I have taught a lot of people how to fly and I always recommend an ARF.

The problem with building a kit for your first plane is the quality of building. Many times I have seen planes that the owner thought were built correctly, but were un-flyable, warps in the wing, pushrods too flexable, wing hold-downs not glued in strongly enough and on and on. With an ARF, I have a decent chance of giving the guy a flight on his first day. I really hate to send someone home who has come out hoping to see his creation fly.

On the other hand, if you have someone with RC flight experience that can supervise your building and insure you get the plane flight worthy, go for a kit.