11 Disney Paid Intern
In recent years, Disney has started replacing many full-time employees with young interns who make far less money in the name of a College Recruitment Program that promises of “magical” opportunities for its applicants. These kids must pay their own travel to Disney in Orlando, pay rent that is often double Lake Wales, FL’s average only to share a room with 6 fellow interns, and face the uncertainty of what job they will perform until they have already arrived on the Disney campus.
Working at Disney seems like it could be fun, and for many it is, but for countless interns who are promised pay, their checks can amount to as little as $2 if they are not able to pick up enough shifts. Many college students are willing to endure the demanding hours, spotty bus schedules to make it to work, cramped housing, and constant Disney-themed reminders to avoid subtle statements of individuality for the free access to parks and the Disney aura, but many see the program for what it truly is.
Disney claims that these paid interns have an upper hand on full-time Disney employment after they participate in the College Program, but many people realize that the desired positions in management have almost nothing to do with the jobs these young employees are assigned. Students will show up to Orlando with aspirations of operating Space Mountain in mind only to be shocked when assigned the Disney-fied role of Custodial Host (toilet cleaner).
The living conditions are monitored with prison-level security, making this truly a full-time job under the guise of an internship. The Disney-provided mandatory housing for these kids requires they sign in and out, have all guests off the premises by 1 AM, and subject themselves to spontaneous searches of their rooms and car if they have one. All of these employees’ must have short-cut hair (males), no visible piercings or tattoos, and are staunchly limited in what they can wear, say, or even how they are allowed to point (index and middle finger together).
Disney has structured a system of fewer hours for more employees, barring them from long-term benefits that cost the company money and providing a cookie-cutter experience with little chance for vertical promotion.
