruiting will send you an email titled 'Disney International Programs: Documents Required'
The email will direct you to Disney Onboarding Central (Henceforth referred to as DOC) where you will need to sign up for an account. The hardest part about this, as with the application, is coming up with a password that fits the requirements. I recommend using the same password you used for the Disney careers site and writing it down once it has been accepted.
Once you have registered you will be taken to a page that has five links to five separate submission pages. The information you have to submit is your Proof of Student Status Form (PSSF), Passport, emergency contact information, address information and visa appointment location. We'll cover each one individually.
Proof of Student Status Form (PSSF):
Other than picking an appropriate password, the PSSF is the hardest part of the DOC process. The form itself is quite straight forward but finding someone to fill out the school representative part of the form can prove to be quite difficult. My only advice would be to ask people for the 'school's official seal'. As a general rule the person with the stamp will also have access to all the information you need.
The form also asks for the end date of your course. If you don't know it, don't worry. The school rep should be able to find out for you. Also, if the date he/she gives you is different to the one you gave on your application, don't worry. Disney won't mind if you're wrong by a little bit.
Passport:
The passport section is quite easy if you already have a passport. The first section asks you to fill in the details of your passport like the number, issue date, etc. The second section is just uploading a scan of the information page. All pretty simple stuff if you have a passport and a scanner. If you don't have a scanner just pop over to your local library or to your school. They should let you do it for free.
If you don't have a passport you have two options.
Option one: Go get one! Most places that issue passports will allow you to pay a fee to have the process hurried along. This should put you squarely within the time limit with a shiny new passport.
Option Two: Contact International Recruiting. Disney will let you upload your passport later on if you need to. Keep in mind though that they have to see your passport before the interview so you will have to upload it at some point. Cheaper and easier than option one but remember to get the process started in time for your interview.
Emergency Contact Information:
This section is so easy it makes the passport section look like climbing Mt Everest. I honestly don't remember anything at all about this section except putting down my mum's name. It was so stress free that my brain couldn't be bothered committing it to memory. All you have to do is put down an emergency contact and their details including phone number, address, etc. Takes me back to those school camp forms. If you're like me and you live with your emergency contact most of their deets will be the same as your deets so you won't even have to go to that much effort for this one. Easy as pie. Mmmm pie.
Address Information:
Honest to God I thought address information was on the application so either I'm wrong and it wasn't or Disney really likes asking for addresses. Oh, well. This one is pretty self explanatory. Just tell them where you want you welcome pack sent and you should be a-okay.
Visa Appointment Location:
This one stumped me a bit because I thought it was actually talking about an appointment we should have booked. All is well. They just want to know what city you will be applying for your visa in. Note that this may not be the city you live in. Make absolutely sure where your nearest/most convenient consulate is before you fill this in. They also want to know what country you will be applying for your visa. Again, this is the country where your consulate is, not necessarily the country you live in.
Once you're done you will only receive an email from Disney if you've missed a step at the end of the seven days. So really no news is good news.
Before we go I will say that not everyone gets invited to DOC at the same time. We suspect that they invite people in random batches so as not to overload the system and crash the servers. Don't worry if you don't get an invite at the same time as everyone else. It's coming. I promise.
Also, while it is encouraged that you take your time and answer everything slowly if you make a mistake International Recruiting will be able to fix it for you. Just shoot them an email and when their office is open they will sort it all out.
- Lily
That's all for now. My next post will probably be about interview invites and role checklists when I finally receive them. I'll definitely keep you posted.
So I've already blabbed on and on about my DOC experience here and here if you want the long version. If you've come here for me making a long story short then you have come to the right place. Read on for all the information you need to know about DOC.
Disney Onboarding Central is a secure site for the uploading of sensitive information Disney needs for your application. At some point after applying International Recruiting will send you an email titled 'Disney International Programs: Documents Required'
The email will direct you to Disney Onboarding Central (Henceforth referred to as DOC) where you will need to sign up for an account. The hardest part about this, as with the application, is coming up with a password that fits the requirements. I recommend using the same password you used for the Disney careers site and writing it down once it has been accepted.
Once you have registered you will be taken to a page that has five links to five separate submission pages. The information you have to submit is your Proof of Student Status Form (PSSF), Passport, emergency contact information, address information and visa appointment location. We'll cover each one individually.
Proof of Student Status Form (PSSF):
Other than picking an appropriate password, the PSSF is the hardest part of the DOC process. The form itself is quite straight forward but finding someone to fill out the school representative part of the form can prove to be quite difficult. My only advice would be to ask people for the 'school's official seal'. As a general rule the person with the stamp will also have access to all the information you need.
The form also asks for the end date of your course. If you don't know it, don't worry. The school rep should be able to find out for you. Also, if the date he/she gives you is different to the one you gave on your application, don't worry. Disney won't mind if you're wrong by a little bit.
Passport:
The passport section is quite easy if you already have a passport. The first section asks you to fill in the details of your passport like the number, issue date, etc. The second section is just uploading a scan of the information page. All pretty simple stuff if you have a passport and a scanner. If you don't have a scanner just pop over to your local library or to your school. They should let you do it for free.
If you don't have a passport you have two options.
Option one: Go get one! Most places that issue passports will allow you to pay a fee to have the process hurried along. This should put you squarely within the time limit with a shiny new passport.
Option Two: Contact International Recruiting. Disney will let you upload your passport later on if you need to. Keep in mind though that they have to see your passport before the interview so you will have to upload it at some point. Cheaper and easier than option one but remember to get the process started in time for your interview.
Emergency Contact Information:
This section is so easy it makes the passport section look like climbing Mt Everest. I honestly don't remember anything at all about this section except putting down my mum's name. It was so stress free that my brain couldn't be bothered committing it to memory. All you have to do is put down an emergency contact and their details including phone number, address, etc. Takes me back to those school camp forms. If you're like me and you live with your emergency contact most of their deets will be the same as your deets so you won't even have to go to that much effort for this one. Easy as pie. Mmmm pie.
Address Information:
Honest to God I thought address information was on the application so either I'm wrong and it wasn't or Disney really likes asking for addresses. Oh, well. This one is pretty self explanatory. Just tell them where you want you welcome pack sent and you should be a-okay.
Visa Appointment Location:
This one stumped me a bit because I thought it was actually talking about an appointment we should have booked. All is well. They just want to know what city you will be applying for your visa in. Note that this may not be the city you live in. Make absolutely sure where your nearest/most convenient consulate is before you fill this in. They also want to know what country you will be applying for your visa. Again, this is the country where your consulate is, not necessarily the country you live in.
Once you're done you will only receive an email from Disney if you've missed a step at the end of the seven days. So really no news is good news.
Before we go I will say that not everyone gets invited to DOC at the same time. We suspect that they invite people in random batches so as not to overload the system and crash the servers. Don't worry if you don't get an invite at the same time as everyone else. It's coming. I promise.
