In reply to Chris Ridgers: I have been teaching on a dry slope for over 10 years, and skiing for about 25 years. I initially learnt by doing the basic beginners course, and then going with friends, and having the odd lesson along the way. Then I started teaching and had to relearn lots of stuff I thought I could do.... I wish I had had the tuition, with good instructors, from the start - it is very hard to get an adult to change what they do, much better to learn it right in the first place.
If you are having lessons, try to keep with the same instructor, you will get better value for money because they will know where you are at and what your issues are without having to waste part of the lesson working out what they should be teaching you.
Don't take any notice of people saying you can't learn to parallel on a dry slope, of course you can. What is harder is learning how to carve, because that needs more space. You will learn to make basic, skidded parallels before you learn to carve, you need to know how to make short turns and long turns, because you won't always have a nice wide piste to make beautiful carved arcs on!
Ditching the poles is great advice, we don't give them to people until after they have mastered a basic parallel.
The only experience I have of ski touring is my husband going on the UCPA tour someone else mentioned, after at least 15 weeks on snow (although not much tuition...) and being sent back to base at the end of day 1 for not being good enough.
Chamonix would not be my resort of choice for your first time on snow, but if that's where you are going you ought to head for La Tour or Les Houches, or head round the corner to St Gervais or Les Contamines (last 2 on a different lift pass though).