Is NEIS for you?
Are you eligible?
NEIS is a competitive programme and eligibility alone does not guarantee that you will be accepted into the programme. Please contact your local NEIS provider who will check whether you meet the personal eligibility criteria, and whether your business idea is suitable. There is no waiting period for you to be eligible to participate in NEIS.
To be eligible your business must:
- be independent, reputable and lawful
- be assessed as commercially viable by a NEIS provider
- not be already operating on a commercial basis
- not compete directly with an existing business unless you demonstrate that there is an unsatisfied demand for your product or service or your product or service will be provided in a new way
- not involve the purchase or take-over of an existing business
- be established, located and operated solely in Australia.
Business structures such as partnerships and companies are permitted under the NEIS programme, but with certain restrictions. You should discuss these requirements with your local NEIS provider.
To participate in NEIS you must be:
- registered on Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) information systems as eligible for the full range of Job Network services and:
- at least 18 years old at the time of signing a NEIS Participant Agreement
- receiving an allowance specified by DEEWR from time to time as NEIS eligible.
OR
- a mature age job seeker not on income support who:
- will be aged 50 years or over at the time of signing a NEIS Participant Agreement
- has the capacity to be financially self-sufficient while undertaking NEIS training and NEIS Assistance
OR
- eligible for NEIS participation as a retrenched employee covered by a specific Australian Government Labour Adjustment Package.
All NEIS participants must:
- be available to train and work full-time in the business
- agree to hold and maintain a controlling interest in the business during the term of the NEIS Participant Agreement
- not have received NEIS Assistance in the previous two years and not have received NEIS Assistance previously for a similar business activity
- not be an undischarged bankrupt
- sign an individual contract with DEEWR, called the NEIS Participant Agreement.
Read more about the training, including a full guide, on our NEIS Training Curriculum page.
If you have any further queries, please contact your local NEIS provider, download the NEIS brochure, or call the Employment Services Information Line on 13 62 68.