Change of plan for October!!!

Hey!
Well I'm updating again (cynics may say that it's because I currently have naff all to do, but I have news to share - honestly!)

22nd October - Worship Central at Central Hall
23rd October - I have lectures 11am - 1pm and 3pm - 6pm AND I need to travel to London AND the CU's Progressive Supper (moved from the 22nd so we can all go to Worship Central!)
24th October - my f2f in London

So you see, I no longer have to rush around, leave Worship Central early, get to London absurdly late or anything! I do have to miss Progressive Supper (for anyone confused, that's a 3 course meal put on for freshers where they go to a different house for each course and therefore get to know lots of people inthe CU!).
Because I won't be here and Ruth (my housemate) will be out for part of the evening, we've decided it would be a lot easier to pull out :-(

I'm mega relieved because now - although I'll have to miss my 3hour Food and Cooking lecture - I can arrive in London A LOT earlier, possibly even do something and then meet up with other wdwip people!!

I know this is supposed to be a kind of Disney Blog, but unfortunately real life goes on alongside the application process, so I'm reporting it as it happens. Right now, for example, I'm rather peeved because I want to transfer to Argos in Southampton for Christmas (I've worked at Argos in Hastings for 4 years and worked in Southampton last Christmas) and they've told me I have to go for an interview!!!! All the other people I know from home who have transferred to other stores have done so with no problems and have a permanent contract there.... :-/ I'll just have to go to the pointless interview and see what happens.
The main thing of course is that I'll be earning £££££s which convert to $$$$$$$s to be used in Florida! Special.

What else can I say? Not a lot really except to leave you all with the thought for the day (not that I've actually done any thinking...yet):
Don't put off until tomorrow, the smile you can put on today. Bit of a random one I know, but I heard it and liked it and I'll have to keep smiling if I work for the Mouse. Failure to smile = end of the line! Dun-dun-derrrrrrrrrrr.

Ciao for now blogites

Back at Uni

Well the title says it all really. I'm back in Southampton for the term....

The next time I leave this city will be for my Disney f2f - in exactly one month's time I'll be on my way to London for the moment of truth. I'm not scared yet..... but ask me again in 3 weeeks and you might just get a different answer!

So ONE MONTH til my f2f; ONE YEAR til I could very well be writing this blog from Orlando, Florida! WHOOOOO HOOOOO.

But I have plenty to keep me occupied until then; Freshers Week here begins on Saturday when the first Freshers move in to Halls and goes on for the whole week! Between now and some point very soon, I need to get Microsoft Office because although I love my new laptop, that vital ingredient is missing.

My advice to anyone thinking/getting excited/wondering about the CRP, is DO IT but be prepared for lots and lots of waiting at every stage of the application process.

I'll leave with my thought for the day ~ Strenuis Ardua Cedunt - The Heights Yield to Endeavour (University of Southampton's motto) because at the end of the day hard work is the answer and this year I am determined to do a bit more of it!

24th October = Disney f2f day!!!

That's right, after a long break from my Blog, doing all of that infernal WAITING, I have news; good news, great news, amazing news, brilliant news, slightly stressful but life-changing news!

My face-to-face interview, in London, with actual Disney recruiters, is set for the 24th October 2008! Here's the e-mail;

Dear Victoria

Many thanks for your interest in the Walt Disney World® International Programs!

Recently you have interviewed for a position on the Cultural Representative Program at Walt Disney World; and we are delighted to inform you that we would like to invite you to meet with the recruiters from Walt Disney World when they visit the UK next month.

At this time you will be able to attend a presentation about all about the Magic known as Disney, and gain information about the Cultural Representative Program and the perks that come with it. After the presentation, you will have the opportunity to experience an interview like you never have before with the Walt Disney World recruiters!

Your interview will be held on Friday October 24th at The Disney Attractions Office at 3 Queen Caroline Street, Hammersmith, London W6 9PE. A map and instructions are below. Transportation to the interview is at your own expense.

You will need to arrive at 8.30 a.m as the Disney presentation will start at promptly at 9.00 a.m. After the presentation your interview will be scheduled. You must be prepared to spend the whole day and will be required to dress in professional / business attire.

