Instruction is generally provided free of charge by your local R/C club and they will generally work with you as long as it takes for you to learn to fly confidently on your own. The only thing they ask is that you join the AMA and sometimes the club, to support their efforts and support the upkeep of the flying field. If you're starting out on a glow plane, this is still the best way to go. You have a signifigant amount of money invested in a typical glow trainer setup (~$500), and to crash it 10 seconds into the first flight trying it on your own would be signifigantly disappointing.

There are plenty of electrics out there that are flyable, much less expensive, and much more crashworthy than your typical glow trainer setup. The main difference is that you will need to progress through 3-4 planes to learn as much as you would from your typical glow trainer (basic flight, takeoffs and landings, basic aerobatics).

It's all about what you want to do. I won't say one way is better than the other. The end result is that you'll learn to fly, and isn't that what's important?

In your case, you seem to be interested in electrics and park flyers. The next logical progression in your case would be something like an Aerobird Challenger, which gives you 3-channel control.