Disney Kids Club job. 70hrs a week. No days off.

[cosmobrown]

DD is applying to work as a kids club worker on Disney Cruise lines.
She had an interview recently that confirmed she would be expected to work 7 days a week, 10hours per day. no days off for the whole 4 month contract
I was quite shocked to find out the hours they are expected to work. AIBU?
Is this even legal??

What's the pay?
I assume she won't be paying much/any tax?
She's young, she can cope. Cruise ship work is well paid but exhausting and unhealthy. If you go into it knowing that and you're young enough to cope then why not?

It’s great if all she wants to do is earn a chunk of money. If it’s for fun/to see the world obviously she needs to find a cruise with better hours.

It’s basically like being a parent.

I think this, if she wants to work for that long then it is 4 months not a lifetime she will get downtime between cruises surely?

Yeah- not sure on that. If she was always on ships other than short shore leaves then likely not ( as not uk resident) but if she does one 4 month contract and then in UK for rest of the tax year then she’d be uk resident for that year and taxed on income earned anywhere in the world. However there may be other rules for ship workers as I believe there are for people who work on rigs and stuff like that

You have to be out of the uk for a certain amount of days (more than 6months) I THINK. And then you claim tax back.

Normal, I know people who work on yachts and they work 12 hours a day for 3-4 months. They make brilliant money though - and while stressful, its fun because there is a good sense on camaraderie within the crew. Everyone is young and up for adventure.

When you're young without any responsibilities you can cope with these long days pretty easily.

Then you get a chunk of time off at the end, which you can generally enjoy because of the money you've earned.

I will say though, once you are ingrained in this type of lifestyle it is very hard to get out! My friend has been doing it for years and has become very used to the long breaks + the money - she tried a 'normal job' and found the transition VERY difficult.

The holiday restrictions, the lower wage, the lack of 'fun.

It really isn’t. If she’s in the kids club she’ll be ‘on’ all the time with multiple kids. That is a heck of a schedule. No tv to entertain them, probably no naps if it’s the older ones.

I actually wouldn’t be that happy knowing someone providing care to my own child was doing 70 hours a week with no day off.

Yep, I worked on cruise ships and this was standard. 10 hrs a day, 7 days per week. But I loved it and was fine. Your daughter will have a great time. And if she doesn't like it, just doesn't sign up for another contract.

I think this is normal op, I worked as a holiday rep in my 20’s, didn’t make me rich but meals & accommodation (inc all costs) included, no days off but always could grab an hour or so, brilliant experience. Couldn’t do it now though! Definitely for young single people

I think that type of job is sought-after as it's seen as a brilliant experience, so they can 'name their terms' as they won't be short of applicants, however arduous the contract. They can easily work round employment rights as it's a ship - a mobile thing - so they can register it where they like within reason.

It sounds to me like an OK thing to do if you're young, full of energy and want the experience - it will be good on her CV - but definitely not something you'd want to do forever.

I used to work on the cruise ships in my 20s. The best experience I have ever had! Friends for life and amazing memories.
Encourage her to go and try it out. If she hates it, it's only 4 months of her life.

My daughter works cruise ships and she gets days off whilst on board. She has been to some wonderful places and has been able to spend her days off in some lovely settings if they coincide with a port day. She does work long hours but loves it. Food is free if they are eating in the staff restaurant. They are allowed to use some of the paying restaurants when off duty if they want too. The accommodation is free as well but she does have to do her own laundry. Her contract is 3-4months on board then 6 weeks off. Flight to cruise and flight home is paid for as is any need for a hotel stay between connections, she just has to pay for travel to and from the UK airport to home.

I mean, she will have to.like children who will be hyped up ALL day, it sounds hard work but fun, i would have loved to.have done this in my 20s.

It’s standard. But she’ll have an amazing time.

America… the land of the free.

Cruise ships are long hours thouhh many companies offer days off whilst away. It encourages staff moral and stops staff burn out. However Disney are notoriously bad to work for. They can pick and choose staff so do but dont need to offer good terms so dont. Its legal because of where the ships are registered.

My friend did this, no days off but when the ship docked she could leave and experience the destination for a few hours. She didn’t have to pay for the shared cabin, food or anything on board so would do a 4 month stint , travel the world and come home with 6k in her pocket. Hard work but worth it for her.

When I used to work on oil platforms in Saudi Arabia our technician's and support crew (usually Philippino) worked 12 hours per day, for one year solid.

My teacher friend took this exact job with Disney, aged 32. She wanted a career change.

She said she got paid really well and it was tax free. All food and soft drinks free. No accommodation costs either.

Kids club was fun, and rarely full. People didn't want their children in the club all day, as a Disney holiday is child friendly throughout.

She said she didn't really miss having a day off, as she was still able to do several of the excursions and saw some amazing places. And she often got downtime in the day when kids club was empty.

She's slowly worked her way up and now runs the whole ents dept on one of the ships.

I hope your DD has the most amazing time.

A friend of mine took a job on a cruise ship years ago, as a waitress/bar tender/general duties. Cruises around the Bahamas iirc.
Everyone thinks its a glamorous lifestyle but the reality is very different.
The staff aren't enjoying a lovely holiday, they are working, and working very hard indeed.
My friend just did the minimum contract and then sacked it off with the words "never again!!"

My dd does 6 hours on 6 hours off when at sea, no days off, no alcohol allowed. Time off is in port when others are working instead.

I did a lot of PGL type jobs and we’d do similar hours but had one day a week off we’d mostly spend doing muddy laundry. Can she get her laundry done for her on board? I’d say it’ll be ok at her age but she’ll be really exhausted at the end so need a couple of weeks off before whatever she does next - especially if she’s going to uni for example.

Let's hope this 'really good pay' would net considerably more than £6k these days as that would be an hourly rate that's less than half NMW, assuming the DD is at least 18.

it wasn't Disney, but the cruise I went on last year, the crew did get some breaks where they could go and rest in their room.