TasterLab

Moove2London is really excited to tell you about Taster Lab which is a brand new way of trying out classes or new experiences in London……for FREE!!! If you’re skint but bored after Christmas, then this is just what you’re looking for.

Have you ever thought about learning Spanish? Fancy yourself as the next Amir Khan in the boxing ring? Or just want some gentle soothing yoga lessons?

Taster Lab lets you do all these things in London, without the commitment of initially parting with heaps of cash and signing up for a term of lessons. Instead, TasterLab offers either completely FREE or massively discounted classes, so that you can ‘try’ before you ‘buy’ an entire bundle of classes.

Another benefit of signing up with TasterLab instead of one of the other famous sites offering great deals, is that Tasterlab won’t give out too many taster sessions at once, resulting in flooding a business with too many new customers and which they’re unable to deal with. Instead, tasters are given out in small batches and when that batch runs out you’ll have to wait for the next batch of ‘tasters’ to be released. This is of course a great reason not to mess about, if a taster catches your eye, sign yourself up for it before it gets booked up.

Taster Lab has different offers on all the time, but at the time that this article was written the following Taster sessions are available to sample for FREE….

• A 30 minute life-coaching session for FREE in North London
• One FREE group badminton session for you and your friends in South London
• 30 minute FREE private bass guitar, saxonphone, trumpet, piano, flute, drums, double bass, cello or clarinet lessons in South London
• FREE 30 minute golf lesson on indoor simulator in South London
• FREE Muay Thai Kickboxing class in North London
• FREE Mixed Martial Arts class with MM instructor in East London
• Outdoor fitness training session for FREE in East London
• FREE Polish lesson in a location of your choice
• 1 free group Squash class for you and 5 friends in South London
• 1 free group Salsa lesson in Central and East London
• FREE 90 minute Tai Chi class in South London
• FREE group Tango class led by expert teachers in Central or East London
• FREE group Wrestling class in East London
• FREE Hatha Yoga class in South London

This is only a very small selection of free classes in London that you can take part in with TasterLab. Take a look at their site today and have a packed New Year schedule for no cost at all.

Youth unemployment in London

Recent figures from the Office of National Statistics suggest that youth unemployment in the UK has now hit 1 million. It also seems that foreign workers are getting more jobs than homegrown British talent. As an example, the popular fast food franchise Pret A Manger has at least 2 shops in London that don’t employ any British staff at all.
The number of British-born workers has decreased by 850 people a day at a time when foreign workers has increased by around 495 a day.
Unofficially, the common mentalities behind choosing to employ workers from overseas rather than Brits, appear to include reasons such as a)foreign workers are happier to work for less money than Brits, b) they are harder-working than British people and c) they’re more likely to turn up on time.

Of course this may come as welcome news if you are moving to London from abroad. But what should you do if you’re an out of work Londoner, or are thinking of moving down to London in the near future?

First of all, you need to decide what kind of job you’re willing to do. If you’re a graduate and are happy to wait a while, going through extensive recruitment processes before being employed in the job of your dreams, then this is fine so long as you can afford to do so. But you might be better off making do with what we call survival jobs, which will help keep the bills paid, your CV nicely padded out and hopefully keep you sane whilst you interview for a more appropriate job for you.

Obviously the evidence above makes it sound like if you’re a Brit then you won’t manage to get any type of work. This is a particularly negative slant on a bad situation. There are still jobs out there so long as you don’t mind working for a little while in shops, pubs or restaurants. But if you do manage to secure one of these roles, then don’t blow it by proving to bosses why they should stick to employing foreign workers over Brits. It may not be the job of your dreams, but turning up on time and putting some effort in during working hours are the basics of holding down a job. At least until something better comes along.

Facewatch in London

For those of you who are concerned about crime in London, you’ll be pleased to hear about the Facewatch scheme that has recently been piloted in the Victoria area of the capital.

Facewatch relies on businesses such as shops, restaurants, pubs and hotels to join their scheme and share information by means of the Facewatch database, which targets low level crime, such as shoplifting and bag theft.

