NI Number

Well one of the first things you have to do here in the UK to work is to apply for your NI number (National Insurance Number). When you phone up they make an appointment for you to go in to have an interview with someone, after taking all sorts of information from you on the phone they give you a date of 5 weeks later!!! Well this morning at 9am I had my appointment, I got to get experience the equivalent of WINZ here in the UK, well I was rather impressed, they have computers on every desk with all the information you gave them when booking your appointment...then they take all that info and write it out on a form add some other info to it and send it through for processing....can you imagine it, wonder if anyone has thought of them just using the computer on there desks and add the few other details they need and it is all done there and then. Didn't have the heart to say anything...not like it is the front line people that get to make those decisions I guess. Either way appointment took 25 mins and my number will be posted to me within 3 weeks. Not bad.