Questions and Answers about Working for Disneyland Paris [Part 2]
NEW: I've written a book about my 16 months spent living and working at Disneyland Paris. Download it on Amazon.
20. Do you ever get to go out at night time or is there ever any parties in the apartments or anything?
You do whatever you want, it's 45 minutes into the train to Paris where there are loads of clubs or if not...when you 500-600 people living in one place there are always parties going on in the residences. Especially when the big occasions come around like Christmas or New year. Apparently, during the summer there are parties every day too.
21. What language do the employees at Disney commonly speak? And where are most employees from?
Everyone speaks French backstage. Italian is very prevalent as well amongst the Italian cast members but everyone mainly speaks French. Some English too is spoken by all but it's never used as a primary form of communication. I'd say about 70-75% of employees are French but there are people from all over: Scandinavia, UK, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Italy, Portugal, etc. Most are from Europe.
22. Is it a big problem if your French is okay but not perfect/fluent when communicating with others? And when you get your room, do they put people from the same nationalities/languages together?
22. Is it a big problem if your French is okay but not perfect/fluent when communicating with others? And when you get your room, do they put people from the same nationalities/languages together?
Yeah perfectly fine, if your french is good but not perfect or fluent. If it is just "okay" or less than that you might struggle but there are roles for this such as Food and Beverage. Yeah, I found people from the same countries or who speak the same languages were grouped together in the same flat.
23. I'm hoping to work as a character/dancer in disneyland for about 5 months this summer. Do you know how much holiday allowance I would get in that period of time? And is it possible to choose which 2 days of the week you have off? Can they ever be Saturday and Sunday (I have some weddings to go to this summer)? Thanks
You are not allowed any holidays during the months of July and August except your standard 2 days off a week. These are sometimes weekends, sometimes not. You are not able to choose which two days of the week you have off but you can request days off in advance and they will try to accommodate it but there are no guarantees. For 5 months of work, you will be entitled to about 10-14 days of paid holidays but once again these cannot be taken in July or August.
24. Regarding transport I know Disney comp around 75% of the cost to work and the residences but do you know if this also applies to getting in and out of the city centre (Paris)? Thanks :)
If you genuinely commute from central Paris (Zones 1 to 5) yes they will reimburse 80%(!) of your Navigo pass - if you are buying that pass to go shopping, they won't pay for it.
25. Regarding the internet, apartment with WiFi access available. How to pay for the use of WiFi?
Thanks :)
In the Disney residence, you go to the reception and there's a machine where you put in a note (10e for a week or I think 20/25e for a month) and you then get a login and password which you enter when you connect to wifi). You can share wifi login details with your friends in the apartment if you want but you can only use one computer at a time if you're doing this.
26. What is included in the fully equipped apartments? A computer?
Beds, bed linen, pillow, wardrobe, kitchen with utensils, hobs, oven (no microwave), bedside table, bathroom. There is no computer. You can pay for computer minutes at a reception and use one of the computers there like an internet cafe but there are only 2 or 3 so most people just bring a laptop. I don't know exactly how much the reception computers are but I remember it being quite expensive, about 10cents a minute.
27. One of the things not to forget for arrival in Disney is Vaccination book or health records. I have Vaccination book. Do I need health records? What form of records, language?
Thanks :)
Different countries do different things so you just need some sort of document which proves you have been vaccinated. When I went, did they look at them? Not at all. Maybe it's because I was only there for 2 1/2 weeks but they didn't sort out any medical stuff at all which was a bit worrying. This was the case for everyone. I took my vaccination book in English with me by the way.
28. "You will need to arrive for your accommodation at the "Housing departament" at the FANTASIA Building, one day before the first day of your contract." Is it possible to arrive two days before the first day of my contract?
Not as far as I am aware, no. There are hundreds of people checking in on the day before contracts begin and it is all done at once - they have coaches scheduled to take you to residences and lots of desks set up on the day. You will have to stay in a hotel the night before.
29. Are all the Summer 2012 contracts gone?
It appears that all of the operations contracts are gone with the exception of Ride Operators who can work the entirety of June, July, August AND September. Some character/performing roles still appear to be available. The reason for this is that Disney has hired a lot of extra permanent staff for the whole of the year because of the 20th anniversary as they intend the resort to be busier than usual, as such they don't need as many temporary workers.
30. When do applications open for Summer/Halloween/Christmas/Easter jobs?
Intake of applicants is continuous at Disneyland Paris due to the high staff turnover rate and short contract lengths. Go on the website and find the general job listings. If you get through to the interview you then give your availability for all future dates you can do. So, in summary, apply now. They recruit now for up to about 12 months in advance.
31. I was just wondering how you applied for a job at Disneyland Paris? I'm interested in being a character and was wondering who do I send my CV into or do you have to go to an audition?
Yes, you do need to audition. They are open auditions so you don't need to apply in advance, simply turn up on the day. More details are available at http://disneylandparis-casting.com/en/entertainment/our-auditions. Good luck!
