Where I'm from, you have to actually learn to drive a manual before they let you drive an automatic, and you have to pay extra for automatic lessons.
On topic though, my first driving experience was in a closed off practice area, as per law. Basically your driving teacher takes you and 2 - 3 others out into a closed off practice area with some altered cars that can't go above third gear, to learn you the basics of gear handling, the clutch, parking and generally maneuvering, remotely. He sits in an observers box with a radio so he can talk to everyone. He even has a "oh crap" button that can shut off individual cars or all of them and slam the brakes. So yeah, pretty painless experience.
My first ride on the road, well, I got praise for how good I were at managing my speed, albeit the rest was shit.