Here's my good deed for the day, prompted by Marcus trying to get a NI number for his wife. It looks like a catch-22 situation when you first encounter it; Without a number, you can't get a legit job, and you can't get a number without a legit job. Here's the way out of the maze, although you'll be hard pressed to find anyone in authority to tell you straight:
When you apply for, or get a job, explain that you have a temporary number - you create it like this. The first two letters are always TN (for temporary number). It is then followed by your date of birth, in dd-mm-yy format, then either M if you're male or F, obviously if you're female. so, if you were born on the 10th march 1976, your NI number will be:
TN-100376-M(or F).
See? Easy!
Once you've got the job, ask your employer for a letter, confirming that you're working for them, then make an appointment with the nearest DSS centre in order to get a permanent NI no. You should get one within a fortnight. On the day, take the letter, passport and any other documents you need to show that you are entitled to work in the UK, then you'll get a NI number in 1-3 months.
C'est un piece du piss.
Feel free to disseminate this bit of info - people coming to the UK to settle don't often get informed about this, as it means that they get stuck in shitty, badly-paid jobs with little security.
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