Purpose: The emotional intelligence (EI) model is widely used in pedagogy, management and other spheres as a useful concept with great potential for application. At the same time, there are significant differences in the traits of EI in different social groups, in particular, in different countries, which are just beginning to be studied. To date, there is a significant gap in the research literature on cross-cultural research in the field of EI, especially in the area of measuring its performance. This work is devoted to the study of the quantitative aspects of the differences in the traits of EI between teachers of higher educational institutions in Kazakhstan and Russia. Design/methodology/approach: For the study, 700 participants from two countries were involved, 350 people from each with an approximately equal distribution by gender and age. Mann-Whitney U test and Fisher transformation were used for statistical analysis of the results of the N. Hall test for teachers from two countries. Findings: As a result of assessing the level of EI by the method of N. Hall, significant differences were found in the manifestation of various scales of EI in representatives of these two groups (Fisher's transformation relative to the scales: "emotional awareness" was f*em = 5.466). Originality/value: The practical value of the study lies in the discovery of a methodology for determining the difference in the traits of EI, which can be used in the correction of teaching methods, personnel management in higher educational institutions and in the formation of educational teams.