Immanuel Kant worked as a tutor and lecturer

The circumstances in the family changed following the passing of Kant's father. To make matters worse, Immanuel was unable to secure employment at any of the institutions that were covered by the University. He had no choice but to leave the university and hunt for employment elsewhere.

He obtained work as a family tutor and served three different families throughout his nine-year commitment to the position. He gained social grace, was introduced to the city's powerful society and traveled the furthest from his home city with them—some 60 miles (96 km) to the village of Arnsdorf. He was able to finish his studies at the university and become a Privatdozent, or lecturer, in 1755 thanks to the generosity of a friend.

Kant's reputation as a professor and author grew over his 15 years as a Privatdozent. Soon, he was giving lectures on a variety of topics besides physics and math, such as logic, metaphysics, and moral philosophy. He even gave lectures on fortifications and fireworks and ran a well-liked physical geography course for 30 years every summer. He had enormous success as a lecturer, and his lectures, which were very different from his books, were amusing and colorful, infused with numerous examples from his readings in English and French literature, travel and geography, science, and philosophy.