If selected for a position, you will need to be available for dates starting February-September and lasting for 1 year.

For further information on the Cultural Representative Program please visit the website www.disneyinternationalprograms.com

In order for us to reserve your place, please send an email to confirm your attendance to michele@yummyjobs.com, by Monday 15th September

Please note that places are very limited and confirmations will be taken on a first come first serve basis. If interview places are full by the time you respond you will be selected to be placed on our wait list for any cancellations or our next recruitment session March 2009

If I do not hear from you within this time I will presume that you are withdrawing your application.

It is essential that you bring the following items to the interview:

1. 3 PHOTOCOPIES OF YOUR MAIN PASSPORT PAGE (picture page / passport no).If you do not have a passport please bring another Photo ID with your birth-date, such as driver’s license, etc.

2. YOUR ACTUAL PASSPORT (or another form of photo identification)

3. 1 PHOTOCOPY OF YOUR BIRTH CERTIFICATE

4. YOUR ACTUAL BIRTH CERTIFICATE (OR CERTIFIED COPY)

5. Proof of your home address (e.g. on a bank or credit card statement)

6. An up-to-date copy of your CV

7. A black ink pen to fill out necessary forms

Once again, congratulations on reaching this stage in the recruitment process and we look forward to meeting you!

Sincerely,

Michele

Yummy Jobs
Unit 5, The Georgian Village
100 Wood Street
London, E17 3HX

Michele@yummyjobs.com

Of course, I sent back my confirmation straight away and then went to the WDWIP forums to share in the general excitement. Lots of people on there had their confirmation delayed and so got all panicky, but mine came through without any probs!!!!
It seems most of the girls I've met and am friends with on Facebook are on the 23rd, but there's still a fair few of us on the 24th.

Would you believe that, not only does the interview fall on the day when I will miss 5hrs of lectures (I only have 7hrs a week), but because I have to be in Hammersmith so early, I'll need to stay overnight. Guess what's happening on the night of the 23rd? Tom and I have bought tickets to see Worship Central at Central Hall in Soton. It's scheduled to finish at 9.30 but even so I'll have to leave early to be in London at 11pm!
In typical me fashion, I have planned everything meticulously though, so wish me luck with navigating the Tube and staying in a Hostel the night before!
The Hostel is Globetrotter Inn and I've booked two nights in a four bed room. That means I'll have somewhere to leave my bag during the day and I can change before going home again....
So now the real work begins: PREPARATION!!! eeek
On that front, I have my outfit sorted out, so that's a major weight off my girly mind. Got my shoes and sorted out which bags etc I'm taking.
One thing I do need to do, is go to the Registry Office and get a birth certificate, because I'll need it and copies of it for the interview.

So I've basically got lots to worry and fret and pester other poor people (like Tom) about, but also loads to look forward to. If I pull the whole thing off, well, that should be a feat worthy of my CV in its own right!

I'm still keeping up with a couple of online blogs, to see what daily life is like for those guys and girls who are out there right now. Seeing their pictures and hearing their thoughts really give you a great idea of what you're getting yourself in to.

In other news: I go back to uni on the 23rd Sept, ready to start lectures on the 6th Oct, so busy, busy, busy again! On the bright side of things though, I HAVE A NEW LAPTOP AND ITS shiny and AMAZING!!
What else can I say? Oh I need to leave you with a thought for the day.....
Life suprises you, accept the gift

I am through, I am through, I am through!!!!!!!!

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah! I have a face to face interview, in London, in October, with Disney. I am officially

EXTATIC!

I hoped, I dreamed and boy did I wait!, but all of that is finally over. I HAVE AN F2F!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's going to be amazing - officially amazing and I can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it. I think after I've done this blog I might just go and watch the Cultural Representative Presentation for the third time!!!!!!!

I'm so excited, I can't tell you how happy I am! That alone tells me how crushed I would've been to not get through! But I am, so who cares about that? I can officially start to think about what I'm going to wear now TO THE INTERVIEW, IN LONDON WITH DISNEY.

