Ivan Dmitrievich Belov was born in 1830 in Nizhny Tagil, Sverdlovsk Oblast, Russian Federation in the family of Dmitry Vasilievich Belov and his wife Agnes Solomonovna. Ivan had four more brothers - Vasily, Alexander, Nikolai, and Vladimir, as well as two sisters - Elizabeth and Chionia.
Ivan Dmitrievich graduated from High School in Saint Petersburg. Since 1844 he studied at the law faculty of Saint Petersburg University.
After graduation, Ivan Dmitrievich served as a clerk officer in the Saint Petersburg Chamber of the Criminal Court (1851-1852), a factory police officer of the Ural Mining Board (1852-1853), and a lecturer of law at the Ural Mining College (1853-1856).
In 1856-1859 - an official of the Headquarters of mining engineers. Then he taught again, already in Saint Petersburg, Russian literature at the Main German School (from 1859), the Commercial School (1861-1864), pedagogy at the Pavlovsk Institute (1859-1861), the Patriotic Institute (1863-1865), etc.
In 1866-1869 he taught in the Department (in the teacher's seminary at the gymnasium). Since 1870 Ivan Dmitrievich was an assistant to the head of the districts of the Petersburg educational house. In 1871 he was sent to Germany and Switzerland to familiarize himself with the methods of teaching in teacher seminaries and public schools. In the future - a teacher of a public school, then an inspector of a teacher's seminary in Pavlovsk (1881-1883).
