My Earning Experience

Traditions was the official start of my earning experience. It is an introduction to the Walt Disney Company that every new Cast Member must attend. My roommate Aaron and I were both scheduled to go Thursday. We jumped on the bus in our business attire and we were on our way to Disney University, which is near the Magic Kingdom.

The most exciting part of Traditions was getting our Disney ID and name tag when we walked in. It ended up being a rather long day. They give you alot of interesting information about the Company, but most of it is nothing new to anyone who is a Disney fan. The day ended with a short trip to the Magic Kingdom and the Utilidor.

We had to return the next day for a business ethics seminar in the Pavillion at Vista Way. After signing alot of paperwork, we received our work assignments before leaving. This tells you exactly where you will be working. I knew I was a lifeguard, but because I had to be trained first, I didn't yet find out where I would be working.

They then told a small group of us that we needed to go over to Mickey's Retreat right away to take a swim test. It turns out we should have done it the first day at the Vista way pool, but they forgot to tell some of us at the Housing meeting.

This was really bad news for me, considering it was early Friday afternoon, and I still recovering from my first-ever night at Pleasure Island. I had only had about 2 hours sleep. So the small group of us went over and took the test. I told them I wasn't prepared, but they told me to just do my best.

It turns out my best was only good enough to be a shallow water lifeguard. But they told us a majority of the pools and slides only required a shallow guard. Plus they said I could always come back later to retake the test.

They first told us they needed a few guards for the All-Star Resorts. No one volunteered, so they were forced to choose themselves. They then told the rest of us we would probably end up at Blizzard Beach, which was currently closed for Rehab. And because it would be reopening soon, they would need lifeguards immediately. This excited me, because I had a blast there on a vacation the year before.

They already had too many guards to train that weekend at Mickey's Retreat, so they told us to enjoy the week off and that we would be trained the following weekend. I spent the week getting settled at the apartment and hitting the parks with the other lifeguards. Finally came the time to start the certification program.

All Disney lifeguards are trained and certified by Ellis. It is a 24-hour course. We spend 4 hours there on Friday, and about 10 on Saturday and Sunday. I am not the greatest swimmer, so the course was tough at times. Many of us actually wished we were in a different department at some points that weekend.

The course ended with a written test, team skills test, and CPR test. We were all very relieved to finish the course, considering we could now finally look forward to starting work. But it was nice that we were paid during all of our training. As I had hoped, I found out I'd be working at Blizzard Beach, and received my schedule from my manager Scott.

Once again I had to go through more introduction classes. For water park employees it is called "Getting My Feet Wet." Following the class we got to play miniature golf at Winter Summerland which is in front of Blizzard Beach. We also received a t-shirt.

At this point, Blizzard was still a week away from opening. So we spent our days landscaping, cleaning, and even testing the new ride system for Teamboat Springs, the family raft ride. This got old quick, but it was finally time to open the park.

As a shallow guard I had to have 2 days of training with another guard. The first day I could only observe. My trainer was Wally, a coordinator who became a manager later in the spring. It was a long day, but Wally made it fun. My second day on stand I was trained by an International Program student from Scotland. Suzanne's job was to watch and teach me while I guarded the water.

My first couple days on my own were rather tough considering I didn't know exactly where each stand was yet. We were only open Sunday-Thursday 10:00 to 5:00, so we only had to work four 8-hour days a week in the first month. The only negative to this schedule was a small paycheck of about $90 a week. In April we went to 7 days a week, and 10-hour work days. I usually worked 4 days, which earned me around $130.

We came in at 9:00 every morning, an hour before the park opened. We would either clean the park or have in-service at that time, depending on the day. In-service would involve specific training in order to refresh our skills. Each Ellis lifeguard is required to complete 4 hours of in-service a month.

I wasn't always thrilled to be standing in the hot sun watching guests enjoy the slides, but being a lifeguard is better than most typical College Program jobs. I worked with alot of CP's, so we made work as much fun as we possibly could.

I also had the opportunity to work a few days at the All-Star Resorts, which was a nice change once in a while. Late in my Program I also had the chance to work a day at Typhoon Lagoon.

About once a month our managers would hold "Play Day." After the park closed at 7 pm, we got to run around and ride the slides for at least an hour. This often involved breaking rules, but always ended up being alot of fun.

Overall my earning experience was great. There were times that I wanted to work elsewhere, but the people I worked with made days go by faster. I had alot of contact with the guests, which I sometimes liked and somtimes hated. But I could never complain about working at the #1 water park in North America.

I honestly didn't come home with any money, but working at Blizzard Beach gave me enough hours to make enough money to get by, as well as give me a great schedule that alowed me to have alot of free time each week. And I was still able to enjoy the four major parks considering I didn't have to work at one all day.

If I went back again, I probably wouldn't choose to be a lifeguard again. But this isn't because I didn't like it, it's because I would like to try something different. Looking back now I realize just how lucky I was to be a lifeguard.