What's a FGIT...?

Hello friends! Today I've decided to talk a little bit about what it was I actually did while I was on my program, since I've been getting a LOT of questions about the role, what with Fall 2015 apps opening soon!

I was accepted into my top role, which was Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Hostess.  Our official title in BBB is "Fairy Godmother In-Training" or a FGIT.  Essentially, as a FGIT, we have a storyline to uphold, just like any other character in the parks.  Us FGITs live in Cinderella Castle and we learn from Cinderella's own Fairy Godmother.  She is our teacher, and we take classes like Princess 101, Music Lessons, Princess Etiquette, and Proper ways to Brush Hair.  All of us were hand picked by the Fairy Godmother herself because of our love of princesses and our belief in the magic of pixie dust. There's obviously a lot more to our title and to our story line, but there's only so much I can write without giving away the magic!

One of the biggest questions I get is: What does the costume look like?
First, let me start by saying there are TWO Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique locations, and each one's costume is ever so slightly different.  I worked at the BBB located in Cinderella Castle in the Magic Kingdom, and our costume consisted of a long purple skirt, a purple blouse, a blue vest, and a purple halo.

This is me in full BBB costume on my first day of training!

The location in the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney has a slightly different costume; they wear a red vest over the same shirt/skirt/halo combo!

On the left is my friend Becca, and another FGIT from her first program! 

Us FGITs are quite partial to our costumes and we really enjoyed showing off how adorable they were (my roommate and I were both FGITs and our favorite places to go in costume were Walmart and Chick-fil-A. All seriousness.)

Another big question I get is: What was a typical day like for you in the Boutique?

Honestly, it all depended on the day. I usually had one of three different shifts: open - mid day (7:30 a.m. - 1:30/2:00), mid day - close (1:30/2:00 - 8:00) OR a full day, whopping 12.5 hour shift (7:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.).  More often than not, CPs got the 12.5 hour shifts or the closing shifts, which honestly looking back, sounds a lot worse than it is.  On any given day as a FGIT, you could be places on chair or on podium.  I'll explain a little bit more about each one below.

Typical day on chair

• Being "on chair" is when you're the FGIT actually doing the hair/makeup/nails of a little princess (or the hair of a knight).
• There are 4 basic hairstyles a princess can choose from: Fairytale Princess (my personal favorite), Disney Diva, Pop Princess and the Color Star
• Throughout the whole transformation, you should be talking with and having fun with the little princess!
• You'll get breaks spread out throughout your shift, the amount you get will depend on your shift length!

Typical day on podium

• Getting podium was like a gift from the Gods. There are only 3 FGITs on podium any given day, so it's rare you'll get placed there!
• One FGIT will be checking families and princesses in. Their job is to keep track of cancellations/arrivals/no shows/walk-ins.
• One FGIT helps the princess choose her dress and accessories (if she is choosing such a package) and records all her sizing information.  This FGIT will generally also walk the princess to a chair and introduce them to their Fairy Godmother!
• One FGIT builds the packages (dress/tiara/wand, etc) and sets them up in the dressing rooms for the little princess! 

We also do a lot of stocking throughout the day, and there are some other fun magical moments we get to create every day (I'm keeping these hush-hush; I've got to save something exciting for you guys! ;))

I've also gotten a lot of questions about training.  For me, my training was 5 days.  I trained with one other girl (my roommate, actually! It was wonderful), and we had 3 trainers throughout the whole process.  Our first day was spent on hair training, and the rest of the time we were on stage (Disney's way of saying we were actually in Boutique working) observing our trainer and trying hairstyles ourselves! It was really intense and I know I was really freaked out by the whole process because of how short it was, but all the FGITs are like one big family and they were all giving us tips to help us do better!

The last big point I always get asked about is past experience and my phone interview.  Honestly, going into the program, I had ZERO salon experience whatsoever. However, I've had lots of experience working with children in multiple different settings (I was working in 2 preschools at the time I applied, and was an early childhood major), plus I had experience in theatre, both acting and doing stage hair/makeup.  But that's it! So if you don't have a lot of experience, don't freak! I spent almost my whole phone interview just gushing about Boutique and I really let my interviewer see how passionate I was about the role! Just know why you want it, and let them know, and you'll do fine!

Ok so that was WAY longer than I intended for it to be, but I could just blab about Boutique forever so I guess it's whatever. Let me just leave some more FGIT pictures here for your enjoyment because hey, I'm obsessed with my life.

Left to right: Sarah (my roomie), Jess, and myself!

My very last day working BBB!

Roomie/FGIT sister love.

Most of the CP's from our program (plus Jess)

The best. Thank God for my Sarah twin

SUCH HAPPINESS.

Early mornings were the best.