Some places to work remotely in London
Cafes and co-working spaces where you can find a room to work on your laptop
The British government puts efforts into turning London into a new Silicon Valley. In 2010, the prime minster David Cameron announced Tech City UK as the organisation to support London tech cluster Silicon Roundabout. The only thing they seemingly missed is the shortage of places to work from with a laptop. If you do not have a membership at WeWork, the American company providing co-working spaces across the world, you have to struggle looking for a fast wi-fi connection and a quit atmosphere.
I experienced this pain and made a list of places which I found relatively fine for working at. But bear in mind, that they all have constraints, and I am still looking for an ideal place.
Located in London tech cluster, this place is widely advertised as the perfect co-working space. They also hold events there, and presumably you could get some connections on top of the Internet and a desk.
Unfortunately, you may face a very simple constraint — the lack of space. We first came to Google Campus at about 12.00 a.m., and the only place we found was the floor near the doorstep. People were going out and coming back, we were freezing. We were not alone sitting on the floor, and some people even managed to sit outside in the little patio with desks. Do not forget that it all happened in November.
But if you come earlier, probably, you will get a table. There are about 50 places at glance. Still, this campus has major advantage — it is free.
2. Ziferblat
Ziferblat is a co-working space in Shoredich, where you can enjoy unlimited free cookies and a quit atmosphere of a flat. But they charge 6 pence per minute. The concept was born in Russia, and later the founder opened some locations abroad.
By contrast with Google Campus, you may find a number of free spaces in Ziferblat. We came there several times and always found nearly five people sitting there. On top of that, some of them were the employees. I have no idea, how they run it as a business, but it still works.
You may spend maximum £15 per day, because they stop charging you when you spend five hours on the spot. But be aware of the issues they have with the wi-fi. Last time I visited this place on the weekend, the Internet connection was broken, that is why it is better to call in advance and double check.
I found this cafe in Shoredich by chance, when there were no Internet at Ziferblat. In was on the list of best places to work at in this area made by Time Out or a similar outlet.
Frankly speaking, I have no idea, why they put The Book Club on the list. It is a crowded cafe with large tables designed for groups. They were all busy and, obviously, people were talking aloud.
But I spotted a number of people sitting on their own with their laptops. A guy was designing a logo, another one was coding with his headphones on. If you love to work listening to the music, this place may be great fit for you. But if you struggle to put words together in a noisy atmosphere, look for something else.
