[1] After this he supported himself for a lengthy period as a home tutor at Waldfischbach, also working as an assistant to the priest in a nearby village.
However, he found the region over-supplied with theologians and accordingly, having been a good student during his school days, was able to switch his focus to Philology, and in 1837 obtained a junior teaching post at the newly established Latin school at Annweiler, a short distance to the south of his home region.
Sources refer to his burning patriotism: nevertheless, he avoided coming into direct conflict with the law, and was accordingly spared from any involvement with the courts during the reactionary government backlash that followed.
[1] He became a specialist in German studies and contributed to the collection of popular sayings being gathered by his friend Friedrich Wilhelm Wander [de].
In 1874 he was appointed subrector (deputy head teacher) at the Latin school in Edenkoben, a position he held till his retirement in 1877.