Ling, the former Geelong captain who is fielding a range of coaching offers from AFL clubs, says he doesn't have "a super unbridled passion for coaching" and is doubtful whether he is suited to some aspects of the job.
He told radio 3AW on the weekend those doubts made him question whether he wanted to enter the coaching world.
Melbourne officials sounded out Ling last week over the club's senior assistant coaching position for next season, and North Melbourne and Richmond are also keen on winning his services.
Ling said he could see the positives and negatives of coaching.
"There is a big strain on your time, and that is with any job, so I'm not trying to make excuses here," he said.
"Is it something that is 20 hours a week sitting on a computer just staring at a screen looking at edits and games and everything like that, and 20 hours of working with players and communicating, or is it five hours of sitting in front of a computer and the rest is working with players?
"I'm not one who loves just sitting there in front of a computer screen watching and re-watching and fast forwarding and [looking at] different camera angles."
But Ling said he was excited and motivated by the prospect of working with young people and "helping them to improve, teaching them a little bit about the game [and] hopefully achieving something special together".
The person appointed as the Demons' senior assistant will be seen as Paul Roos' successor, but it's understood the club will not guarantee an automatic succession when Roos' contract ends.
He is contracted until the end of 2015, with the option of an extra year.
Another candidate for the position at Melbourne, former Sydney Swans skipper and Fremantle assistant coach Brett Kirk, ruled himself out on Sunday, saying he would be remaining with the Dockers.
Roos told SEN last week it was impossible for a person to know whether he wanted to be a senior coach until he had experienced life as an assistant.
"If you are going to do it [coach], you are going to have to get your feet under the desk," he said.
"Sometimes you can only decide if you want to go to that next level by being an assistant coach and seeing how it works, because it is very, very different to being a player."
Ling said he was getting closer to making a decision.
"I'm trying to get my mind around exactly what I want to do with my future and once that decision is made then the real specifics of it come in," he said.