Also, while it is encouraged that you take your time and answer everything slowly if you make a mistake International Recruiting will be able to fix it for you. Just shoot them an email and when their office is open they will sort it all out.
- Lily
That's all for now. My next post will probably be about interview invites and role checklists when I finally receive them. I'll definitely keep you posted.
Saturday, July 12, 2014
Disney Fact #7
While the ride Tower of Terror is inspired by The Twilight Zone and heavily references the show throughout, the film Tower of Terror was based on the ride itself with no connection to Twilight Zone at all.
Most of the film was shot inside the Tower of Terror ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios. What little remained was filmed in a sound stage in California. When you watch the film, a good majority of the footage you see was filmed inside the ill fated Hollywood Tower Hotel!
Cha-Ching.
Most of the film was shot inside the Tower of Terror ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios. What little remained was filmed in a sound stage in California. When you watch the film, a good majority of the footage you see was filmed inside the ill fated Hollywood Tower Hotel!
Cha-Ching.
Story Time: Proof Of Student Status Form
Hi all!
Welcome to this continuation of my last post about uploading documents to Disney Onboarding Central. As you will learn when you complete this stage of the application, the PSSF requires all it's own steps. Once you have a completed one in your hand it's easy but getting it filled in is the hard part.
After breaking my promises to myself that I wouldn't upload anything I was left with the one thing I absolutely couldn't upload until Monday. And I was excited, let me tell you.
Don't believe me? Twitter to the rescue.
Such excitement.
When Sunday night finally rolled around I tried to prepare. I printed out the PSSF and started filling in the top section.
TIP NO.1: Print out extra forms.
Last Name: Elizabe- Nope. *angry scrunching sound* *printer whirring*
Okay. New form.
First semester/First year - Damn, it.
Last Name: E- Again, really?
You get the point. After printing out six, get that SIX, forms I finally got it right. I may have been a little precious about it, I mean I did throw one out because my signature looked too messy, but most of them were irreversible mistakes. With a clean, perfect form in my hand and a plan in my mind I was ready to face Monday.
The next morning I was on the bus at 11. Keep in mind that I don't normally get up until then. I got to uni a whole two hours early to get this done. Enter a stage of my application that I lovingly refer to as 'Finding the Man with the Stamp'.
TIP NO. 2: Don't look for just any rep. Look for the 'Man with the Stamp'
The PSSF is quite vague about who your 'school's representative' has to be. Can it be a teacher? A course co-ord? A student wearing a clever disguise? Literally nobody knows. The only thing the form is specific about is that the signature of the representative must be accompanied by the school's official seal. So my theory was: find the seal and you find your rep. Simple enough, right? Only if your school knows where they keep their seal.
My first stop was The Hub which is our one stop shop for student issues. Want to pay some fees? The Hub. Want your student card? The Hub. Want your concession transport card filled in for you? The Hub. I didn't realize until that day that there are some things that the Hub just can't do.
TIP NO. 3: Go straight to your own department.
The guy at the Hub was super nice but just had zero idea what I was on about. He managed to tell me when my official end date would be but that was about it. He still kept me waiting for around ten minutes while he looked at the form confused. After ten minutes of umm-ing and errr-ing he told me to talk to my department and sent me away. To top it all off he'd given me the date but I'd written it in the wrong place so I had to start a seventh form! He was a lovely guy but honestly I wish he'd just admitted that he didn't know and sent me on my way instead of wasting my time.
So I headed over to my department a block or two away. At reception the receptionist asked me to call my course co-ord with the inter-office phone on the wall. On the phone I explained what I needed. He also kind of umm-ed and err-ed until he eventually asked to see the form. I handed over a completely new form because all of my hard work had been ruined by my mishap at the Hub. He looked really confused until I asked about the official seal. His face lit up and he said excitedly "Brendon has that!"
A few minutes later Brendon, our course administrator, wanders over as the co-ord beckons for him to join us. Brendon sweeps across the form, nodding all the way and finally says "Yeah, I can do this." I nearly started a full cheer routine complete with spontaneous doppelgangers. As it turns out the official stamp was just in the receptionist's desk. It had been under our noses all along. After an hour of waiting, confusion and more waiting I had finally found the man with the stamp.
Brendon then took away the form and returned a few minutes later with the whole thing filled in. Even the section I was supposed to fill. It was all perfect, it was all signed and it was stamped. I was so excited that I went straight to my building's library to scan it in. It was then that I hit my next obstacle of the day, the scanners.
TIP NO. 4: Do not use your school's scanners if you are not experienced with them.
In all honesty, deciding to use the scanners at school was a huge mistake. I tried to convince myself to leave the library and just do it at home but I couldn't. My brain kept conjuring up ridiculous situations where the form got ruined before I got home. So I had to do it then. Sadly there are some real inconsiderate people at RMIT.
TIP NO. 5: Always account for assholes.
First I asked the librarian how to use the scanners and he just kind of pointed vaguely to the other side of the room and mumbled something about the instructions being on the scanners. I wandered over to where the scanners were but the computers were all full. Silly me. I thought that the rule was: scan your thing and move to another computer, but apparently no one else knew that. Some people were doing hours worth of photo manipulation projects while others appeared to be playing...Minecraft? Why do you even need a scanner for Minecraft?
Anyway. The fact that I was standing around impatiently didn't seem to phase any of the people on the scanners. My brain was fighting itself as to whether I should say something but I wasn't 100% on the rules about them so I decided just to use the global printers. Sounded easy enough.
TIP NO. 6: Global printers do not make good scanners.
The global printers are those huge printers that do everything and they do it fast. Printing, copying, scanning, faxing on any kind of paper as many times as you like. I pop over to the global printer, log in, chuck the form under the lid and press scan. But instead of just doing the swooshy blue light thing that my home scanner does, a billion and one options come up on the screen. At this point I'm ready to throw in the towel. I try to log out and leave but it won't let me. I can't just leave my log in on the global, people will use up all my printing money.
I try again. I can't make any sense of any of the options. I'm just pushing random buttons now and none of them seem to be working. A guy comes up behind me waiting for the printer. I tell him that I'm having trouble and that it might be a while. Instead of going to use on of the other four printers we have in the library, he takes me on as a charity case and tries to help.
Too bad he also has no idea what to do.
TIP NO. 7: Only accept help from useful people.
So here's me and this other student. Both standing by the printer, wildly pressing buttons as nothing substantial happens. Until I spy the email option. It's not exactly desirable but if it will help me get out of this situation then I'll take it. I type in my email and click send. A notification on my phone tells me that I received it. Now that my scanning is done I try to log out again. It still doesn't work.
We go back to pressing anything that looks promising until suddenly the screen freezes and then goes completely white. The printer has crashed. Completely and utterly crashed. Me and the other student look to each other and then slowly back away from the printer pretending it wasn't us. Knowing that my log in won't still be there after a reboot, I leave before the situation becomes even more awkward.
