In this study English language teachers and learners engaged in teaching and learning of English in Iranian universities, high schools and private language institutes were asked about characteristics of an effective English language teacher. The aim of the study was to investigate whether male and female teachers and learners of English hold different views on characteristics of an effective English language teacher. For this purpose a questionnaire comprising 46 questions on a 1 to 5 Likert Scale was administered to 59 English language teachers and 215 learners of English. The results indicated significant difference between the responses of male and female participants in both teacher and learner groups on some characteristics of an effective English Language teacher.