Hi NeilP
Breeding fish is a lot of fun and I highly recommend it!
But some fish are much easier to breed than others. I would always suggest that anyone new to breeding start with livebearers. The fry come when the mothers are ready and the only problem is catching them and saving them from being eaten by the mother or other fish in the tank. They can usually be fed, from the beginning, with powdered flakes sold as "fry food." The fry themselves are large and generally have a high percentage of survivors.
Egg-layers, on the other hand, are harder to get to breed and lay eggs. Then, there is the problem of getting the eggs to hatch. They may require certain temperatures or other conditions. They can also get moldy and spoil.
The fry that do hatch are very small and may require specific diets to live. This can be a problem that must be dealt with in advance. The survival rate is generally lower than with livebearers.
Some egglayers are easier than others to breed, though. I have heard that egg scatterers are easy, cannot say so from experience. I have bred cory cats (bronze C. aeneus) and can say that they are much easier than the gouramis that I've also raised.
I would always recommend that someone new to this begin with livebearers (guppies or platties, etc.) to get experience dealing with fry. Then research egglayers to find one you like that is not likely to have too many problems. I would find it interesting to see what responses a post asking "Which egg layers are a good fish for a beginner to breed?" would bring.