If You’ve Ever Dreamed Of Working At An International Disney Park, Here’s Your Chance

Working at one of the many Walt Disney Parks around the world seems like a dream job for many Disney fanatics. You get paid to pretend to be part of the Disney universe, you enjoy free admission to Disney Parks, you get major discounts for resorts and cruises, and you get to be in a theme park all day. Then there are the educational resources, wellness programs, and life management services that are also offered to employees. It seems like a pretty great gig, which is exactly why it can also be a very competitive one. That's true for both the parks in the United States, as well as the parks all over the world. It seems easier to get a job in the U.S. if you're from here, but if you want to travel and work for Disney at the same time, that can feel overwhelming. So how can you how can you get a job at one of the international Disney parks? Luckily, there are some programs that will help you out.

There are six worldwide Disney resorts with a total of 12 parks. There's Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, Disneyland Resort in California, Tokyo Disney Resort, Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, and Shanghai Disney Resort. Basically, you can decide whether you would want to work in Florida, California, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Jong, and Shanghai, and then kind of go from there.

A quick look at the Disney website shows that there are a handful of programs specifically created for people who are interested in working at one of the international parks. One is the Academic Exchange Program, which is an exchange partnership with U.S. colleges and universities. This program is for college students and allows them to gain academic training at Walt Disney World Resort. The program gives students the opportunity to learn about the entertainment and guest services world from the inside, network, expand on their education, and connect with other students and professionals around the world.

If you're a college student interested in taking advantage of the program, you can start by checking to see if your college participates in the partnership. In order to apply, you have to be at least 18 years old and speak fluent English.

There's also the Cultural Exchange Program, which gives students the chance to work at a Disney resort during one of their school breaks. Those who get accepted get to work in the resorts and are provided with Disney apartments. Students are only invited to apply to this, and according to the site they are currently recruiting from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Hong kong, India, France, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.

Students aren't the only ones who have programs available to them. Another one is called the Cultural Representative Program, which is a program that allows people who represent specific companies work in Epcot. According to the site, Disney recruits "friendly, outgoing, hospitality oriented people to represent their cultures, traditional, and history of the entire country." In order to apply, you must be at least 18 years old.

To apply to any of these, head to the Disney website for more details. As for what they're looking for, a vice president of recruitment, diversity and inclusion, and talent management told Cosmopolitan that they want candidates to share their vision of creating magical memories for guests. They want "people who are passionate about guest service." That's something to keep in mind!