Welcome to the hobby!

The best thing you can do before getting an RC plane is use a simulator, there are some really nice ones like (Ex:RealFlight or Phoenix) but this depends on your budget.

There is a free Phone App called AbsoluteRCSim which is good for basic introduction to the controls and orientation issues. If you can manage to fly methodically and land constantly using this app then you have learned something. It's certainly harder than you think, but free to practice. The real sims are much better because you use an actual controller, instead of a touch screen, but the principals remain the same.

I've also flown real planes in the past, and unfortunately the skills don't translate. The basics of aerodynamics remains similar but the controls are different and become opposite when the plane changes direction. Some have said RC planes are hard to fly then real because of the orientation and lack of feel.

Finding and joining a club would be a great first step, but if there are not any in your area then you'll need to find a huge wide open field. If there is a tree or house the plane will find a way to hit it. Haha

With regards to first plane, your best bet will be something like a Aeroscout, or Bixler are great flyers that handle crashes and rough landings really well. I made the mistake of starting with a scale model cessna, with clear windows and lights, real nice plane... but i spent 10x more time fixing then i did flying. Issue was that the plane was heavy and would stall quickly at low speeds... I learned a lot, but if I did it again I'd probably go with a Spektrum based beginner plane. I say Spektrum because they make nice Transmitters and there are lots of planes available that you can keep using the controller with.

The E-flite Apprentice STS 1.5m could be a nice blend of beginner/scale look plane.

I said a lot, but hopefully its helpful, keep us posted and good luck!