As far as I know Premiere Pro still has a 30 day free trial. so depending on the work you have to do, that can be an option.
Another program you can look in to is Sony Vegas (also has a 30 day free trial, but less expensive after that) It's what I started in before moving to Premiere Pro, and later Avid media composer, but it's better to avoid that last one
But at the end of it most editing programs work in a similar matter, once you learn one others get more easy to work with. Give Vegas a try and just start working. Learning by doing is still the best way if you ask me.
If you're stuck at some point, just google, or ask around. every editor has been in that situation and (hopefully) will be glad to share what they have learned from that.