1O
Herr Professor Einstein
10a. From Bern to Zurich
Soon after December 1907 Einstein began his academic career.
His first step, then a common one, was to apply for a Privatdozentship. This
was not a faculty position and no salary was provided by a university or any other
official body. To be Privatdozent meant only to have the right to teach at the
university where one was appointed. The only remuneration was a small fee paid
by each course attendant. It used to be said often in those times that a university
career could be contemplated only if one was independently wealthy or married
to a well-to-do person. Neither applied to Einstein. That is perhaps why nothing
had come of his earlier intent to seek such a post [El].
In 1907 he decided nevertheless to apply while retaining his position at the
patent office. On June 17 he sent a letter to the cantonal authorities in Bern
enclosing copies of his PhD thesis, of seventeen published papers (including, of
course, the harvest of 1905), and a curriculum vitae. Several faculty members
spoke in favor of the application when the matter came up for discussion.* But
rules are rules. For whatever reason, Einstein had omitted to follow the require-
ment to send along with his application a Habilitationsschrift, a not hitherto pub-
lished scientific article. Accordingly, the request was denied until such time as
Herr Einstein saw fit to produce such a document [Fl]. Einstein procrastinated.
In January 1908 he wrote to Grossmann, asking him the best way to apply for
a vacant high school position: 'Can I visit there to give an oral demonstration of
my laudable personality as teacher and citizen? Wouldn't I probably make a bad
impression (no Swiss-German, Semitic looks, etc.)? Would it make sense if I were
to extol my scientific papers on that occasion?' [Ela]. Perhaps he never applied,
perhaps he was rejected. At any rate, early in 1908 he finally produced his
Habilitationsschrift and on February 28 a letter was drawn up informing young
Doctor Einstein that his application had been accepted and that he had been
granted the venia docendi, the right to teach [F2]. Einstein was for the first time
a member of the academic community.
His main job at the patent office forced him to lecture at odd hours. In the
summer semester of 1908 he taught the kinetic theory of heat on Saturday and
"The professor of experimental physics was opposed to the idea, however [Ela].184