In the space of two hours I managed to fill in a form wrong, confuse at least three people and break one of the school's printers. Congrats to me.
While waiting for class to start I uploaded the completed (finally) PSSF to DOC and with that I was finally done. Since then I have heard nary a word from Disney. But it's coming soon. I can feel it in me bones.
TIP NO. 8: It all works out in the end.
- Lily
YO HO YO HO A CM LIFE FOR ME. Tune in next time for....something fun, I promise.
Welcome to this continuation of my last post about uploading documents to Disney Onboarding Central. As you will learn when you complete this stage of the application, the PSSF requires all it's own steps. Once you have a completed one in your hand it's easy but getting it filled in is the hard part.
After breaking my promises to myself that I wouldn't upload anything I was left with the one thing I absolutely couldn't upload until Monday. And I was excited, let me tell you.
Don't believe me? Twitter to the rescue.
Such excitement.
When Sunday night finally rolled around I tried to prepare. I printed out the PSSF and started filling in the top section.
TIP NO.1: Print out extra forms.
Last Name: Elizabe- Nope. *angry scrunching sound* *printer whirring*
Okay. New form.
First semester/
Last Name: E- Again, really?
You get the point. After printing out six, get that SIX, forms I finally got it right. I may have been a little precious about it, I mean I did throw one out because my signature looked too messy, but most of them were irreversible mistakes. With a clean, perfect form in my hand and a plan in my mind I was ready to face Monday.
The next morning I was on the bus at 11. Keep in mind that I don't normally get up until then. I got to uni a whole two hours early to get this done. Enter a stage of my application that I lovingly refer to as 'Finding the Man with the Stamp'.
TIP NO. 2: Don't look for just any rep. Look for the 'Man with the Stamp'
The PSSF is quite vague about who your 'school's representative' has to be. Can it be a teacher? A course co-ord? A student wearing a clever disguise? Literally nobody knows. The only thing the form is specific about is that the signature of the representative must be accompanied by the school's official seal. So my theory was: find the seal and you find your rep. Simple enough, right? Only if your school knows where they keep their seal.
My first stop was The Hub which is our one stop shop for student issues. Want to pay some fees? The Hub. Want your student card? The Hub. Want your concession transport card filled in for you? The Hub. I didn't realize until that day that there are some things that the Hub just can't do.
TIP NO. 3: Go straight to your own department.
The guy at the Hub was super nice but just had zero idea what I was on about. He managed to tell me when my official end date would be but that was about it. He still kept me waiting for around ten minutes while he looked at the form confused. After ten minutes of umm-ing and errr-ing he told me to talk to my department and sent me away. To top it all off he'd given me the date but I'd written it in the wrong place so I had to start a seventh form! He was a lovely guy but honestly I wish he'd just admitted that he didn't know and sent me on my way instead of wasting my time.
So I headed over to my department a block or two away. At reception the receptionist asked me to call my course co-ord with the inter-office phone on the wall. On the phone I explained what I needed. He also kind of umm-ed and err-ed until he eventually asked to see the form. I handed over a completely new form because all of my hard work had been ruined by my mishap at the Hub. He looked really confused until I asked about the official seal. His face lit up and he said excitedly "Brendon has that!"
A few minutes later Brendon, our course administrator, wanders over as the co-ord beckons for him to join us. Brendon sweeps across the form, nodding all the way and finally says "Yeah, I can do this." I nearly started a full cheer routine complete with spontaneous doppelgangers. As it turns out the official stamp was just in the receptionist's desk. It had been under our noses all along. After an hour of waiting, confusion and more waiting I had finally found the man with the stamp.
Brendon then took away the form and returned a few minutes later with the whole thing filled in. Even the section I was supposed to fill. It was all perfect, it was all signed and it was stamped. I was so excited that I went straight to my building's library to scan it in. It was then that I hit my next obstacle of the day, the scanners.
TIP NO. 4: Do not use your school's scanners if you are not experienced with them.
In all honesty, deciding to use the scanners at school was a huge mistake. I tried to convince myself to leave the library and just do it at home but I couldn't. My brain kept conjuring up ridiculous situations where the form got ruined before I got home. So I had to do it then. Sadly there are some real inconsiderate people at RMIT.
TIP NO. 5: Always account for assholes.
First I asked the librarian how to use the scanners and he just kind of pointed vaguely to the other side of the room and mumbled something about the instructions being on the scanners. I wandered over to where the scanners were but the computers were all full. Silly me. I thought that the rule was: scan your thing and move to another computer, but apparently no one else knew that. Some people were doing hours worth of photo manipulation projects while others appeared to be playing...Minecraft? Why do you even need a scanner for Minecraft?
Anyway. The fact that I was standing around impatiently didn't seem to phase any of the people on the scanners. My brain was fighting itself as to whether I should say something but I wasn't 100% on the rules about them so I decided just to use the global printers. Sounded easy enough.
TIP NO. 6: Global printers do not make good scanners.
The global printers are those huge printers that do everything and they do it fast. Printing, copying, scanning, faxing on any kind of paper as many times as you like. I pop over to the global printer, log in, chuck the form under the lid and press scan. But instead of just doing the swooshy blue light thing that my home scanner does, a billion and one options come up on the screen. At this point I'm ready to throw in the towel. I try to log out and leave but it won't let me. I can't just leave my log in on the global, people will use up all my printing money.
I try again. I can't make any sense of any of the options. I'm just pushing random buttons now and none of them seem to be working. A guy comes up behind me waiting for the printer. I tell him that I'm having trouble and that it might be a while. Instead of going to use on of the other four printers we have in the library, he takes me on as a charity case and tries to help.
Too bad he also has no idea what to do.
TIP NO. 7: Only accept help from useful people.
So here's me and this other student. Both standing by the printer, wildly pressing buttons as nothing substantial happens. Until I spy the email option. It's not exactly desirable but if it will help me get out of this situation then I'll take it. I type in my email and click send. A notification on my phone tells me that I received it. Now that my scanning is done I try to log out again. It still doesn't work.
We go back to pressing anything that looks promising until suddenly the screen freezes and then goes completely white. The printer has crashed. Completely and utterly crashed. Me and the other student look to each other and then slowly back away from the printer pretending it wasn't us. Knowing that my log in won't still be there after a reboot, I leave before the situation becomes even more awkward.
In the space of two hours I managed to fill in a form wrong, confuse at least three people and break one of the school's printers. Congrats to me.
While waiting for class to start I uploaded the completed (finally) PSSF to DOC and with that I was finally done. Since then I have heard nary a word from Disney. But it's coming soon. I can feel it in me bones.
TIP NO. 8: It all works out in the end.
- Lily
YO HO YO HO A CM LIFE FOR ME. Tune in next time for....something fun, I promise.
