The Cost of The CRP

I thought I would do a blog post on the cost involved with the Cultural Representative Program as money is all I can think about right now haha! Seriously though, it can be a really expensive process so it's good to know up front what this all can set you back. Some people are offered really quick start dates and so have to pay a lot upfront, most people though have months before they go to save! My advice to anyone that wants to take part in the CRP is to start saving now.... just putting a little bit of money aside every time you get paid into a savings account will be a real help later on!

Ok... so you've sent off your application and you've received an email inviting you to the pre screening interviews.... they are almost always in London in the Southbank area so you need to consider how to get there and if you need to stay overnight. I spent a fortune coming down from Glasgow for the interviews but I was by myself, not really knowing anyone yet so I wanted to do everything the quickest and easiest way for me. When I go back to London for my visa (still not received my petition btw) I will be doing things much differently! I had to fit in going to the interview around my full time college timetable and full time hours at work so I chose to leave in the evening after college, fly from Glasgow to London, get the Gatwick Express into Victoria and then I could have got the tube but it was pretty late by now so just got a taxi for the short journey to my hotel.

So far... £72 on flights (not a bad deal for British Airways), £26.25 on Gatwick Express, £254 for two nights at my hotel (eeekkkk... seriously - make some friends and share a room!) and however much I spent on a taxi, food, etc

If you are invited back for a second interview then that means heading back to London and this time the interviews will be held at the Disney offices in Hammersmith. My flights cost the same, same for Gatwick Express and my hotel was £250 for two nights (my second interview was on Valentines Day, no cheap hotels to be found easily!)

So by now I'd spent £700 on just getting to and staying in London... feel free to guess at what I could have spent while there as well lol.

If you are successful on your second interview and recieve a position then this is a bit of a rundown on things that need to be paid:

• £60 for your criminal background check to Yummy Jobs
• Flights - mines worked out at £496 after I added on extra luggage and chose my seat. If you are under 26 then it is much cheaper to book through STA as they offer discounts but if you are over 26 then one way flights start to get really expensive. Do some thorough research and don't just go with Yummy Travel/STA right away as you can often get the flights cheaper from the airline direct.
• Health insurance. You CANNOT get in the USA for this program without the correct level of health insurance. The easiest way to book it is through STA /Yummy Travel and you can choose which level of coverage is best for you and if you want to buy it for 4 months or 12 months. Most people choose the Standard level (middle level) for 4 months (currently sitting at £168.20) and then swap to Disney Insurance but if you would rather pay it all upfront then at the moment 12 months is £386.10.
• Visa  - currently $190 that you have to pay while booking your appointment and then there's the cost of going back to London for the appointment at the Embassy. You will also need to pay at least £15 to have your passport couriered back to you. 
• Program Assessment Fee - $104.50. This secures you a place in Disney accommodation and pays for the welcome events, etc that are put on for you.
• Transport from the Airport to the check in point... There are several options for this. A taxi is rather expensive and so they recommend that you use Mears Shuttle services and you can download and print off a $5 off coupon.

When you arrive in Florida then you will need money to see you through the first 3 weeks. On the first week you are only paid for one day, the first few days are just some housing meetings. You arrive on the Tuesday and you start Traditions on the Saturday (which is the only day you will be paid for). The second week you will be paid for a full weeks work but they will take two weeks rent off, as you won't have been paid enough in the first week to cover rent. The third week is when you will start to be paid normally so it can be 21-22 days from arriving until you have enough money to live off. They advise taking at least $300 with you but most people will try to bring at least $1000 so they can enjoy their time out there when they arrive!

All of this information is from my personal experience, please do not take it as gospel as things can and probably will change regularly! This is just to give people a realistic expectation of how much money this experience can cost :)