Facewatch makes it as easy as possible for victims to report such crime. When an incident occurs, the business uploads details of the crime online, which takes approximately 5 minutes. The victim will receive a crime number straightaway without having to report it to the police separately. Information about the crime can then be shared across the Facewatch database, which maximises the chance of apprehending the criminals, particularly those who operate in a specific local area. Facewatch is also in partnership with CPP (Card Protection Plan), meaning that after a crime has occurred, it’s possible to cancel ALL of your credit cards and get free replacements sent out to you, just by making one phone call.

The scheme has so far been piloted in 31 businesses in the Victoria where one it’s success stories resulted in a serial bag thief being caught within 24 hours of being uploaded to the Facewatch database.

For businesses who are interested in joining the Facewatch scheme, prices start at £15 a month (for businesses with a turnover of up to £500k p.a). As well as the ability to report crimes happening on your premises, you’ll also receive stickers and posters to advertise the fact that your business is a member of Facewatch. This acts as a massive deterrent to criminals and is also extremely attractive to your customers who will love the fact that you are doing something proactive to safeguard them and their property.

For more information, visit facewatch.co.uk

Where to have Christmas Day lunch in London

Christmas 2010 is only 35 days away and for those of you who will be staying in London this Christmas, you may be starting to wonder what you’ll be doing for Christmas Day itself.

If you have family to go to then great, but for others, we have some great ideas for where you can eat your Christmas lunch.

Eat it at home

Seriously, if there are a bunch of you (perhaps from overseas), sticking around in London this year, then eating Christmas lunch at home doesn’t have to be an earache. It can be heaps of fun and you can save a lot of money compared to eating out. Consider getting a massive shop in from a supermarket such as Sainsburys. If you spend enough (often more than £100), then you’ll get free delivery. If ever there is a time of year to get a supermarket shop delivered to you, it’s at Christmas, as the supermarket aisles are rammed and deeply unpleasant.

Youngs Pubs

The pub company Youngs, have a multitude of pubs dotted throughout London – some in Central London, some in the residential areas. Not all of them choose to be open on Christmas Day, but there are some lovely menus on offer at pubs such as the Dulwich WoodHouse in Sydenham, The Grove in Balham, The Alexandra in Wimbledon, The Flask in Hampstead and The Grange in Ealing. The price of a Christmas lunch at each establishment differs per pub, but in general you should expect to pay between £50 and £60 per adult for a welcome cocktail, 3 course meal, coffee and mincepie. Check out christmas.youngs.co.uk/christmasday for further details.

Christmas Day Lunch Cruise

Splash (!) out a bit on your Christmas Day Lunch and buy a ticket aboard a City Cruise boat trip on the Thames.
Departing from Westminster Pier at 12.30pm, you’ll receive a welcome drink, a 105 minute river boat cruise, 4 course meal, coffee and mints and a christmas cracker. The cost of your ticket will be £105 including VAT. You should be aware that aside from your welcome drink, alcohol does not come as part of the ticket price, although a cash bar will be in operation. To book, visit citycruises.com

Gordon Ramsay at Claridges

Go all out on the Christmas Day dining experience and indulge in a 7 course feast at the Central London restaurant – Claridges (W1K 4HR). It will set you back approximately £185 before you add alcohol or a discretionary 12.5% service charge, but it’ll certainly be a Christmas to tell the grandkids about! Visit gordonramsay.com/claridges for further details.

Browns Brasseries

The Browns restaurants located in Islington and West India Quay (not the ones in Mayfair, Covent Garden or Old Jewry) will be open on Christmas Day. They’re serving a delicious and truly varied 4 course Christmas menu for £60 a head (or £30 for children under the age of 12).
Visit browns-restaurants.co.uk for further details.

If you are considering eating out for lunch on Christmas Day 2010, then we would urge you to book as soon as possible. Once you’ve found somewhere that you’d like to eat, then please speak to the staff there about your booking, as it’s most likely that you’ll have to put down a deposit and often choose the food which you would like to be served in advance of Christmas Day.

Happy Christmas !

Antipodate – dating website aimed at Antipodeans

Whilst not geographically accurate, the term ‘antipodean’ is used (in the UK at least) to describe inhabitants of Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and sometimes also Zimbabwe. With so many antipodeans living in London, it makes perfect sense that a dating website exists to connect singles from the Southern hemisphere with each other.

So luckily, Antipodate has been set up for this very reason.

