I learnt on a short F2F course, & we started with 6.5mm hooks & Hayfield Bonus chunky yarn in pale colours so we could see the stitches easily.
I'd recommend ergonomic hooks rather than traditional thin ones if you have any problems with your hands or wrists, as they're far more comfortable to use.
At the beginning, just learn basic stitches & practise them over & over without worrying about making anything - just make samples. It's worth it to get used to the feel of it, how to hold the yarn, getting into a rhythm, etc. You'll quickly start producing consistent stitches & then you can move onto projects with more confidence.
If crocheting into the top of stitches is tricky, pick patterns where you only crochet into the spaces between the stitches, as that's much easier & faster.
Beware of American patterns which don't use the same abbreviations as UK ones &/or mean something different even though it's the same letters. Google & you'll see what the equivalents are.
Sometimes you'll need to go into a stitch, e.g. into the top of a treble to join a round. If this is tricky, use a smaller diameter hook to go into the stitch & pick up the yarn & pull it through, then go back to your normal size hook & carry on. Seems obvious, but it hadn't occurred to me until the teacher mentioned it.
Ebay can be good for yarn & hooks. Get some plastic clips to hold the loop when you put your work down, so it doesn't unravel. They're listed as stitch holders or stitch markers & look like colourful plastic safety pins - you can also use them to make a visual note e.g. to show you where the middle of the work is on a shawl. And get darning needles to sew in your ends.
I hope you enjoy crochet - be prepared to get obsessive!