New Job | I'm Moving to Orlando, Florida, With The Walt Disney Company!

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I can't actually believe I'm about to embark on writing this post! It truly doesn't feel real to me yet, but I can assure you that what you've read from the title is no April Fool. In 204 days time I'll be flying out to Orlando. The Walt Disney Company have deemed me worthy enough to employ as a Merchandise Cast Member, and I am truly floating on cloud 9...!

Back in January, after much longing and dreaming I finally got the courage to send off my application to Yummy Jobs, the in-house UK recruitment team in charge of supplying Disney wish fresh talent to interview for employment on the International Cultural Representative Programme. I had actually penned the beginning of an application in 2013, however something told me to wait, to carry on up the career ladder with McDonald's (which paid off as I'm now an Assistant Store Manager), and see where my McJob could take me.

I'm a big believer in the notion that a person is exactly where they're supposed to be at that moment in time, and although I sent my finished application off on a whim in January 2015, I had every fibre in my body crossed to get through to the next stage (I'll write separate blog posts on the recruitment process soon). See, I don't think I was meant to apply in 2013. If I'm truly honest having my McJob has definitely helped me in a huge way to get my job at Disney, and the fact that I followed my niggling feeling back then has really paid off now - note to self, listen to gut feeling! I feel like the Disney magic has been sprinkled in my favour because I've now got a whole year in Orlando to look forward to, and believe me when I tell you that the planning has begun in earnest already!

My Congratulations Email / The Disney IP /
My ID For Visiting Disney HQ in London / Welcome To The Team!

So what will I be doing? Forgive me if you're familiar with EPCOT theme park, but to explain it simply, EPCOT is one of 4 theme parks located at the Walt DisneyWorld Resort in Orlando, Florida. Inside EPCOT is an area called World Showcase which houses pavilions from 11 countries around the world, including Mexico, France, Norway, Japan and UK to name but a few. Inside each pavilion you'll find an authentic representation of that country, from the architecture, food, and merchandise, to the very people that work there. Yes, Disney travel the world annually to scout out talented people who go through a recruitment process with the ultimate goal to become a Cultural Representative of their country and, for a whole year, live, earn and learn on Disney property in Orlando, central Florida. This is the programme I will be doing beginning in October 2015, where I will be earning my ears as I train in the Disney art of Merchantainment.

I am planning to blog as much as possible, and I definitely feel like I have so many fresh ideas to share with you about my journey. So far I've booked my flight, a hotel in Orlando for the night before Disney check-in, and paid my program fee to reserve my apartment, but there's still so much to do and plan! I'm in the middle of planning my bucket list, a Sephora shopping spree, a trip to WalMart and what American goodies to stock up in the pantry for my first week.

So if you're like me, and Disney is not only your 'thing' but also consumes all aspects of your life, then please join me on my journey to becoming a Walt Disney World Cast Member :)

 - Instagram: louisekwilliams