---
author: "Robert Pearce"
authorTwitter: "@RobertWPearce"
desc: "What it's been like working in London for a few days."
keywords: "remote work, remote working, digital nomad, london, articulate, travel"
title: "Working In London"
---

I spend the majority of my time writing software for
[Articulate](http://articulate.com). This isn't the offical mantra, but it is
how I think of the company:

> _&quot;Work when you want, where you want; just don't be a jerk.&quot;_

Sound too good to be true? It is true.

Articulate is a "remote" or "virtual" company, meaning it has no physical
offices anywhere in the world, and everyone works wherever they like. Many of my
colleagues work from home, whereas others tend to shift around a bit. It is this
freedom that was (and _is_) a primary driving force for me wanting to work with
this company.

## Locations Thus Far

London is an expensive town, especially when you're exchanging American Dollars
for British Pounds Sterling. [NomadList.IO](http://nomadlist.io),
a site that ranks cities to work remotely from, does not treat London kindly. At
the time of writing, London has a -89 reputation&hellip; on a scale where
positive is a good thing. While it is an expensive town, it is also incredibly
friendly, and there is no shortage of WiFi.

So, where have I worked over the past two days? For starters, I had a small
taste of [South Kensington](https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/South+Kensington/@51.49409,-0.17411,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x487605429cf5afd1:0xfef74f40edb435de?hl=en).
I worked in a small coffee shop 2 blocks from the [Victoria and Albert
Museum](http://www.vam.ac.uk), and around lunch I took a stroll through a few of
the free galleries before receiving word that my roommate's girlfriend was
locked _in_ the apartment and could not get out. She was freed soon thereafter
when I returned home and unlocked the door.

Today was spent mostly near Clapham Junction (5-10 minute walk from our house)
in, first, a Starbucks and then in an Italian cafe up the hill from our house
(1-2 minute walk). Starbucks is fantastic for attempting to offer free WiFi to
their customers. I'm not sure who started that trend, but it is great. However,
in any big city I go to, Starbucks' WiFi never actually works. It reminds me of
the $1/ticket Megabus WiFi in the States (in short, it doesn't work). Thankful
as I am for even having access to the Internet, whereas so many people are
without, I require it for my job. And I need it to be fast. Luckily, the little
Italian cafe (ran by Francesca and, I believe, her son) have blazing fast
internet.

## The Experience

I love _not_ working in an office. I love the freedom. I love being able to walk
and ride around and do what I want (or need) to do while still being a
contributing member of my team.

Many people I know ask me,

> _&quot;When are you going to get a real job?&quot;_

I always respond with, "Oh, I don't know&hellip;" But what I want to say is,

> &quot;I have a real job. I have a salary, I have benefits and I have
> responsibility. __Just because your definition of a real job involves long
> hours, living for weekends and generally hating life does not mean that it is
> a universal truth by which all must abide.__&quot;

Instead of spending loads of time during the workday perusing
[CNN](http://www.cnn.com "CNN") or [Reddit](http://www.reddit.com "Reddit") or
[Hacker News](https://news.ycombinator.com "Hacker News"), I am out exploring
meeting new people and taking in as much as my limited time here will allow me.

London, so far, has been amazing and has allowed me to leave my comfort zone and
discover people, places and experiences that I would never have had if I would
have just stayed home.