Thursday, July 10, 2014
Story Time: DOC
Hi all!
Sorry for the delay in posting. I've returned to RMIT for my first week back at uni after the holidays and let me tell you it was so much better than I had hoped. Despite my 12 hour Wednesday it still managed to be one of the best, most relaxing weeks of this year and I'm honestly excited about this semester. But hey, my education is not what you're here for so let's get cracking.
After I finally submitted my application I wasn't really expecting anything from Disney for a while. I definitely did not realize there was another step between application and interviews. Granted it isn't that imperative and I know people who, to this day, still haven't been asked to complete it but it was still a genuine surprise.
TIP NO.1: Be prepared
Exactly two weeks after I applied, May 9th, I received an email from Disney with the subject line 'Disney International Programs: Documents Required' and for a second I panicked. I'd sent them my resume, hadn't I? Was it in the wrong format? Did I accidentally skip a section on the application? And etc. That kind of non-sensical 'what if?' panic that runs through your head any time you get an email from Disney that's not 'CONGRATULATIONS!'.
TIP NO. 2: Just read the email, would you?
To nip that confusion in the bud I clicked open the email and gave it a read. Disney wanted more information. I chose that to interpret that as a good thing. I mean, they wouldn't ask for my passport if they weren't considering me, right? Even if it's not true, little confidence boosts are what sustain me.
The email listed two steps. 1) Download a Proof of Student Status form 2) Access DOC and upload (deep breath) PASSPORT, COMPLETED PROOF OF STUDENT STATUS FORM & US ANY PRIOR WORK VISAS stamped on your current valid passport.
Now, I have to preface this next part by explaining that I generally give myself very good advice but I very seldom follow it. Reference completely intended but it's also painfully true. So after receiving this email on a Friday I wouldn't have school, and therefore a chance to get my Proof of Student Status Form (here on referred to as PSSF) signed, until Monday. I decided that I was not going to register for Disney Onboarding Central (DOC) and upload any documents until I had all of the documents ready to go. So I began the wait.
After one day I could no longer stand it. I had somehow convinced myself that if I didn't register for DOC then Disney would think I lacked initiative. Crazy, I know. After work on Saturday I sat down and registered. I can't remember anything about that stage so it must have been pretty straightforward. Afterward I sat myself down and said I wasn't going to do any of the steps until Monday.
Five minutes later I reneged with a new excuse.
TIP NO. 3: Don't be like me.
First, I filled in the emergency contact information. It was dead easy. Because I still live with my mother and she is my emergency contact a good majority of the information is the same as mine. Nothing extra to remember, nothing extra to worry about.
TIP NO. 4: Live with your parents.
Next, address information. Again, dead easy. I know where I live. Hopefully you do too.
TIP NO. 5: Know where you live.
Then I got to the 'Visa Appointment' section. Huh? Visa appointment? I haven't booked a visa appointment yet. With a worried look on my face I skipped it to do something easier.
TIP NO. 6: Have a passport.
Passport information was also easy for me because I have a scanner at home. At this point I was thanking my lucky stars that my aunt had taken me to Disneyland last year. If it weren't for her and that trip I would have had to try to get a passport in 7 days. I do not envy those who didn't have passports. Though I have heard that if you emailed International Recruiting they could sort it all out for you. No worries. I just filled in the details, scanned a copy to prove I wasn't lying and boom! Section done.
After that I was left with two incomplete sections. PSSF and visa appointment. PSSF I wasn't worried about at the moment but visa appointment stared me down like a blood thirsty challenger. Seconds away from emailing International Recruiting I realized that I hadn't actually looked at it yet. No idea why I didn't think of it before. With a draft email ready to send, I took a quick peek into the visa appointment section.
TIP NO. 7: Read everything before you email International Recruiting
Lo and behold....there was nothing about an actual appointment. Yup, delete that email you were about to send. Take her back to DEFCON 5. There is nothing to worry about.
The entire thing is two questions. What city are you applying for your visa in? This one might be tricky for some because it relates to where the US consulate is that you will attend an appointment NOT where you live. Luckily I got to put the city I live in because there is a consulate here. Whoopee. Next question, what country are you applying for your visa in? Same deal applies here. Hopefully there is a consulate in your country. If not, I feel for you.
As for the last one I'm actually going to cover that in a separate post because this one is already way too long. So tune in next time for a Story Time on the PSSF. I'll just leave you with this:
TIP NO. 8: There's a reason Disney lists the PSSF as it's own step. It has earned it.
- Lily
Sorry for the delay in posting. I've returned to RMIT for my first week back at uni after the holidays and let me tell you it was so much better than I had hoped. Despite my 12 hour Wednesday it still managed to be one of the best, most relaxing weeks of this year and I'm honestly excited about this semester. But hey, my education is not what you're here for so let's get cracking.
After I finally submitted my application I wasn't really expecting anything from Disney for a while. I definitely did not realize there was another step between application and interviews. Granted it isn't that imperative and I know people who, to this day, still haven't been asked to complete it but it was still a genuine surprise.
TIP NO.1: Be prepared
Exactly two weeks after I applied, May 9th, I received an email from Disney with the subject line 'Disney International Programs: Documents Required' and for a second I panicked. I'd sent them my resume, hadn't I? Was it in the wrong format? Did I accidentally skip a section on the application? And etc. That kind of non-sensical 'what if?' panic that runs through your head any time you get an email from Disney that's not 'CONGRATULATIONS!'.
TIP NO. 2: Just read the email, would you?
To nip that confusion in the bud I clicked open the email and gave it a read. Disney wanted more information. I chose that to interpret that as a good thing. I mean, they wouldn't ask for my passport if they weren't considering me, right? Even if it's not true, little confidence boosts are what sustain me.
The email listed two steps. 1) Download a Proof of Student Status form 2) Access DOC and upload (deep breath) PASSPORT, COMPLETED PROOF OF STUDENT STATUS FORM & US ANY PRIOR WORK VISAS stamped on your current valid passport.
Now, I have to preface this next part by explaining that I generally give myself very good advice but I very seldom follow it. Reference completely intended but it's also painfully true. So after receiving this email on a Friday I wouldn't have school, and therefore a chance to get my Proof of Student Status Form (here on referred to as PSSF) signed, until Monday. I decided that I was not going to register for Disney Onboarding Central (DOC) and upload any documents until I had all of the documents ready to go. So I began the wait.
After one day I could no longer stand it. I had somehow convinced myself that if I didn't register for DOC then Disney would think I lacked initiative. Crazy, I know. After work on Saturday I sat down and registered. I can't remember anything about that stage so it must have been pretty straightforward. Afterward I sat myself down and said I wasn't going to do any of the steps until Monday.
Five minutes later I reneged with a new excuse.
TIP NO. 3: Don't be like me.
