Gaudet was educated at St. Joseph's College in Memramcook. He began studies for the priesthood at the Grand Séminaire de Montréal but left in 1874 due to poor health, returning to New Brunswick. From 1874 to 1882, he then took on a number of short term teaching positions at schools in Saint-Louis de Kent, Tracadie, Neguac, Shédiac and Cocagne. It was during this time, combined with the oral history that he learned from his maternal grandfather, that Gaudet furthered his interest and research into the genealogy and history of the Acadian people. He began to write articles on his findings. From 1883 to 1885, he was given a contract by the Canadian archives to copy church archives in Acadian areas, supplementing his income by teaching. This gave Gaudet the opportunity to have access to information for his research.
