Nikki, your message made me grin. I also, as you can imagine, get those 'snarky' comments. They usually call it a 'correspondence course' in a disparaging way. If they only knew. The very best of instructors are not willing to work for the pittance paid by many of the on-site schools. Some pay better than others.
I feel another story coming on: A very nice colleague of mine called me to 'ask permission' to go to work for a local college. They had offered her the job. The pay was good. She said, "I just don't want to ruin our friendship by going to work for one of your competitors." I gave her my blessing and told her I was very happy about this great new job.
A few weeks later I called to ask her how her new job was going. She said she didn't take that job. When she went in for the final interview, she first accepted the job. They spelled out the details of the job, what she would teach, how she would teach it, what books and materials she would use, and how much time would be devoted to each concept.
She mentioned that nobody could actually LEARN using those books, and certainly not in the length of time they had to learn it. They wouldn't budge. So, she said, and I quote, "You told me that you wanted to hire me because of my expertise, but you've chosen the books, the amount of time spent on each topic, and everything else. You've made ALL the decisions, and they are all very bad decisions. I'm not going to take this job because I won't teach that way."