Paid internship offers chance to live, learn, earn at Disney

It's one thing to experience the Disney magic. It's an entirely different thing to help make that magic.

The Disney College Program is offering college students and recent college graduates the chance to do just that!

Taylor Byerly discovered the benefits of the program when she participated in 2015 shortly after graduating from Temple University in Philadelphia.

"I came down in June of 2015, right after graduation," she said.

She was selected for the Disney College Program, which provides paid internships and opportunities.

"They're going to come down to be on this program, to learn what it means to make magic here at Walt Disney World, which is pretty special," said Britteny Sauter, who is a recruiter for Disney Programs and once participated in the Disney College Program herself.

The program is now accepting applications for a new class of college students and recent college graduates.

Qualified applicants must be 18 or older at the time of application and currently enrolled in a U.S. college, university or higher education program.

Students who have graduated from college within the last 24 months are also eligible to apply. The program gives them the chance to work at Walt Disney World Resorts.

"On average, our program length is four to seven months," said Sauter. "We say that there are three components to the program: living, learning and earning. I always like to start out with the earning component because, of course, this is a paid internship!"

Pay starts at $14 an hour, and participants can use the money to cover their living expenses.

That includes on-site housing which was created with young adults in mind.

"They have swimming pools, they have a 24-hour gym. The apartments are also fully furnished," said Sauter, noting that the participants don't just come from the United States.

"You could truly be living and working with people from across the globe," she said.

The program also provides networking and career development opportunities. It helped Byerly grow from an internship at the Tower of Terror to a management role that involves coordinating shows at "Cinderella's Castle" and more.

"This is probably one of the biggest stages in the world and I get to be a part of creating the show element," said Byerly.

The career benefits also go beyond Disney, with participants learning transferrable skills that can help them in any career.

"Having Disney on their resume is a great talking point in their interview for sure," said Sauter.

Taylor's time in the college program helped her figure out her career path, which just so happened to lead to the most magical place on earth.

"Sometimes it doesn't even feel like a job because you're having so much fun with it," she said.

To apply for the Disney College Program, visit jobs.disneycareers.com

Disney is the parent company of this ABC station.