ILR Success at Solihull PEO WP -> Tier 1 ( General )

I've been a long-time lurker on this forum, reading many posts over the last several years to help me first in my Tier1 application and now in my ILR one, so I thought I'd share my experience in the hope that it might help someone else.

I came to the UK in January 2006 on a Work Permit valid for 5 years. I later switched to Tier 1 ( General ) in October of 2008. I called in late-October this year to book an appointment for my SET(O) application and initially tried to get an appointment in Croydon. I didn't realise you had to have taken the Life in the UK Test prior to booking the appointment, so I had to go take it then call back. When I called back, the only appointments available in Croydon were for that week only ( and the lady on the phone mentioned that she generally only saw appointments available within 1-2 weeks ). I wasn't eligible until December but I was concerned that if I waited until then to book there might not be anything available, so I asked her to check at Solihull and I was able to get an appointment there for Dec 10th.

On the day, I arrived about an hour and a half early. It's a small facility right in the centre of Solihull with a parking garage right behind it. I went inside and they said they'd be happy to let me wait, but I wouldn't be able to get a ticket until 30 min before my appointment, so I decided to go shopping in the shopping centre close-by ( which is well-apportioned ). I came back about 30 mins before my appointment and got my ticket. Waited about half an hour then was called back to one of the counters to go through my application.

The officer was extremely friendly and helpful. She asked for the following items in this order:

1) Application Form
2) Passports ( Current + Expired )
3) Life in the UK Pass Letter
4) Employer Letter ( Stating that I'm still required, though this is not really indicated in the application I brought it based on others' experience in this forum. )
5) Work Permit Letter
6) P60s for the time I've been on Tier 1 ( General ) [ so, only the last two years ]
7) Last 3 Month's Payslips

Also, I had a lot of absences - 239 overall. She asked me to count the total number and the number without business trips and indicated it on the application. The number came out to 239 total and 179 without business trips. Also, she asked if I had a letter from my employer indicating that I needed to travel for business which I did as it was included in the letter I had already given confirming current and continuous employment. Though I gave my employer the list of exact dates I traveled for business, they said they could only put a general statement of my need to regularly travel for work and I was concerned that this would not be accepted. As it turns out, it was fine. My officer had to get approval from her supervisor as it was "over 225 days" but after that she said everything looked good and that I would be granted settlement. She asked that I go to the cashier and pay the fee then come back in about 2 hours to pick up my passport and documents.

I went out, had lunch, and did a little shopping and then came back two hours later. When I entered, the receptionist handed me my passport and documents and asked that I check that the details on the ILR sticker were correct. They were, so I thanked her and left - with IRL and huge weight off my shoulder.

Thanks to everyone in this forum for posting their experiences and advice and good luck to those of you still waiting to apply.