First, I filled in the emergency contact information. It was dead easy. Because I still live with my mother and she is my emergency contact a good majority of the information is the same as mine. Nothing extra to remember, nothing extra to worry about.
TIP NO. 4: Live with your parents.
Next, address information. Again, dead easy. I know where I live. Hopefully you do too.
TIP NO. 5: Know where you live.
Then I got to the 'Visa Appointment' section. Huh? Visa appointment? I haven't booked a visa appointment yet. With a worried look on my face I skipped it to do something easier.
TIP NO. 6: Have a passport.
Passport information was also easy for me because I have a scanner at home. At this point I was thanking my lucky stars that my aunt had taken me to Disneyland last year. If it weren't for her and that trip I would have had to try to get a passport in 7 days. I do not envy those who didn't have passports. Though I have heard that if you emailed International Recruiting they could sort it all out for you. No worries. I just filled in the details, scanned a copy to prove I wasn't lying and boom! Section done.
After that I was left with two incomplete sections. PSSF and visa appointment. PSSF I wasn't worried about at the moment but visa appointment stared me down like a blood thirsty challenger. Seconds away from emailing International Recruiting I realized that I hadn't actually looked at it yet. No idea why I didn't think of it before. With a draft email ready to send, I took a quick peek into the visa appointment section.
TIP NO. 7: Read everything before you email International Recruiting
Lo and behold....there was nothing about an actual appointment. Yup, delete that email you were about to send. Take her back to DEFCON 5. There is nothing to worry about.
The entire thing is two questions. What city are you applying for your visa in? This one might be tricky for some because it relates to where the US consulate is that you will attend an appointment NOT where you live. Luckily I got to put the city I live in because there is a consulate here. Whoopee. Next question, what country are you applying for your visa in? Same deal applies here. Hopefully there is a consulate in your country. If not, I feel for you.
As for the last one I'm actually going to cover that in a separate post because this one is already way too long. So tune in next time for a Story Time on the PSSF. I'll just leave you with this:
TIP NO. 8: There's a reason Disney lists the PSSF as it's own step. It has earned it.
- Lily
Saturday, July 5, 2014
The Important Stuff: Application
Hi all!
The application for the Disney Australia/New Zealand J-1 Cultural Exchange Program is comprised of a series of steps. These include:
- Job details
- Login/create an account
- Personal information
- Education
- Work experience
- Criminal history
- Equal Employment
- Resume/CV and cover letter
Let's go over these one by one, shall we?
Job Details:
This page just outlines the program, it's eligibility criteria and some other stuff you should read but probably won't. Definitely read over the eligibility criteria carefully to make sure you can apply. Most of the criteria are based on the requirements of the J-1 visa so Disney cannot bend the rules for anyone unless they want to being giving away places to people who will be knocked back at immigration.
Login/Create An Account:
This was possibly the most difficult part of the whole application. Make sure you read the instructions carefully because all of your carefully typed information will be cleared if you get it wrong. The password criteria in particular is a doozy. Not only do you have to have lowercase letters, upper case letters and numerals, you have to have at least one non-alphanumeric character in there as well. Make sure to write down your login details because you are sure to need a reminder at some point.
You also have to complete three security questions but as far as I've experienced you never have to use them. But then again, I was the smart cookie who wrote her password down.
Personal Information:
As the name suggests this information is all about you! Your name, contact details, address all that you type stuff. There's not much in here that should stump you. I do advise looking up an article and working out how to internationalize your phone numbers. I highly doubt they will ever feel the need to shoot you a text but if the Big Cheese does want to send some emots my way I want to make sure he knows my digits.
Education:
This is all about your learning experience. You choose your institution and major from a drop down list and they also want to know your start and end dates. Don't stress too much about these as it's not too important. When you get to your PSSF the school will officially confirm your graduation date and Disney won't NLIC you if they don't match up. Believe me, I was out by nearly a month and it was fine.
If this is not your first time in the post-secondary education system then there are apparently up to six slots for you to fill with proof of your ultimate wisdom. Use them wisely.
Work Experience:
This section is quite a bit similar to the education section. They want to know the name of your employer, what kind of work you do, when you started there and other such serious information. Apparently there used to be a place for you to put references but it appears they have removed it. Volunteer work also counts under this heading instead of having its own section.
Never fear. If you don't have previous work experience then you can skip this section. Like the education section, if this is not your first time at the employment rodeo, there are six spots for you to fill with your most recent employment details.
Criminal History:
This part kinda stumped me because it doesn't mention Florida at all. There's some legal stuff about how some employers in some states have to know about your criminal history while others don't. From memory when they ask you if you have any criminal history you can say 'Yes', 'No' or 'I prefer not to answer'. If you have criminal history it's up to you what you do here. If you're a goody two shoes like me then it's probably best to just press 'No'. You could always go the 'Why do you wanna know?' approach but in this situation it's probably a better plan to avoid the confrontation.
Equal Employment:
Throughout this section they will ask you questions about your gender and race. As I've not done extensive research on how this information is used I cannot really comment on it too much. As far as I understand it is to ensure that Disney employs an equal number of Cast Members from minority groups as it does majority groups. It also strives to ensure that people from different backgrounds are on equal footing when it comes to employment opportunities. Again you have the option to answer 'Yes', 'No' or 'I prefer not to answer'. How you answer these questions is dependent entirely on your personal viewpoints and circumstances.
Resume/CV and Cover Letter:
While I have heard that Disney rarely reads these for our particular program is it compulsory to submit a resume/CV. You cannot progress without one. Make sure you do research into good resume and cover letter writing to ensure that your documents look as professional as possible. Also ensure that if you used custom fonts or formatting you save and submit as a PDF so the document remains the same if Disney happens to look upon it.
One thing to keep in mind for this program is that every (eligible) applicant gets an interview. If you make a mistake in your resume or you don't think your cover letter was as good as it could be, don't sweat. Once you are in front of them they will not be thinking of your resume. If you dazzle them with your personality and your answers in the interview, they will not even remember if your resume had spelling errors or if it was written in gold ink.
And that's it! I could be forgetting something (and I'm sure I am) but I'll add it in later if I remember. My next post will be about Disney Onboarding Central or DOCs. In the meantime I hope this post was useful and I'll see you real soon!
- Lily
The application for the Disney Australia/New Zealand J-1 Cultural Exchange Program is comprised of a series of steps. These include:
- Job details
- Login/create an account
- Personal information
- Education
- Work experience
- Criminal history
- Equal Employment
- Resume/CV and cover letter
Let's go over these one by one, shall we?
Job Details:
This page just outlines the program, it's eligibility criteria and some other stuff you should read but probably won't. Definitely read over the eligibility criteria carefully to make sure you can apply. Most of the criteria are based on the requirements of the J-1 visa so Disney cannot bend the rules for anyone unless they want to being giving away places to people who will be knocked back at immigration.