Internet dating is extremely popular in London – perhaps it’s because everyone has access to the world wide web, whether it be at work, at home, on their mobile or in an Internet cafe. Or perhaps we choose to meet our dates online because we’re so busy experiencing London, that Internet dating is just a more convenient way to find Mr or Ms Right….
…. But whatever the reason, in London at least, Internet dating is widespread, 21st century and has absolutely no stigma attached to it.

How does Antipodate work?

First of all, you sign up for FREE! and create a basic account which includes adding information about yourself, you should also add a photo. Whilst it’s not compulsory to add a photo, your profile will receive a lot more attention than if you opt to omit a picture of yourself. Antipodate chooses to put profiles with photos at the top of their search results list. Think about it – would you seriously organise a date with someone when you haven’t seen a picture of them?

A basic membership allows you to do the following:

• Make basic contact with another member (eg send them a kiss)
• Receive and view messages from other members – very exciting!
• You can add other members to your ‘Favourites’ list
• Conduct searches across the Antipodate database
• View your Sent and Received messages
• Register for competitions and dating events

As with most dating sites, there is also the opportunity to upgrade to a premium membership.
The premium membership option with Antipodate allows you to do ALL the things that a basic member can do, but you can also send personalised email messages to ANY member of the Antipodate database. So let’s say you see someone’s photo and profile that you like. As a basic member you can send them a ‘kiss’ and then wait and see if they can be bothered to get in touch with you. But if you’re a premium member, then you can send them a more personal and flirty (if you wish) message which allows you a much better chance of securing a date.

The costs associated with this upgrade are actually really reasonable on Antipodate. It’s either £7.95 for 1 month, £13.95 for 2 months, £18.95 for 3 months or £23.95 for 6 months.

Obviously if you were to choose the £23.95 for 6 months option, then it’s the most cost effective (it works out at £3.99 a month), but why not be more optimistic about your chances of finding love and opt for the 3 month £18.95 which works out at £6.31 per month and is less than buying you and your date your first drink!

Antipodate also offers you access to some of the best types of London dating events in the capital. Speed-dating is always a popular one, but you can also enjoy an evening doing activities such as wine-tasting, bowling, dancing and much more.

If you’re a single Aussie, Kiwi, Saffer or Zimbo living in London, then sign up for FREE with Antipodate today – what have you got to lose?

Living on a houseboat in London

With the price of accommodation in London being notoriously high compared to other parts of the UK, some people are getting inventive and choosing not to go down the usual rent a house or buy a house route. We’ve talked before about Property Guardian Schemes in London , where empty buildings (some of which are incredibly grand) are put under the watchful eye of a property guardian who gets to live there for an amazingly low amount of rent.

Now, we’re going to discuss the idea of living on a houseboat.

Unfortunately, whilst the idea of living on a houseboat in London may seem romantic and an affordable option, the reality for most isn’t quite as straightforward.

The main problem is that there are very few houseboats available to rent in London. That said, at the time of writing this article, we did see the occasional ad on Gumtree for a room in a houseboat starting at around GBP 125.00 per week, but you need to be quite proactive in your searching and act quickly because houseboat rentals don’t hang around for long.

So really, most people who are living in London in a houseboat, are actually boat owners. Priced from an estimated £100,000 upwards (to some seriously sky high prices), there are certainly many houseboats that are more affordable than buying a 1 bed flat or even a studio in certain parts of London. The price usually depends on the age and condition of the boat and the location, but often most importantly, whether the boat is being sold with a ‘mooring’ or not.

If you buy a boat and don’t have a residential mooring either as part of the purchase deal, or lined up in advance, then you’re wasting your money. Much like with properties in London, residential moorings are owned by a freeholder and are leased out (at a charge) for pre-defined periods (for instance 1 year, 5 years, 50 years, 125 years etc) allowing you to live in your moored boat for this period of time. Along with the right to reside in a particular location, you’ll also get some basic facilities for your money, such as sewage, gas and mains connections.

Demand for moorings in London is extremely high. There are waiting lists of hundreds to get a mooring in popular house boat communities on the Thames, so as stated previously, you really are wasting your time if you buy a boat that doesn’t come with mooring in place.