Can you believe it? ME, one step closer to working for the Mouse in Orlando, for a whole year. Crikey. Now I know what it means for gappers to have itchy feet - I want to go NOW! Not have to spend a whole other year in rainy old Southampton slogging my guts out over my dissertation!

But it does mean that I have the motivation to start mega saving for this trip - it's a once in a lifetime opportunity and I am so determined not to mess it up.

YES! YES! YES! I just can't believe it, this is the real deal now. Gosh, I'm going to be an absolute nightmare to live with from now on. Yay. See? Even that makes me say yay!

I told you before it a dream, a place of dreams and the product of a dream and I'm a whole lot closer to going there.

Anyways, that is the big news of the month. Now I've vented just some of my joy, I'm going to add to it by watching the presentation!

Quote of the Day? Here it is: 'Please cover your ears whilst I scream!!' - Kirbie (wdwip forums) on hearing she has an F2F.

This is the e-mail from Michele:

Hi Victoria

Many thanks for taking time in the pre-screen interview for the Walt Disney World™ International programs. We were impressed by your performance and are pleased to invite you to the next interview stage.

Your interview will be held sometime in October. We will be contacting at the end of August with details of the exact date and venue of your interview. If your contact details change please be sure to notify us!

Once again, congratulations on reaching this stage of the recruitment process and I very much look forward to meeting with you.

Sincerely,

Michele

Yummy Jobs

The Waiting Game

It's kind of a bit like grrr, then abit yay, sometimes I'm unsure and other times calm and collected! Basically, I'm all over the place. So there you have it; that's what The Waiting Game does to you. Phew!

It's now 8 days since my phone interview and 11 days until Momentum rolls around. The significance of Momentum is that I'm pretty sure the e-mail with the all important yes or no should arrive during the 6 days I'm down there.

The question is, do I deliberately make an effort to check my e-mails while I'm away and face the possibility of bad news ruining my holiday, or do I play an even bigger version of the waiting game? If I do that, I could have a double low if its bad news......

Ok, my decision is (at the moment anyway!) to wait to find out until I get home. That way if it is bad news, I'll only take it out on my parents and not the whole group of 60 going to Momentum.

What makes it worse is;
1. Some other countries such as Norway, don't have so many applicants, so they're almost guaranteed to get the job when they apply.

2. Spending loads of time on the Forums (wdwip.com) means that these girlies have become my friends and I hate to think we're competing against each other, but I guess that's the sad truth of it.

3. I heard someone say that they like to make it as representative as possible in the UK Pavillion. Does that mean you have more chance of getting the job if you come from N. Ireland (because there might be less applicants?)?

But the good thing about the fact that we're all in this together is that we're getting to know each other now, being friends on Facebook, so we know each other by real name, not just forum name and have some idea of where some people come from etc!

The good news for me, at the moment, is that I have things to keep me busy; sorting my room out, going to work and preparing for Momentum etc.

I do keep coming back to the financial and logistical side of things though.... At this moment in time, I have £235 in the account set aside for Disney, with another £130 or so soon to be added (I hope!). Plus my wages from June need to be paid in yet - and I reckon that will be at least £200! Yay for wages!

Mustn't get too excited though :-( I still have £300 rent per month etc etc ad infinitum to pay out..... It seemed a huge figure, but now I've started to save, I seem closer than I'd dared to hope, to actually getting there one day!
Although I must remember that my Mum had to bale me out of financial ruin again last month! Maybe finances aren't quite as rosy as I'd like them to be.... Que sera sera.

Thought for the Day: it's another one from Walt:
When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.

That's all for now folks! Next time I post, it will hopefully be with good news ON AN F2F!!!!!! That would brighten up my rather rainy August lol

The Phone Interview!!!

I'm now amongst the cool, calm and collected people who have had their phone interview with Yummy Jobs for the Disney Cultural Representative Program and lived to tell the tale!!!

Let's start at the beginning:

I sent off my CV and cover letter to Yummy on the morning of the 2nd July, I received a confirmation e-mail saying that we would hear if we had a phone interview in 3 weeks time.

So, the waiting began.... About a week ago I finally got an e-mail and arranged an interview time with Michele.

