An e-learning course is one of the most common types of distance learning courses. There all the information is provided to students online. Although this may sound simple, it invites several problems, the most prevalent of which is miscommunication. For the reason that all the course information is posted online, it means that there is no opportunity for spoken instruction or clarification, only text. This feature of distance teaching is tricky for many instructors because you have to be able to write instructions and course material that can only be interpreted the way you intended when you wrote it. Nothing more discouraging is there for a student or teacher than having an assignment be misconstrued. On account of this aspect of e learning courses, many teachers get frustrated and rely only on the traditional classroom to make a living.
  
Communication by e-mail can also be a source of irritation when administering e learning courses. A teacher who doesn't promptly respond to email can affect their performance and attitude toward the class. A lot of instructors also have intricacy with emails from students that are unclear and, at times, may sound rude. The requirement to communicate through email always creates some unique problems, especially in an educational setting.

Some other distance teaching format presents some challenges is televised classes or Live Interactive Television. Since there might not be any concrete students in a room to give visual clues to the teacher, teachers may feel like they are speaking to a brick wall. Tutors generally depend on the reactions of students to determine if they need to clarify a point or if someone has something to add, or if students just plain disagree with what was said. Even if students taking live interactive television courses can respond, students watching televised courses may not be able to watch a lesson for several days after it was recorded. This hindrance means they cannot ask questions and must rely on email or calling a teacher for clarification, which is much more difficult than simply raising your hand in class and quickly reviewing the material or instructions.

Primarily, aspiring teachers almost certainly do not envision themselves getting involved in distance teaching, but as distance learning becomes more popular, there will continue to be an increase in the demand for distance teaching positions.