Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA

Welcome Back!

This week I will be talking about the international program at Water Country USA and Busch Gardens Williamsburg! I chose this specific program to talk about this week because I am employed by these parks and I have first hand experience with this program. I have made countless friends and have met hundreds of people from all over the world from working at Water Country USA and Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Most of the people that work at these parks are high school and college students that are from the area. However, there are a good number of international students and a few out of state students as well.

Video Testimonials:

http://www.bgwjobs.com/international-program-video-testimonials.html

The Internship:

If you are looking for an internship, BGW and WCUSA offer an internship program that is extended to out of state and international students. I got to participate in the internship this past summer, and I learned a lot from it. The idea of the internship is to learn about all aspects of running theme parks. Generally, if you get accepted to the program you become an “Assistant Business Unit Supervisor” of a section of the park. You also attend one class every Wednesday in the morning before work.

Each week during class time, you learn about a different areas of the park. For example, one seminar we learned all about how culinary ran and operated, and the next week we learned about entertainment. They teach you everything you need to know, from who oversees what, to budgeting and planning. The best part about the seminars is that the department discussed comes in to present that week.

As an “Assistant Unit Business Supervisor” (ABUS), you are the supervisor of a section or zone of the park. For example, I was a Park Operations ABUS for a zone of Water Country USA, so I oversaw the lifeguards in that zone.

Myself (Far Left) with the other two ABUS's and our Supervisor Derek in our zone.

Your day-to-day duties include making sure the lifeguards are doing well, ensuring the cleanliness of your zone, responding to guest complaints, etc. The job can be a lot, but you get to meet a lot of people while sharpening your communication, business, and leadership skills.

While I was a local resident taking on this position, I met a few out-of-state students who traveled to Virginia specifically for this program. They stayed in the Busch Gardens owned “International Housing Village” for the summer along with the international students.

Busch Gardens Williamsburg international program: http://www.bgwjobs.com/internationalprogram.html

Job Opportunities:

The main departments of the parks are: Park Operations, Merchandise, Entertainment, Culinary, etc. Most students work in park ops, culinary, or entertainment.

Park Ops:

Park ops can include jobs such as lifeguarding, ride operations, ABUS, security, area host, etc. These jobs are out in the park and are mostly around guests. The hours for these jobs are very long and it they are for the most part all outdoor jobs, so it is very hot. Expect to work 10 hours a day! However, these jobs are fun, you get to interact with lots of people, and every day is different from the last.

Culinary:

This is as it sounds, you will be working with food! Cooking, preparing, and serving. Many people like culinary because they either love to work with food, or the love the air conditioning. This job also has long hours, so be prepared for long days.

Entertainment:

Entertainment is more of a Busch Gardens department. These jobs mostly consist of the show productions. There are shows in several areas of the park and are themed based on the themed country that show is taking place in. For entertainment, you could be a costume designer, dancer, actor, choreographer, audio and lighting technician, etc.

The Living Situation:

The international and out-of-state students participating in this program reside in the International Housing Village (IHV). The IHV is a dorm-styled complex that includes up to three roommates. The cost is $11 per day in June, July, and August and is $7 per day in May and September.

Each room has a TV, refrigerator, bathroom, shower, and free WiFi. The IHV also has a pool that is open until 10:00 P.M. every night as well as a computer room, pool table, ping-pong, and a fully stocked kitchen. The coolest part about the kitchen is walking in and seeing students from all over the world cooking foods from their home countries!

Working at a theme park means long hours and that you are tired at the end of every day. However, at the end of the day there are always people hanging out outside by the pool or at the picnic area if you aren’t ready to go to sleep quite yet. Because of this, the students at the IHV end up becoming very close within a few days/weeks.

Myself and my brother with two twins from Spain!

Next Week:

Make sure to check back in as we will be discussing what to look for when searching for a work-travel program!

How to Apply:

Most of the international students apply through a company called Travelingua (https://www.travelingua.es/ofertas/busch-gardens/). For out-of-state students should apply on the Busch Gardens website (http://bgwjobs.com/water-country-usa-jobs_m.html

Frequently asked questions:

http://www.bgwjobs.com/international-program-faq.html