This quantitative correlational study investigated the interplay between emotional intelligence, teaching for creativity, and work engagement among Iranian EFL educators. The research sample comprised 93 English language teachers recruited via convenience sampling from public high schools in a northern Iranian province. Data collection utilized three validated instruments: the Brief Emotional Intelligence Scale (Davies et al., 2010), the Teaching for Creativity Questionnaire (Rubenstein et al., 2013), and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (Schaufeli et al., 2002), all of which demonstrated excellent internal consistency. Data analysis, performed via SPSS Version 27, involved Pearson product–moment correlations and backward multiple regression. Findings revealed statistically significant positive associations between all variables: specifically, higher scores in emotional intelligence were linked to increased teaching for creativity and work engagement. Furthermore, regression models with work engagement as the outcome variable showed statistical significance, explaining 56.1% of the total variance, with both emotional intelligence and creative teaching practices emerging as significant predictors. Consequently, these findings suggest that incorporating emotional literacy and creativity-focused pedagogy into professional development initiatives may effectively enhance teacher engagement.