Assuming that you’ve found a boat that has caught your eye and you’re confident that it comes with a mooring, then the next step is to work out how to buy it. Almost all boat purchases in London are by cash buyers, meaning that you’re going to have to cough up some serious cash to follow your dream of living in a boat. However, there are some finance companies that will help you with the cost – try Barclays Marine Finance and Collidge and Partners. You should expect to have to pay for a survey and valuation before securing a loan with either of these companies.

So, do we think that living in a houseboat in London is feasible for the majority of graduates and young professionals who are moving here?

If you’re extremely rich and can afford a cash purchase, then why not?
Or if you’re determined enough to scour the pages of Loot and set yourself up with some alerts on sites such as Gumtree with the intention of renting a room or whole boat off something who already owns both the boat and the mooring, then definitely.

But for most people, it’s probably more trouble than it’s worth and you should go back to looking for a room to rent, or save up your pennies and attempt to get started on the property ladder.

Residential areas within walking distance of Central London

Most of you who are moving to London will have to rely on the transport system in order to get from A to B. Sometimes our transport system lets us down, for instance if there is a tube or rail strike, bad weather conditions or terrorist threats. On these occasions, London descends into chaos as Londoners do everything they can to get from home to work and back again using as many inventive methods of travel as is humanly possible.

So how can you get around this?

Well many of you will just learn to live with it and not worry yourselves about something that only happens on a few random days of the year. Others will decide that they’d rather live somewhere within walking distance of Central London, so that they can travel to work on foot on either a regular basis (it’s a great way to exercise and to see our great city) or in case of a travel emergency.

Whilst many areas within easy reach of Central London are understandably expensive, there are other more affordable areas that are well worth a look at if you have your heart set on donning a pair of trainers every day.

Here are 10 areas within walking distance of Central London that you might want to consider living in:

Bethnal Green
Bethnal Green is situated in East London in the postcode area of E2. Famed for it’s association with the Kray brothers, it’s extremely handy for nearby Shoreditch and of course the City of London. It’s approximately 1.5 miles from Bethnal Green to Liverpool Street making it perfect for those who want to work in the country’s financial capital. If you’re more brave and fancy walking to the West End, then it’s about 4.5 miles away.
For current rental prices and rooms to rent, please visit Easyroommate .

Kennington
Kennington is situated in South-East London in the vicinity of the Oval Cricket Ground. It’s a reasonably trendy area to live in with some good local pubs. In terms of walking distances, it’s a brisk 2.5 miles across the river into Victoria where there are plenty of offices located. If you need to get to the West End, then that will take you a further 20 mins.
For current rental prices and rooms to rent, please visit Easyroommate.

Islington
Islington needs no introduction. It’s an extremely popular area for graduates and young professionals to live in. The area is centred around Upper Street which is lined from top to toe with trendy shops, bars, restaurants, pubs and cafes.
The distance between Islington and the City is approximately 2 miles.
For current rental prices and rooms to rent, please visit Easyroommate.

Bayswater.
Bayswater is situated in West London approximately 2.3 miles from the West End, which is perfect if you happen to work on or near Oxford Street or Soho.
A walk between the two usually involves walking through Hyde Park, so it really is a lovely commute.
For current rental prices and rooms to rent, please visit Easyroommate.

Stepney Green
Another area located in the East End of London is Stepney Green. Although it could arguably be described as being historic more than it is glamorous, it is in a perfect location sandwiched between the City and Canary Wharf which are both 2 miles away.
For current rental prices and rooms to rent, please visit Easyroommate.

Battersea
Battersea is located in South London. As it’s only a short distance across the river from Sloane Square, parts of the area attract the wealthy, although you can also find some decent, affordable flatshares and property rental here.
The distance from Battersea to Victoria is approximately 2.6 miles, but if you need to go further into the West End, it’s more like 3.5 miles.
For current rental prices and rooms to rent, please visit Easyroommate.

Hackney
Hackney is another favourite East End haunt that is probably most famous for the Hackney Empire and it’s market. Hackney is referred to as both a council borough and a town, but in this instance, we’re talking about the town.
Hackney is most appropriately located for those who want to walk to work in the City of London which is approximately 3.2 miles away.
For current rental prices and rooms to rent, please visit Easyroommate.

