The aim of this paper is to describe approaches to teaching taken by beginning teachers at Masaryk University. The paper stems from an analysis of 19 deep semi-structured interviews with beginning teachers from various faculties. The paper specifies different approaches to teaching while placing emphasis on transmission of knowledge and interaction with students, which it establishes as dominant among them. The paper further identifies three types of self-perception among beginning teachers who see themselves as either research-oriented or teaching-oriented or else as universal teachers who manage both. The main contribution of the paper lies in its ability to connect the different types of approaches to the different types of self-perceptions. The paper thus shows that researchers, teachers and universal teachers approach their teaching differently: beginning researchers emphasise transmission of knowledge, beginning teachers emphasise that good teaching should include the devoting of time and energy to students, while universal teachers emphasise the practical nature of knowledge and motivate students to work on themselves.