32. I am hoping to work in Paris this summer! I was placed into the talent pool about two weeks ago (message from April 2014) and was wondering if you could let me know how long it was from being placed into the talent pool until being sent your contract? Also when do the summer contracts tend to start?
I got my contract one month after being placed in talent pool in 2014 and about three months after being put in the talent pool in 2011. The policy is that you'll hear back no more than 2 months before your contract start date. I've actually just got my Summer 2014 contract this week but I have applied for a permanent job (CDI) so I imagine the full-time jobs are going out now and then the short-term contract jobs should be going out within the next 2-3 weeks - this is all a guess though.
23. I'm hoping to work as a character/dancer in disneyland for about 5 months this summer. Do you know how much holiday allowance I would get in that period of time? And is it possible to choose which 2 days of the week you have off? Can they ever be Saturday and Sunday (I have some weddings to go to this summer)? Thanks
You are not allowed any holidays during the months of July and August except your standard 2 days off a week. These are sometimes weekends, sometimes not. You are not able to choose which two days of the week you have off but you can request days off in advance and they will try to accommodate it but there are no guarantees. For 5 months of work, you will be entitled to about 10-14 days of paid holidays but once again these cannot be taken in July or August.
24. Regarding transport I know Disney comp around 75% of the cost to work and the residences but do you know if this also applies to getting in and out of the city centre (Paris)? Thanks :)
If you genuinely commute from central Paris (Zones 1 to 5) yes they will reimburse 80%(!) of your Navigo pass - if you are buying that pass to go shopping, they won't pay for it.
25. Regarding the internet, apartment with WiFi access available. How to pay for the use of WiFi?
Thanks :)
In the Disney residence, you go to the reception and there's a machine where you put in a note (10e for a week or I think 20/25e for a month) and you then get a login and password which you enter when you connect to wifi). You can share wifi login details with your friends in the apartment if you want but you can only use one computer at a time if you're doing this.
26. What is included in the fully equipped apartments? A computer?
Beds, bed linen, pillow, wardrobe, kitchen with utensils, hobs, oven (no microwave), bedside table, bathroom. There is no computer. You can pay for computer minutes at a reception and use one of the computers there like an internet cafe but there are only 2 or 3 so most people just bring a laptop. I don't know exactly how much the reception computers are but I remember it being quite expensive, about 10cents a minute.
27. One of the things not to forget for arrival in Disney is Vaccination book or health records. I have Vaccination book. Do I need health records? What form of records, language?
Thanks :)
Different countries do different things so you just need some sort of document which proves you have been vaccinated. When I went, did they look at them? Not at all. Maybe it's because I was only there for 2 1/2 weeks but they didn't sort out any medical stuff at all which was a bit worrying. This was the case for everyone. I took my vaccination book in English with me by the way.
28. "You will need to arrive for your accommodation at the "Housing departament" at the FANTASIA Building, one day before the first day of your contract." Is it possible to arrive two days before the first day of my contract?
Not as far as I am aware, no. There are hundreds of people checking in on the day before contracts begin and it is all done at once - they have coaches scheduled to take you to residences and lots of desks set up on the day. You will have to stay in a hotel the night before.
29. Are all the Summer 2012 contracts gone?
It appears that all of the operations contracts are gone with the exception of Ride Operators who can work the entirety of June, July, August AND September. Some character/performing roles still appear to be available. The reason for this is that Disney has hired a lot of extra permanent staff for the whole of the year because of the 20th anniversary as they intend the resort to be busier than usual, as such they don't need as many temporary workers.
30. When do applications open for Summer/Halloween/Christmas/Easter jobs?
Intake of applicants is continuous at Disneyland Paris due to the high staff turnover rate and short contract lengths. Go on the website and find the general job listings. If you get through to the interview you then give your availability for all future dates you can do. So, in summary, apply now. They recruit now for up to about 12 months in advance.
31. I was just wondering how you applied for a job at Disneyland Paris? I'm interested in being a character and was wondering who do I send my CV into or do you have to go to an audition?
Yes, you do need to audition. They are open auditions so you don't need to apply in advance, simply turn up on the day. More details are available at http://disneylandparis-casting.com/en/entertainment/our-auditions. Good luck!
32. I am hoping to work in Paris this summer! I was placed into the talent pool about two weeks ago (message from April 2014) and was wondering if you could let me know how long it was from being placed into the talent pool until being sent your contract? Also when do the summer contracts tend to start?
I got my contract one month after being placed in talent pool in 2014 and about three months after being put in the talent pool in 2011. The policy is that you'll hear back no more than 2 months before your contract start date. I've actually just got my Summer 2014 contract this week but I have applied for a permanent job (CDI) so I imagine the full-time jobs are going out now and then the short-term contract jobs should be going out within the next 2-3 weeks - this is all a guess though.