Stoke Newington
Stoke Newington is located in North London. Slightly further out than some of the other residential areas mentioned on this page, it is an area that has recently ‘up-and-come’. Stoke Newington is often described as being great for families and has a young atmosphere to it. The popular road to hang out on is Church Street. A journey into the City of London covers approximately 3.5 miles of road.
For current rental prices and rooms to rent, please visit Easyroommate..

Peckham
Most people don’t hear ‘Peckham’ without conjuring up images of the Trotters living in Nelson Mandella House. Well it’s a long time since ‘Only Fools and Horses’ was on our screens and in that time, Peckham has moved slowly up the ranks and is now considered a satisfactory place to live, not least because of the fact that some decent watering holes have opened up and that it’s close proximity to Central London. The distance between Peckham and London Bridge is approximately 3.2 miles.
For current rental prices and rooms to rent, please visit Easyroommate.

How to find a doctor in London

If you’ve recently moved to London, then one of the things you’ll need to do once you arrive and start settling in, is to register yourself with a doctor. Some of you might think you can’t be bothered to do this and you’ll just stay registered with your doctor in your home town. This isn’t a very good idea, because if you end up with an illness that is more serious than something you can clear up at the pharmacy, but not serious enough to be classified as an emergency that you would go to hospital for, then that just leaves you with the option an NHS walk-in centre. This can be inconvenient if you’re not in the mood to sit around for a couple of hours waiting to be seen.

So, we can’t stress enough how important it is to get registered at a local GP surgery.

The first thing you’ll need to do is visit the NHS website and use their Find a Doctor service. You can also use this page to find dentists, walk-in centres, hospitals,opticians and pharmacies.

On this page, you should enter your new London Postcode. This will return a list of GP practices in your local area and they will be listed by the closest to your home. The most important thing that you should look for on the summary listing of each surgery is whether it says Currently accepting new patients

You can then click and find out more information about the surgery including the following:

• Names of the doctors, including whether they’re partners, GPs and if they’re male or female, which is good for those patients who have a preference
• The services offered at the surgery, e.g antenatal clinic
• The opening times of the surgery
• Address and map for the surgery
• How to register as a new patient at the surgery

Choose the ones you’re interested in, then add them to a shortlist where you can compare the surgeries that you’ve selected.
Once you’ve chosen one you like the look of, contact them by phone or by dropping in to find out how to register.

It would be normal when registering as a new patient, to complete a patient registration form, provide proof of residence (something with your address on it, as doctors have catchment areas) and then be asked to undergo a medical examination which is often just a urine sample and checking your blood pressure.

If you need to make an appointment to see a doctor immediately, then mention this to the reception staff at the time of your registration.

Of course, if you are unwell, then you can always pop into one of London’s walk-in centres, visit your local hospital or call NHS Direct for advice on 0845 46 47.

The hospitals below have 24-hour walk-in Accident and Emergecy departments:

Charing Cross – Fulham Palace Road, W6 8RF.
Chelsea and Westminster – 369 Fulham Road, SW6 9NH.
Guy’s – St Thomas Street, SE1 9RT.
Homerton – Homerton Row, E9 6SR.
Royal Free – Pond Street, NW3 2QG.
Royal London – Whitechapel Road, E1 1BB.
St George’s – Blackshaw Road, SW17 0QT.
St Mary’s – Praed Street, W2 1NY.
St Thomas’s – Lambeth Palace Road, SE1 7EH.
University College – 235 Euston Square, NW1 2BU.
Whittington – St Mary’s Wing, Highgate Hill, N19 5NF.

Top 10 First Date Locations in London

If you’ve recently moved to London and are single, then London is a great place to be. There are plenty of ways to meet people, whether it be through work, through friends of friends, in a bar or through a dating website.

There are plenty of brilliant and fun dating websites that you can sign up with in London. Here’s a list of popular ones.

This post isn’t here to tell you how to get a date, we’ll leave that to our Dating in London page. Instead, we want to list our favourite 10 places for a first date in London.

• Vertigo 42 Champagne Bar in Tower 42. The drinks are pricey, but the views are spectacular on a clear day. If you want to go all out, consider booking a table at Gary Rhodes restaurant afterwards.
• Sunday Lunch Jazz Cruise on the Thames – includes 3 course meal, 2 and a half hour cruise taking in sights such as St Pauls, Tower Bridge, Tate Modern, Millennium Bridge and the London Eye whilst listening to a live jazz band.



