Phone Numbers

As I am applying for jobs, I am learning the differences in formatting letters, addresses and phone numbers between North American style and British style. 

Phone numbers here have 10 digits, same as back home, but wait! No, they actually have 11 digits for you see, one must add a leading zero to the beginning of one's phone number whilst using it in the UK so the phone system knows you are here. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

In North America, there is only one way to write phone numbers -- a three digit area code, hyphen, three digit region code, hyphen, four digit personal code. You write it thusly: XXX-XXX-XXXX. If you are calling long distance, you just add a 1 to the beginning of the number. It doesn't matter what the area codes are, it is always written the same way. Simple and the same everywhere. In the UK, how you format it depends on so much more. 

In the UK, the area code (known as the STD code) depends on geography, service (landline or mobile) and service provider. Including the leading zero, area codes can be 3, 4, or 5 numbers long. A small handful are 6 digits. The remaining digits in your phone number are formatted in different ways based on your STD code.

For example, if your STD code is three numbers long (landlines in large centres like London) you would write it XXX XXXX XXXX.

But if your STD code is four numbers, you would write it XXXX XXX XXXX.

If your STD code is five numbers then it gets a bit mental. How you break down the number depends entirely on what your STD code is. It might be XXXXX XXX XXX. It might be XXXXX XX XXXX. The only way to know which format to use is to look it up on a table. Find your STD code to see the accepted format.

Ofcom, the government department in charge of these things, allocates specific STD codes to different mobile companies. So you know which service provider someone uses for their mobile phone by their phone number if you are one to memorise such things. If you have a landline, the format is consistent in your area. Where things get strange is with mobile numbers. Why people? Why? Why not have a standard way to write phone numbers?

So many new things. I am a learner!

If you want to know more about all of this, you can check out this page on Wikipedia. It's quite helpful.