DISNEY CEP: What it's like being a Disney Lifeguard
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Lifeguarding was the number one
role I requested to do during the Cultural Exchange Program at Disney World.
And I got my first choice! Before I went on the program I felt there was a lack
of blog posts on guarding, which would have helped me prepare so much more if
they had existed. This post will tell any potential Disney lifeguards
everything there is to know about the role, what to expect and what it really
means to be a guard in Disney World!
Application
When applying, I chose
lifeguarding because it was something I’ve never done before and would be an
excellent skill to have on my CV, potentially leading to a part-time job when I
returned from Disney (if I got the job hehe). You don’t need to have previous
experience as a lifeguard to select this option, but you must be a strong
swimmer (explained next) and have good reasons for wanting to do this role.
Testing
The very
next day after arriving in Disney housing, everyone in Lifeguard or Operations
roles were required to have a drugs test. All you had to do was pee in a pot!
Next, I had
to take a Lifeguard Swimming Test. This consisted of heading over to Mickey's
Retreat - a recreation cast member area on a beautiful lagoon - having an
eyesight test, which required us to have 20/20 vision with or without
lenses/glasses. Then we were tested for shallow or deep water lifeguard.
Usually you'll be assigned one or the other when you are given the job, for me
it was deep water and I wasn't comfortable doing this so I just tried out for
shallow water instead, it wasn't a problem. If you're a deep water guard, you
have to get a 10lb brick from 8ft of water and 5ft for shallow guards. They
want you to retrieve the brick by going feet first, as this is how you would
retrieve a guest, not a head first water dive - it would have been nice to have
known this beforehand so I could have practised! Shallow guards also had to
swim two lengths of the pool while deep water trials were required to swim
eight (I think!!). So I highly recommend having a go in your local pool at
these tasks. All these requirements will be on your offer letter, so check that
as testing may have changed.
Once these
are all good, you'll be given your location and scheduled to attend Traditions!
(You can find out about my Traditions experience on my general Disney CEP post
coming soon!)
Training
Be prepared
for the extremely intensive training that comes with guarding.
I had the
first part of my training with Ellis, again over at Mickey's Retreat. This was
three days of 8-5pm knackering training with the lovely people at Ellis. On day
one we were introduced to the course and watched some videos, one included a
very hard hitting clip of the drowning of a young boy. We then spent the
morning in the pool, practising jumping in for a guest and using the guard
tube/float. This was actually so much fun, the Ellis trainers made it as
enjoyable as possible and as clear as possible, making sure everyone was happy
with what they were doing before we moved on. We even played some retrieval
games to help us begin spotting unusual situations in the water. After lunch,
we began learning CPR and AR using each other or the dummies. This was really
tiring and repetitive and your knees got really sore from crawling around on
the carpet but it made everything sink in well. We were given some simple
homework tasks like revision and fill in the blanks.
The morning
of day two was also in the pool, we revisited what we did yesterday before
being split into teams in order to learn how to use the backboard to get a
guest out of the water. This was slightly more labour intensive and complicated
but the trainers explained it very well and helped us out as much as possible.
Again, after lunch we were back onto CPR and AR and also how to do those in
groups. We were also sent home with revision to prepare for tomorrow's
day of assessments.
On the last
day with Ellis, we were given the morning to revise everything we had learnt in
the pool and on land and mix those together like a real rescue. After lunch, we
were tested in our groups in the pool. We had to be on duty and watch the other
lifeguard trainee's act like guests in the water (who were given scenarios) and
act when we saw something. That could have been a VAT (vigilance awareness
test) which was a silhouette at the bottom of the pool or a live VAT in
distress in the water (be prepared to become VERY familiar with ol’ VATs!). Our
group had an unconscious child and a worrying mother. We had to perform the
correct manoeuvres using the backboard to get the child out of the water and
CPR. We passed!
Everyone
then had to sit an individual written test which was multiple choice and really
straightforward and simple to pass (but make sure you revise). I got 100%!
Finally, everyone was to wait (or
sunbathe as most of us were doing) outside while the individual CPR and AR
testing was going on in the building. The three trainers tested two of us at
once and our name was called when it was time for the next person to come up. I
had my favourite trainer (I’m so gutted I can’t remember her name!), she was
very encouraging. She started me off with my scenario and after I’d completed
the first part, she gave instructions to the girl next to me and alternately
told us what was happening (for example, “the guest doesn’t have a
pulse/heartbeat”) and we had to react accordingly. I passed!