• Vinopolis – allow the wine to give you a bit of dutch courage on your first date. There are various wine tour packages available, including wine, champagne, Bombay Sapphire cocktails, beer, absinthe, whisky and rum tastings. Choose carefully and remember not to get too drunk!
• British Museum – for a bit of culture on your date, head to the British Museum on a Thursday or Friday when it’s open late. You can even have a 3 course dinner there.
• Amphibious Tour – for a bit of fun, take a sightseeing tour of London aboard a World War 2 DUKWS (known as Duck) vehicle. You start on the streets and then the vehicle plunges into the water. Expect to see sights such as Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the Ritz and Buckingham Palace.



• Go on a pub crawl. This sounds basic, but it needn’t be lairy or messy. There are some fantastic pubs in London and you can choose from gorgeous riverside pubs or pubs in secret corners of London such as Shepherd’s Market, Mayfair. For great ideas, the below book is well worth reading.
  
• Go to one of London’s parks. One of Moove2London’s favourites is Dulwich Park. You can take a pedalo on the lake, hire a bike and go for a bike ride or just buy ice-creams and chill in the sun (what sun – haha!). A good nearby pub to go to is the Crown and Greyhound right in the middle of Dulwich Village.
• Go bowling – bowl over your date at a location such as All Star Lanes, which offers bowling, diner-style food and cocktails. You’ll normally need to book to secure a lane, but it’s a great night out. Just remember not to get too competitive!
• Have a date in the dark at Dans Le Noir. Every Friday night, Dans le Noir’s lounge bar, serves tapas and drinks from 5.30-6.30pm in the pitch black darkness. Chatting in the dark is a great way not to be nervous or concerned about superficial things like looks!
• Go for dinner at Gordon Ramsay’s Narrow restaurant in Limehouse. The food is wonderful and the view overlooking the Thames is breathtaking.

So, hopefully we’ve given you some great ideas here for a successful first date in London. Feel free to write in and let us know how you get on!

Moving To London From Overseas Checklist

Summer is the time when most people think about moving to London. If you’re moving to London from overseas, you’ll have many more things to consider than the average Brit who can just stick everything in a van and drive a couple of hundred miles. So we’ve compiled the below checklist to give you some ideas of what to think about when you’re planning your move over here. It’s not a very country-specific list, so adjust it depending on where you hail from.

Do it A.S.A.P

• Sort out your visa. For more info about visas, please visit Ukvisas.gov.uk You should normally leave yourself at least a couple of months for a visa to come through, but it could be much longer or shorter depending on your circumstances.
• Write an excellent C.V and upload it for FREE to Monster’s database where employers can search for candidates for their jobs. It’s absolutely free to post your C.V up there, so if you don’t do it you’re really missing a great opportunity.
• Book your tickets. Take a look at current prices using Expedia
• Check that your passport is valid and has more than 6 months left on it

2-3 months to go

• Start looking for somewhere to stay. Sign up with Easyroommate . Use the box below to search for FREE for a room in London.
• If you need to stay in a hostel for a few days before you take up semi-permanent residency somewhere, book a room at Hostelworld which has many affordable, yet comfortable hostels located in Central London.
• Inform your local tax office that you’re planning on leaving the country so that if necessary you have time to fill in a mid-year tax return or possibly even get a tax refund depending on your situation and the tax procedures in your home country.
• You should also

1 month to go

• Find your medical records so that when you register for a doctor on the NHS, they’ll be able to quickly see your medical history. This is especially important if you have an ongoing condition or need regular prescriptions.
• Arrange your travel insurance for your journey. Make sure it covers the value of all your belongings for your trip.
• Give notice on your current accommodation and service contracts such as gym membership, cell phone contracts etc.

1-2 weeks to go

• Find out how to register for postal voting so that you’re able to vote whilst you’re away from home.
• Redirect all mail and inform utility providers of your impending departure.
• Start downsizing your belongings and make lists for packing.
• Have a going away party and say your goodbyes – make sure you have a full list of email addresses and phone numbers!