Asking to move to a different office as a summer student? Or wait until after articling is secured?

[Generic]

I am a summer student at national firm in a city that I don't love. I am having difficulty adjusting to the city for a variety of reasons, not to mention that I am far away from family and friends.

I really like the firm and would like to stay within the firm. Would it be foolish to ask the firm to move me to my home city prior to the articling offer? Or do I suck it up for a few years and ask for a lateral transfer after articling? 

I would prefer to go back home sooner rather than later but realize there is a risk in losing my (pretty much guaranteed) articling position at this office and having to do recruit again if they are unwilling to send me over and if the other office is unwilling to take me on.

What is the prudent thing to do?

[chaboywb]

Your firm hired you in the city that you're in based on the needs of that office. They expect you'll stay on for articling and they hope that you'll stay on as an associate in that office. You took a spot from a student who would have wanted to work in that office. Prudent would be to stick it out. It is extremely unlikely that they will grant this request and there is a genuine risk that you will ruin your relationship with the firm.

[Diplock]

Ask yourself the only question that's ever really going to matter, when you're faced with this and many other decisions to make during your professional career. What's most important to you? If it isn't worth being that far from home, then ask for a transfer and see what happens. Likely you'll burn that bridge. Maybe they decide you're worth enough to keep you. Who knows? But be prepared to lose the job. And if you aren't prepared to lose the job, then you've answered the question of what's most important to you the other way.

Speaking personally, I would warn that if you start making decisions that prioritize your job above everything else, and tell yourself that in a few more years you'll stop doing that, it's very likely you'll find that day never comes. But that's a personal warning, and not to say that choosing your job is the wrong thing for you. Only that whatever the hell you're going to do, don't lie to yourself about where it leads.

Good luck.

[Generic]

Thank you for your wisdom! Much appreciated.