Again, this individual test is
nothing to worry about if you study and pay attention in class. It’s only three
days of intense training and then you’re officially a Disney lifeguard! I
cannot explain the feeling, I was so proud of myself!
I think, think, think, you get a
second attempt at the individual testing (don’t quote me on that), and you have
to get like 70/80% on the written, the group one is a bit difficult to say, I’m
not sure how they marked it, but just make sure you work together and prompt if
need be – communication is always key in this role which is why they always wanted
us to count and speak out loud what we were doing. So, after this I had a few
days off before heading to onsite training!
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| Mickey's Retreat (there is a proper pool, you don't train in the lake peeps) |
Onsite
training
At some
point I had an "All Jazzed Up" class (named according to the
location) where you get a first look and introduction to your work place. There
were several lifeguards in my class along with new cast members who had
different roles, so it was a fairly general class, mainly about the resort
(Port Orleans) where we would all be working.
After this I
went onto two more days of onsite training. This was a two-to-one intensive
session with a coordinator. He simply showed us how to lifeguard, where
everything was, how to apply our new skills and emergency action plans. Some
more things I was taught are below.
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| French Quarter - One of the pools I guarded at. |
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| French Quarter |
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| Port Orleans is beaut |
Scanning
in
This is
something all guards do when they are about to take over a stand/area of pool.
I simply had to walk around the whole "area of responsibility", scanning
the water thoroughly and shout back to the guard leaving the stand "I have
your water" with a hand signal.
Scanning
out
Again, the
guard leaving the stand had to walk around the entire area of responsibility,
checking to make sure there is nothing wrong with the water and shout back to
the guard taking over "all clear" with a hand signal.
These were
taught in onsite training and were in place to ensure lifeguards are taking
responsibility of their water correctly.
The
coordinator also told us about pool rules, codes for using the walkie-talkie
radio, where the life saving equipment is stored, what do at opening and
closure and finally all the emergency action plans (what to do if a guard jumps
in). As if it wasn't overwhelming enough, this was certainly a lot of
information to take in over the space of 2 days! I also got the chance to
pretend to be on duty, where the coord would drop items in the water and I'd
have to scan and point them out within the time frame. I was reassured and told
I didn't have to know absolutely everything off by heart right now; I would
most likely pick it up as I got working. So don’t panic!
Uniform
(costume!)
The Disney
Look for this role is a red one piece suit for girls, red shorts and white polo
which can be found at resort costuming. Granted, the one piece made it very
tricky to use the bathroom in a hurry but I was thankful for it when I had to
get wet! Shoes are a complicated one but I just wore black crocs. Some people
had water sandals and white sneakers/trainers too. Your name badge always has
to be worn above your heart, your whistle around your neck and bum bag thingy
behind you.
Jumping
in (aaahhh!)
I was
petrified of jumping in! Well, I was a lifeguard, I wasn't petrified but I was
so anxious about when the time would actually come. I only had to jump in in
real life once, for a small boy who was struggling in my water. Which went
absolutely fine and I felt very proud of myself for saving him!
Most of the
times when people jumped in were around the slides if a pool had one. This is
because some children struggle under the current of the slide at the bottom.
But the guard chair is facing right opposite it so it's very easy to spot, jump
in and get the child.
Another time
I jumped in for a VAT (Vigilance
Awareness Test) which coords/leaders could spring on you at any time. They are
usually silhouettes of a child or adult that is placed on the bottom of the
pool for you to get within a certain amount of time. They aren't there to catch
you out, just to make sure guards are watching their water properly!
Being
bossy?
Where there
are kids there's going to be the odd naughty one who doesn't obey the rules! Or
those who just don't know them! So it was important in my role to be firm and
give rule enforcement to promote a safe environment. Most of the rule
enforcement was given to those coming down the slides the wrong way or
dangerously etc. It just shows you really have to be extremely aware of
everything in the water and whether children are running behind you or if
adults are having drinks/food too close to the pool! Trainers gave us lots of
support and help with this as it could be tiring saying the same thing over and
over, so they gave us tips on what to say and offered to come out and address
anything that was out of our hands.
