Disneyland in Paris and Tokyo
The Disney website contains complete information on the parks and hiring.
- Go through CIEE to get initial work permit for France.
- Disney prefers Americans with experience in hotels or restaurants and you must have strong language skills.
- If you excel in your position, Disney will likely renew your visa and promote you to a management position.
DISNEYLAND PARIS:
The good news: Disneyland Paris has a cooperative arrangement with CIEE and they do hire American students or recent graduates for 3 6 months. You must have a strong knowledge of the French language and you must arrive with working papers. For complete information, contact the CIEE office.
The bad news: The jobs are low level hourly work, and housing is expensive and virtually nonexistent around Disney so you may have to live in Paris and commute which can be very expensive. There is daily public transportation to Disneyland Paris.
There are two levels of employment at Disneyland Paris: cadre and non cadre. Cadre, or salaried (management) positions, are filled through internal hiring only. It is possible to start as an hourly worker and be promoted to salary if openings exist. Entry level management positions pay approximately $10,500 francs a month (approx. $24,000/year). Noncadre positions, or hourly work, generally involve restaurant, housekeeping or park operations work. One title of non cadre work is discipline trainee, which involves paperwork, a position in the Disney park, or occasionally monitoring other workers. Disney prides itself on its excellent service. The "Disney mode" is to do everything: not just what's in your job description. The minimum working hours for management staff are 9 to 6.
There are three main cultures managing Disneyland Paris: American, French and Dutch citizens. The number of French workers is regulated by law: Disney signed an agreement with the French government that they would employ a minimum number of French citizens at all times. The number of Americans employed at the park was greater during the initial stages of development and opening, but now a majority of the workers are French. The Dutch are very hard working and often receive many of the management positions for that reason. If you have dual citizenship (French/USA) your chances of being hired and staying at Disney are greater. The two most common languages used within Disneyland
Paris are French and English. Disney's priority in terms of hiring is:
- Citizens of France
- Citizens of the European Community
- Citizens of other countries primarily for internships lasting 3-6 months
How to position yourself to be hired by Disney:
- Ideally, you have dual French/USA citizenship. Lacking that, have your working papers in hand. Disney will not get the paperwork for you, however they will extend your paperwork if they want to keep you.
- Demonstrate English and French fluency. A third language is an important bonus.
- Demonstrate experience in the hospitality industry. Experience is very important at Disney. Your chances of being are hired are much greater if you have hospitality experience elsewhere be it in a restaurant, hotel or tourist attraction.
- Present an image which says professional, clean cut, and hard working.