Login/Create An Account:
This was possibly the most difficult part of the whole application. Make sure you read the instructions carefully because all of your carefully typed information will be cleared if you get it wrong. The password criteria in particular is a doozy. Not only do you have to have lowercase letters, upper case letters and numerals, you have to have at least one non-alphanumeric character in there as well. Make sure to write down your login details because you are sure to need a reminder at some point.
You also have to complete three security questions but as far as I've experienced you never have to use them. But then again, I was the smart cookie who wrote her password down.
Personal Information:
As the name suggests this information is all about you! Your name, contact details, address all that you type stuff. There's not much in here that should stump you. I do advise looking up an article and working out how to internationalize your phone numbers. I highly doubt they will ever feel the need to shoot you a text but if the Big Cheese does want to send some emots my way I want to make sure he knows my digits.
Education:
This is all about your learning experience. You choose your institution and major from a drop down list and they also want to know your start and end dates. Don't stress too much about these as it's not too important. When you get to your PSSF the school will officially confirm your graduation date and Disney won't NLIC you if they don't match up. Believe me, I was out by nearly a month and it was fine.
If this is not your first time in the post-secondary education system then there are apparently up to six slots for you to fill with proof of your ultimate wisdom. Use them wisely.
Work Experience:
This section is quite a bit similar to the education section. They want to know the name of your employer, what kind of work you do, when you started there and other such serious information. Apparently there used to be a place for you to put references but it appears they have removed it. Volunteer work also counts under this heading instead of having its own section.
Never fear. If you don't have previous work experience then you can skip this section. Like the education section, if this is not your first time at the employment rodeo, there are six spots for you to fill with your most recent employment details.
Criminal History:
This part kinda stumped me because it doesn't mention Florida at all. There's some legal stuff about how some employers in some states have to know about your criminal history while others don't. From memory when they ask you if you have any criminal history you can say 'Yes', 'No' or 'I prefer not to answer'. If you have criminal history it's up to you what you do here. If you're a goody two shoes like me then it's probably best to just press 'No'. You could always go the 'Why do you wanna know?' approach but in this situation it's probably a better plan to avoid the confrontation.
Equal Employment:
Throughout this section they will ask you questions about your gender and race. As I've not done extensive research on how this information is used I cannot really comment on it too much. As far as I understand it is to ensure that Disney employs an equal number of Cast Members from minority groups as it does majority groups. It also strives to ensure that people from different backgrounds are on equal footing when it comes to employment opportunities. Again you have the option to answer 'Yes', 'No' or 'I prefer not to answer'. How you answer these questions is dependent entirely on your personal viewpoints and circumstances.
Resume/CV and Cover Letter:
While I have heard that Disney rarely reads these for our particular program is it compulsory to submit a resume/CV. You cannot progress without one. Make sure you do research into good resume and cover letter writing to ensure that your documents look as professional as possible. Also ensure that if you used custom fonts or formatting you save and submit as a PDF so the document remains the same if Disney happens to look upon it.
One thing to keep in mind for this program is that every (eligible) applicant gets an interview. If you make a mistake in your resume or you don't think your cover letter was as good as it could be, don't sweat. Once you are in front of them they will not be thinking of your resume. If you dazzle them with your personality and your answers in the interview, they will not even remember if your resume had spelling errors or if it was written in gold ink.
And that's it! I could be forgetting something (and I'm sure I am) but I'll add it in later if I remember. My next post will be about Disney Onboarding Central or DOCs. In the meantime I hope this post was useful and I'll see you real soon!
- Lily
Disney Fact #6
Florida law states that any building 200 ft or higher must be topped by a blinking red light to warn pilots of it's presence at night. Believing that the light would ruin the magic if placed atop the Cinderella Castle, the imagineers had to find a way to make the building look larger than it actually is.
Each 'layer' of the Cinderalla Castle is scaled smaller than the previous which makes each story appear further away from the guest, and hence taller, than it actually is. The entire castle, standing just under the requirement at 189 ft, is one big optical illusion!
The Long Way There: Application
Hi all!
Now that we've finally made it through the story time tunnel it's time to delve into the real stuff. For obvious reasons we start, where most begin, at application. (If you want theshort very informative version it's here)
The application is daunting. The application is nerve wracking. The application is, once you get into it...not actually that bad.
For those who read my previous posts and understand just how long I'd been waiting for the moment to come you probably wouldn't be too surprised if I told you that from about December 2013 I'd been refreshing the Disney Careers International Programs job listing page on an hourly basis. Having attended the interview session in May, I expected that applications would be opening in early 2014. So I refreshed. And refreshed. And refreshed.
Even after I discovered that applications wouldn't be until May I refreshed. Even when I promised myself I would only start checking in April. I refreshed.
Which completely explains why, on the evening of April 22nd 2014, I was watching a movie with my father and refreshing every ad break. One particular ad break I refreshed, went to the bathroom and refreshed again when I returned. Riveting stuff, right? RIGHT! Because that particular refresh returned some result.
APPLICATIONS WERE FINALLY OPEN.
I immediately shot up from my gross, slouched position and clicked apply. I was skimming through the information like crazy. I felt like I was flying through it. Everything was so easy until I reached a roadblock. And here's where I have my first tip for you.
TIP NO. 1: Have your resume/CV and cover letter handy, up to date and presentable.
From my conversations with past (successful) applicants I had heard that Disney doesn't actually read or need your resume. So I hadn't prepared one. Big mistake.
One stage of the application is submission of your resume and cover letter which you cannot skip or pass. You have to submit a resume and cover letter to proceed with the application. So I'd hit a brick wall. I had to wait until I'd written a good resume and cover letter before I could submit.
TIP NO. 2: If you get stuck be prepared to start the process all over again because saving does not work.
After I'd saved my application I told my dad what had happened and he didn't seem sure. He asked me if I was 100% sure there was no way to proceed without one. When I told him I was 99% sure he asked me to try again. I tried to recover my saved application but it told me I didn't have any. I tried to log in and it told me I didn't exist. I worked out later that it's because Disney doesn't actually create an account for you until you've fully completed the application so there is literally no way to successfully save your application unless you've applied before. Fun.
I started a whole new application, re-filled the details, got all the way to the resume page only to discover that I was absolutely correct and it was all a grandiose waste of time.
I went to bed that night too nervous to sleep. Despite having to get up at 7.30 am the next day I spent all night researching how to write resumes. Despite having real work to do I spent the whole day researching resume templates. I was resume obsessed.
My friend's mother, a well seasoned English teacher, was famous throughout the land for being the best resume coach in town but she was at a school camp until the Friday. On the Wednesday I researched, on the Thursday my friend (the one whose mother was practically resume royalty) and I attempted to write a resume without her. When the Friday rolled around I was at their house again at the crack of dawn ready to get this thing perfect. And by the end of the day, it was.
