ORLANDO (CBS Local) – Disney World is opening up their theme parks, and their wallet, in a search for thousands of summer workers this year. The Florida resort is looking to fill around 3,500 positions and is reportedly offering signing bonuses of up to $3,000 in order to entice part-time employees.
Disney’s annual hiring blitz is in preparation for the summer vacation season and the company is looking to staff a wide variety of jobs including culinary chefs, lifeguards, bus drivers, and housekeepers. Disney began hosting a series of job fairs for these openings on April 23 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex, which focused on staffing the resort’s cooking positions.
A lifeguard job fair is scheduled for May 2 at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park in Lake Buena Vista. According to the Orlando Sentinel, full-time and part-time lifeguards can get a $1,000 signing bonus in 2018, double the amount from last year.
Disney’s housekeeping job fair is being held on May 9 at the Walt Disney World Resort Casting Center. The company is also accepting applications for these openings Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern Time through May. Housekeepers are receiving bonuses of $1,250 and an hourly wage of $10.50 according to the Sentinel.
Disney World’s neighbor, Universal Studios, is also stocking up on employees for the summer rush. The theme park and resort also announced that they’ll be hiring 3,000 new workers. The resort said in a press release it will be offering workers “competitive salaries and comprehensive benefits packages” as well as other perks like free admission to their park.