It's standard procedure to set up ESC's and motors with your radio WITHOUT a prop attached. Every instruction manual I've ever read for an electric system says this. If a plane came to life unexpectedly and caused an unsafe situation, that was user error, not a flaw in electrics vs. glow.
My club has had a hard time finding trainer planes too. If really makes you wonder what the ARF manufacturers are thinking. How are they going to sell aerobatic and scale planes if new pilots can't get past the beginner stage with a good trainer?