Personally I'm a fan of hip protectors, and won't ride without them. Mind you I'm ATGATT all the way - now. In my early days jeans, a corduroy jacket and runners/trainers was awesome. Gloves? What for?
A few years ago a friend crashed very badly, lucky to live, and literally destroyed his hip (along with several other broken bones). A dozen screws, several plates and at least three surgeries later he's walking. He was only doing about 80k and hit a curb/traffic divider that "just jumped out". We all make mistakes.
I'm "older" and am more at risk of bone fractures, so I'm super careful. I wear riding pants with D3O pads in the hips, and for off-road, padded riding underpants too. The underpants are available from many vendors such as Dainese etc, in both ladies and mens, but watch - some are useless, just a bit of compressible foam, and designed for skateboarding or similar.
I personally think that a beginner needs at the very least MORE protection than an experienced rider. We KNOW they will fall, and one good hard fall that HURTS can put them off completely. I have seen it happen.
You can get less expensive gear and replace the armour with D3O, upping the protection considerably, just make sure it's possible and the fit is loose enough. Don't forget a top quality back protector.
Of course it's always a balance between great protection, riding comfort, and price. Only the two of you can make that decision.
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