In the meantime, I'd been scouring the forums for posts of what to expect in the interview and had found a lot of sample questions. I spent ages preparing and perfecting answers to questions like:
Why do you want to work for Disney?
What has your work experience been so far?
How would you deal with an unhappy Guest?
How will you cope with the heat?
How will you find living with lots of different people from around the world?

They all came up in the interview which, I am not going to dissect, because it will just drive me crazy! I think it went well; I could have said more on certain things :-/ but it could have gone worse, I've decided that the fact I was on the phone for 20 mins instead of 10 is a good sign. Ok, it's a GOOD sign!

To be honest, looking back, it was kind of like a conversation, but I guess I - like everyone - was too nervous to do anything except reel off the answers! The lady who interviewed me, Hannah, had done the CRP before and so was really enthusiastic about it and we chatted a little bit.

Now we have another 3 week wait to find out if we have a face to face (f2f) interview with actual Disney recruiters in London in September. The only weird thing is, is that if I go to an f2f, then I still have a year to wait before I go.... I'm not sure why they do it so far in advance. On the other hand, if I get in early and get my place, the I can be all chilled out and have something to look forward to during the rigours of third year!

The thought for the day is a good one: If you can dream it, you can do it Walt himself said that - I guess I now need to apply it to getting a good grade in my degree, not just getting to work at WDW.
I don't want to seem cocky, but I can't see any reason why I shouldn't get through to an f2f, but it's like I said on the forums; let's hope they need a lot of people or some of us could end up out of luck.....

CV written, Cover Letter written, roll on July 1st!

is all that I can say right now!

But I should go back to the beginning really. You see, before I came home for the summer, I'd been working on a Disney blog - doing lots of research and reading up as per usual.....

But I hadn't exactly decided what I was going to do and how and when... it was just a bit of a distant dream still.

When I got home though and had a few days of relaxation and trawling the internet I got back in to the forums and the general excitement of the Disney world. I also decided to e-mail Yummy Jobs (ticket to the Magic) and ask them when I should apply to leave September 2009.

I got an e-mail back straight away from Kirsten saying that the date for applying for departure then was July 1st!!!! the next day!! So I spent all of today writing my CV and then this evening moved on to the Cover Letter.
Now, I'm not sure if its all complete rubbish or not, but if I want to be in with any chance of getting the job, I need to get in there quick and that means sending it all off tomorrow!

I've also now officially signed up for the WDWIP forums so I can keep up with all of the excitement as other people head off and share their experiences etc. My user name is Mushu

Well, what more can I say? I've taken that all important first step to the Magic so now all I have to do is wait and hope that what I put was not complete tosh but actually attractive to Yummy and not OTT either......

I suppose I ought to leave you with a thought for the day...... A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Except this journey will be a lot longer than a thousand miles, lets hope it doesn't all go wrong........

UPDATE: Sent my CV and covering letter off and it was received on the 2nd July. I got a confirmation e-mail from a lady @ Yummy called Michele. Now I have to wait 4-6 weeks to find out if I have got through to the next stage - the phone interview!
Here's the e-mail
Dear Vicki

Thank you for your interest in the Walt Disney World ™ International Programs!

These programs offer entry-level, practical training opportunities for individuals who are preparing for careers in Hospitality, Tourism or Leisure Management. Through on the job exposure to high volume Resort or Theme Park operations, participants learn how the Walt Disney World Resort maintains its position as a leader in the Hospitality and Entertainment Industries.

Participants must be at least 18 years old and authentically represent the culture and customs of their own country. These programs offer unique working, living, and learning experiences for one year. If you are successful you will be eligible for a visa for this period only. To find out more, please visit www.disneyinternationalprograms.com

We look forward to the opportunity to consider you for the Walt Disney World ™ International Program and will be contacting you within one month of receiving you application to let you know if you will be put forward to the next stage of interviews.

Kindest regards

Michele

7th July: Well, I've now got a Countdown Timer on my Desktop! It tells me that in 24 days I will hear, or will have already heard from, the people at Yummy Jobs as to whether I will be offered a phone interview for sometime in August! Oooh, I hate this waiting game, but it has given me plenty of time to pepare and gen up on my Hastings and Disney knowledge, as well as answers to some sample questions!