I returned to my father's house, on the evening of April 25th 2014, ready to finally submit. It was a wild ride.
TIP NO. 3: Don't worry about your graduation date. You can guess. Same goes for when you started your jobs.
TIP NO. 4: If you've worked for the same company for a gross amount of time, you might be embarrassed but Disney will love it.
TIP NO. 5: Volunteer work goes under work experience.
TIP NO. 6: Do not freak out about asking everyone you know for references. Disney no longer asks for them on the application.
TIP NO. 7: Read an article on how to internationalize your phone numbers.
TIP NO. 8: Stay calm.
TIP NO. 9: Savor every word of that 'Thank You For Applying' email. You earned it.
- Lily
Now that we've finally made it through the story time tunnel it's time to delve into the real stuff. For obvious reasons we start, where most begin, at application. (If you want the
The application is daunting. The application is nerve wracking. The application is, once you get into it...not actually that bad.
For those who read my previous posts and understand just how long I'd been waiting for the moment to come you probably wouldn't be too surprised if I told you that from about December 2013 I'd been refreshing the Disney Careers International Programs job listing page on an hourly basis. Having attended the interview session in May, I expected that applications would be opening in early 2014. So I refreshed. And refreshed. And refreshed.
Even after I discovered that applications wouldn't be until May I refreshed. Even when I promised myself I would only start checking in April. I refreshed.
Which completely explains why, on the evening of April 22nd 2014, I was watching a movie with my father and refreshing every ad break. One particular ad break I refreshed, went to the bathroom and refreshed again when I returned. Riveting stuff, right? RIGHT! Because that particular refresh returned some result.
APPLICATIONS WERE FINALLY OPEN.
I immediately shot up from my gross, slouched position and clicked apply. I was skimming through the information like crazy. I felt like I was flying through it. Everything was so easy until I reached a roadblock. And here's where I have my first tip for you.
TIP NO. 1: Have your resume/CV and cover letter handy, up to date and presentable.
From my conversations with past (successful) applicants I had heard that Disney doesn't actually read or need your resume. So I hadn't prepared one. Big mistake.
One stage of the application is submission of your resume and cover letter which you cannot skip or pass. You have to submit a resume and cover letter to proceed with the application. So I'd hit a brick wall. I had to wait until I'd written a good resume and cover letter before I could submit.
TIP NO. 2: If you get stuck be prepared to start the process all over again because saving does not work.
After I'd saved my application I told my dad what had happened and he didn't seem sure. He asked me if I was 100% sure there was no way to proceed without one. When I told him I was 99% sure he asked me to try again. I tried to recover my saved application but it told me I didn't have any. I tried to log in and it told me I didn't exist. I worked out later that it's because Disney doesn't actually create an account for you until you've fully completed the application so there is literally no way to successfully save your application unless you've applied before. Fun.
I started a whole new application, re-filled the details, got all the way to the resume page only to discover that I was absolutely correct and it was all a grandiose waste of time.
I went to bed that night too nervous to sleep. Despite having to get up at 7.30 am the next day I spent all night researching how to write resumes. Despite having real work to do I spent the whole day researching resume templates. I was resume obsessed.
My friend's mother, a well seasoned English teacher, was famous throughout the land for being the best resume coach in town but she was at a school camp until the Friday. On the Wednesday I researched, on the Thursday my friend (the one whose mother was practically resume royalty) and I attempted to write a resume without her. When the Friday rolled around I was at their house again at the crack of dawn ready to get this thing perfect. And by the end of the day, it was.
I returned to my father's house, on the evening of April 25th 2014, ready to finally submit. It was a wild ride.
TIP NO. 3: Don't worry about your graduation date. You can guess. Same goes for when you started your jobs.
TIP NO. 4: If you've worked for the same company for a gross amount of time, you might be embarrassed but Disney will love it.
TIP NO. 5: Volunteer work goes under work experience.
TIP NO. 6: Do not freak out about asking everyone you know for references. Disney no longer asks for them on the application.
TIP NO. 7: Read an article on how to internationalize your phone numbers.
TIP NO. 8: Stay calm.
TIP NO. 9: Savor every word of that 'Thank You For Applying' email. You earned it.
- Lily
Friday, July 4, 2014
Disney Fact #4
Because the water table in central Florida is only two feet below ground level, the famous Utilidors had to be build above ground rather than below. Magic Kingdom Park is 14 ft above the original ground level to accommodate the tunnels.
So when you're walking down the middle of Main Street you are actually one storey up!
So when you're walking down the middle of Main Street you are actually one storey up!
Once Upon A Time...(Part Five)
Hi all!
Took a few days off from blogging cause editing my vlogs was getting a little intense. Make sure you know about proper importing procedures before you start making videos. That's all I'll say on the matter.
Last time we spoke I got up to the night before the presentation. A sleepless night and a lot of research definitely had not prepared me for the adventure that awaited me on the 20th of May, 2013. The day of the presentation.
I got up as early as I could and pretended to be getting ready for school. My mother still didn't know that I intended to skip and go to the session so I had to at least pretend like everything was normal. When she was finally gone I put my casual clothes away and took out my serious business attire. Thinking about it now, it wasn't particularly Disney look but it was all I had on such short notice.
The weather outside was disgusting. It was wet, cold and blowing a gale. Melbourne's public transport isn't famous for being the most reliable out there so I made sure to leave early just in case. Turns out that was possibly unnecessary. After a bus, two trains, asking directions from strangers, slipping in the rain and another bus I finally made it to Victoria University's Footscray Park campus. An hour early. Even accounting for the five minutes I walked around in circles looking for the right room I made it in far too much time.
Luckily for me I wasn't the first there. There were maybe six or so people all sitting outside the door. Three girls sat together, chatting as though they were fairly familiar with one another. Two girls sat beside each other on a bench not talking. One boy stood a way away playing his Gameboy and avoiding eye contact with everyone else in the hallway. I walked straight up, dumped my bag on the floor and stood just across the hall from the two girls on the bench. Almost immediately one of them asked me if I was there for the Disney interviews. Beyond that I honestly can't remember how it happened but the three of us became fast friends.
We talked about where we were all from, my crazy experience from the day before, what the application was like (as they had both applied online before the interview) and Disney. We talked a lot about Disney. Making the connection with such like minded people calmed my nerves and made the hour of waiting fly by like it was nothing. Eventually, mid way through our conversation about our favorite Disney movies, one of the teachers from Victoria University, complete with a Disney Pin Trading lanyard, came and opened the door for us. In complete nervous silence we walked in and sat down.
Minutes later the presentation finally began and it was, dare I say, magical. The presenter gave us basically all the information we already knew but in a fun way. In between each block of information we'd watch a video or do a trivia question. I was lucky enough to win a pen for getting one of the questions right. I spent the whole time worried that they were going to work out that I hadn't applied yet until the presenter explained that anyone who was interested could apply in the computer labs afterward and then interview. I was so relieved.
