To date, teacher perceptions of online language teaching have attracted very little attention. However, these perceptions may influence decisions regarding instructional design, teaching practices and eventually the learning experience. Furthermore, teacher perceptions can contribute to the design of teacher training programs. This study provides teacher perceptions regarding i) effective communication tools for teaching online second language classes; ii) required teacher & instructional designer skills and iii) challenges of online teaching. Results include that student engagement and the facilitation of collaboration among students is perceived difficult, unlike the availability of user-friendly tools; that professional development is perceived necessary to acquire the indispensable technical and pedagogical skills; and that online teachers need to make a shift towards an individualized, learner-centred teaching model.