In-service
training
I had a
love-hate relationship with this training! I had it for about 2 hours, twice a
month either before the pool opened or after it had closed. It's basically just
a small group of guards and some coordinators going through the basics of
lifeguarding. So we practised all the CPR training and learned new scanning
skills. Usually this was done in a fun way, in competitive teams playing games
and acting out roles. It was fun but obviously had a serious message. Most
times the pool was really warm but one time it was absolutely freezing! In
Florida!!
Audits
Again these
were to test if guards are guarding properly. Usually a manager or coordinator
would sneakily watch everyone from a distance to check everything from
scanning, to courtesy and to making sure guards sitting down were adjusting
their posture every five minutes. Again, if you're doing it correctly, it won't
be a problem! I received a 'wild card' (a rewards thingy in my resort) for
passing an audit so well, so I was pretty chuffed with that! I just wanna add
that the managers are so great at praising you for good work!
Social
I made so
many friends whilst working in Port Orleans! Everyone was extremely welcoming,
friendly and caring; I believe I will keep in touch with them now I'm home.
We'd often go out as a group after work to a bar and have some food and drinks,
it was great. I was also lucky enough to get a ride home to my accommodation
with some other college program cast members who brought their car to Florida.
We also had
a PO Disney Lifeguard group on Facebook where we could exchange shifts and
stuff which was really helpful when I wanted one covering, there'd always be
someone who would take it for me.
When I left
I got given a huge poster with pictures of the resort on that everyone had
signed a lovely message for me on! Oh my gad it was soooo nice! I'll treasure
it forever!
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| When Pluto visited us at work! |
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| Fun times with my lovely Guards after work! |
Cast member exclusives
What ever the role, there will be different events and bits and bobs going on for you to take part in. My resort did some fun and games with the children for a break from guarding on Independence Day, for example. There were also more exclusive events just for cast members such as scavenger hunts, parties in the staff room where everyone baked and brought in food (granted, my only contribution was to test all the offerings) for events like Shark Week and the arrival of a manager's little bubba! We could also sign up to a variety of events like sports teams and backstage tours. I signed up for a backstage tour of Hollywood Studio's Tower of Terror! I strongly encourage you to sign up to one of these tours if you get a chance, it is seriously a once in a life time opportunity! My room mate had a tour of the Epcot ball! Basically, myself and fellow recreation pals got early access to the park and had a full tour of the Tower of Terror, learnt all about its history, how it works and all the little secrets and niggles that make it scream Disney magic. We even got to ride it with the lights off which was such an odd way to see the ride! And kind of even more creepy than with the lights... But yeah, this was a supper lucky opportunity as it is one of my favourite attractions at Disney!
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| Scavenger Hunt offerings |
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| Scavenger Hunt (My team Doubloon came 3rd!) |
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| Shark Week free food party in the recreation staff room. Home-made American stuff though. |
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| Exclusive backstage tour of Tower of Terror! |
That’s a wrap
Here are my final tips and
pointers about being a Disney lifeguard whether you’re thinking of putting it
as an option during the interviews or if you’ve already bagged the role!
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You really do
need to be a good swimmer (not Olympic level of course!) and be comfortable
with submerging your head under water.
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Training is
especially hard work, you need to give it your all or the instructors will not
pass you.
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The role
itself is physically and mentally demanding. You need to be on the ball at all
times, alert and vigilant, remembering all your training - be prepared for
these pressures.
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It can get
extremely hot even in the shade and when taking a plunge in the pool between
bumps (changing guard stand).
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You need to
be confident enforcing rules.
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It’s the
most rewarding experience when you perform a rescue – however basic!
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You get to
be outside in the beautiful Florida sun, not stuck in doors! Hence, amazing tan
for all guards!!
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It’s great
if you don’t want a lot of guest interaction like the majority of Disney roles,
only a small amount of chat, question answering and rule enforcement is
required.
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All guards
are very close and supported, solid friendships are certainly developed.
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There’s awesome
music around the pool to keep you motivated!
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Activities
and challenges in the staff room to take part in!
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And being a
lifeguard is pretty cool, right?! You’re one of the cool guys.
Overall, I had. The. Most. Incredible. time of my life being a Disney Lifeguard, working in Florida! It was a lot of responsibility, I don't think I'd do that role again just because of the level of pressure the role required. But I managed it well, I did a good job (no one drowned on my watch!!) and had the best time doing it. Like any job there is always a part of it that isn't so great, but the part that was great was the fact I was working in Walt Disney World.
(Below are some examples of my guarding rota, for anyone who enjoys looking at every single detail of something like this, like it do (lol)):
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