But then another problem arose. Toward the end of the presentation, after we'd heard from some of the program Alumni, they opened it up for questions. One of the first questions asked was 'My daughter has not finished her first year yet but will before the program begins. Is she eligible?' the answer that followed was a short 'No.' and then we moved on. My mouth fell open. Quite a few people in the room were shocked. The presenter was asked a few other questions while we stared in disbelief.
The woman who asked the original question raised her hand. She was called on again and told the presenter she'd been assured that as long as the applicant finished their first year before the beginning of the program they would be eligible. A lot of people, including myself nodded in agreement as we'd been given the same information. The presenter explained that his partner who normally conducted the presentations was sick and he would have to call her afterwards for confirmation. So the presentation continued for a while with half the room significantly less enthused than the rest.
Out in the corridor after the presentation, surrounded by impatient possible applicants, the presenter called his colleague. Genuinely saddened at the prospect of delivering bad news he regretfully relayed to us that his initial answer was correct. If we were to apply that day we would have to complete our first year by July. I wouldn't complete until November.
I was utterly devastated. While I was fighting back tears they encouraged all of us to apply for August 2014 instead. I left upset. The whole trip home I tried to decide if I could even do the August program. It just didn't fit with my school schedule. That day I resigned myself to waiting for the Jan 2015 program and on the 25th of April this year my day to apply finally arrived.
To be perfectly candid I was so upset that I couldn't apply but I'm actually glad that I had to wait. In the year between May 2013 and now I have done so much and added so much to my resume. I've joined school societies, got a promotion at work, done work in different areas, improved as a person and become so much more prepared for the program as a whole. If I believed in fate I would proclaim that this rejection and then growth of character was some sort of planned event. I am genuinely confident in my chances for this application season because I can look back at who I was last year and see the blinding contrast.
- Lily
That's all folks! But not really. While we are now up to date with my past experience with Disney we have not yet explored the application process. My next post will be all about the application I submitted for the Jan 2014 intake. See you real soon!
Took a few days off from blogging cause editing my vlogs was getting a little intense. Make sure you know about proper importing procedures before you start making videos. That's all I'll say on the matter.
Last time we spoke I got up to the night before the presentation. A sleepless night and a lot of research definitely had not prepared me for the adventure that awaited me on the 20th of May, 2013. The day of the presentation.
I got up as early as I could and pretended to be getting ready for school. My mother still didn't know that I intended to skip and go to the session so I had to at least pretend like everything was normal. When she was finally gone I put my casual clothes away and took out my serious business attire. Thinking about it now, it wasn't particularly Disney look but it was all I had on such short notice.
The weather outside was disgusting. It was wet, cold and blowing a gale. Melbourne's public transport isn't famous for being the most reliable out there so I made sure to leave early just in case. Turns out that was possibly unnecessary. After a bus, two trains, asking directions from strangers, slipping in the rain and another bus I finally made it to Victoria University's Footscray Park campus. An hour early. Even accounting for the five minutes I walked around in circles looking for the right room I made it in far too much time.
Luckily for me I wasn't the first there. There were maybe six or so people all sitting outside the door. Three girls sat together, chatting as though they were fairly familiar with one another. Two girls sat beside each other on a bench not talking. One boy stood a way away playing his Gameboy and avoiding eye contact with everyone else in the hallway. I walked straight up, dumped my bag on the floor and stood just across the hall from the two girls on the bench. Almost immediately one of them asked me if I was there for the Disney interviews. Beyond that I honestly can't remember how it happened but the three of us became fast friends.
We talked about where we were all from, my crazy experience from the day before, what the application was like (as they had both applied online before the interview) and Disney. We talked a lot about Disney. Making the connection with such like minded people calmed my nerves and made the hour of waiting fly by like it was nothing. Eventually, mid way through our conversation about our favorite Disney movies, one of the teachers from Victoria University, complete with a Disney Pin Trading lanyard, came and opened the door for us. In complete nervous silence we walked in and sat down.
Minutes later the presentation finally began and it was, dare I say, magical. The presenter gave us basically all the information we already knew but in a fun way. In between each block of information we'd watch a video or do a trivia question. I was lucky enough to win a pen for getting one of the questions right. I spent the whole time worried that they were going to work out that I hadn't applied yet until the presenter explained that anyone who was interested could apply in the computer labs afterward and then interview. I was so relieved.
But then another problem arose. Toward the end of the presentation, after we'd heard from some of the program Alumni, they opened it up for questions. One of the first questions asked was 'My daughter has not finished her first year yet but will before the program begins. Is she eligible?' the answer that followed was a short 'No.' and then we moved on. My mouth fell open. Quite a few people in the room were shocked. The presenter was asked a few other questions while we stared in disbelief.
The woman who asked the original question raised her hand. She was called on again and told the presenter she'd been assured that as long as the applicant finished their first year before the beginning of the program they would be eligible. A lot of people, including myself nodded in agreement as we'd been given the same information. The presenter explained that his partner who normally conducted the presentations was sick and he would have to call her afterwards for confirmation. So the presentation continued for a while with half the room significantly less enthused than the rest.
Out in the corridor after the presentation, surrounded by impatient possible applicants, the presenter called his colleague. Genuinely saddened at the prospect of delivering bad news he regretfully relayed to us that his initial answer was correct. If we were to apply that day we would have to complete our first year by July. I wouldn't complete until November.
I was utterly devastated. While I was fighting back tears they encouraged all of us to apply for August 2014 instead. I left upset. The whole trip home I tried to decide if I could even do the August program. It just didn't fit with my school schedule. That day I resigned myself to waiting for the Jan 2015 program and on the 25th of April this year my day to apply finally arrived.
To be perfectly candid I was so upset that I couldn't apply but I'm actually glad that I had to wait. In the year between May 2013 and now I have done so much and added so much to my resume. I've joined school societies, got a promotion at work, done work in different areas, improved as a person and become so much more prepared for the program as a whole. If I believed in fate I would proclaim that this rejection and then growth of character was some sort of planned event. I am genuinely confident in my chances for this application season because I can look back at who I was last year and see the blinding contrast.
- Lily
That's all folks! But not really. While we are now up to date with my past experience with Disney we have not yet explored the application process. My next post will be all about the application I submitted for the Jan 2014 intake. See you real soon!
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
BREAKING NEWS
We interrupt this broadcast to bring you some hot off the press action.
While I still have not received an invitation to an interview from International Recruiting, the details of my school's information session have been uploaded to the career events site. Still anxiously awaiting the opportunity to book an interview time and fill in the role checklist but at least now I have a date to plan around.
You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.
While I still have not received an invitation to an interview from International Recruiting, the details of my school's information session have been uploaded to the career events site. Still anxiously awaiting the opportunity to book an interview time and fill in the role checklist but at least now I have a date to plan around.
You may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.
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