Roundhouse Works Membership

You should apply if:

• Age & Base: You are aged 18–30 and based in London or within commuting distance.

• Creative Discipline: You are a freelancer, sole trader, or early-stage founder in the creative industries (e.g. music, film, TV, theatre, podcasting, visual arts, fashion, design, gaming).

• Career Stage: You are in the first few years of your professional journey—building a portfolio, pitching clients, or launching a venture.

• Contribution: You can make an affordable contribution (£30, £45, or £60/month) toward your workspace.

This membership is NOT for you if:

• You are balancing non-creative survival shifts and require paid living wage support to dedicate time to your business (see the Development Bursary).

• You are seeking an intensive 5-month business accelerator with investor pitch training (see the Creative Business Accelerator).

• You are looking for a fixed private office or dedicated desk.

• You are under 18 or over 30.

• Age & Location: You are aged 18–30 and based in London or within commuting distance.

• Career Type: You are an early-stage creative freelancer or sole trader with some evidence of previous paid work or an active practice you are already building (not just an early idea).

• Tax Status: You hold a Unique Taxpayer Reference (UTR) number, or are willing to register as a sole trader with HMRC upon joining.

• Time Commitment: You can commit to spending 1 full working day per week (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm) working on your business inside Roundhouse Works in Camden for the 6-month intensive period.

• Financial Barriers: Your current financial circumstances and commitments (e.g. working non-creative survival jobs to cover rent and basic living costs, low personal/household income, or lack of financial safety net) significantly limit the time you can dedicate to developing your creative career.

• Socioeconomic Criteria: You attended a non-fee-paying state school, AND at least one of the following applies:

  • You were eligible for free school meals between ages 11–16.

  • Neither of your parents or guardians holds a degree-level qualification.

  • The main earner in your household when you were 14 worked in routine, service, technical, or skilled trade employment, or was unemployed. (Note: If you do not meet these specific markers, you can outline your current financial barriers in Question 5 of the application form for full consideration.)

This Bursary is NOT for you if:

• The majority of your monthly income already comes from your freelance creative practice.

• You are an active, paying Roundhouse Works member.

• You have previously taken part in a similar paid creative development programme or intensive.

• You are in full-time education or employed in a non-flexible 9-to-5 job that prevents daytime commitment.

• You are an established founder scaling a business with staff (please explore the Creative Business Accelerator).

• A Paid Working Day, Every Week: Receive 1 full 8-hour working day per week paid at the London Living Wage (£14.80/hr / £118.40/day increasing to £15.45 per hour (£123.60 per day) from 1 May 2027) to focus entirely on your freelance business or creative practice inside Roundhouse Works.

• 100% Free Workspace & Studio Hire: Full free access to hot-desking, podcasting suite, meeting rooms, and production equipment hire.

• Goal-Setting & Career Planning at the Start: A tailored one-to-one session with industry specialists to map out exactly what you want to achieve over your six months.

• Monthly 1:1 Development Check-Ins: Dedicated monthly sessions with the Works team to review progress, unblock challenges, and keep you accountable to your goals.

• Support to Grow Your Network: Warm introductions to creative partners, corporate mentors, and paid freelance opportunities across the sector.

• Exit Pathway Planning at Month 6: Structured planning at the six-month mark so you complete your intensive with a sustainable business plan and client pipeline.

• Six More Months of Free Membership: Transition smoothly into a further six months of free 10-day monthly membership (giving you a full year of workspace access alongside your cohort).

The Roundhouse champions diversity, equity and inclusion. We believe in a just society and in the benefit for all gained from the richness of diverse experiences and expressions within cultural output.

Through its youth programmes, the Roundhouse actively seeks to increase diversity and address disadvantage and inequality. Under the provisions made for Positive Action in the Equality Act 2010 the Roundhouse may, in the event of identifying two or more candidates of equal merit, give preference to a candidate or candidates that are from a group that is disproportionately underrepresented or otherwise disadvantaged.

Roundhouse Works is located at 100a Chalk Farm Road, London NW1 8EH, right next to the Roundhouse main venue and 2 minutes from Chalk Farm tube station (Northern Line). The space is open Monday to Friday, 9am-9pm.

Roundhouse Works is a flexible membership and development programme for freelancers and sole traders who need affordable workspace, skills workshops, and peer community to build at their own pace. The Creative Business Accelerator is an intensive 5-month business incubator for founders building companies with employees or commercial products. If you are accepted onto the Accelerator, Roundhouse Works membership is included for free.

Bursary recipients invoice Roundhouse monthly for one 8-hour working day per week calculated at London Living Wage. You must hold a Unique Tax Reference (UTR) number or register as a sole trader with HMRC (we provide free workshops to assist you with this setup).

The Roundhouse champions diversity, equity and inclusion. We believe in a just society and in the benefit for all gained from the richness of diverse experiences and expressions within cultural output.

Through its youth programmes, the Roundhouse actively seeks to increase diversity and address disadvantage and inequality. Under the provisions made for Positive Action in the Equality Act 2010 the Roundhouse may, in the event of identifying two or more candidates of equal merit, give preference to a candidate or candidates that are from a group that is disproportionately underrepresented or otherwise disadvantaged.