Do i go for Class 1 straight away?

Definitely take class 1 straight away. To pass either test you need to get into the zone, driving in the approved way. If you don’t do it straight after, you’ll probably pick up some bad habits in the meantime, and it will be harder for you to get back into the zone.

Plus other things in life will get in the way.

I took mine straight away, and got a class 1 job within a couple of weeks with no experience other than a few days agency work driving 7.5t… But the availability of jobs will very much depend on your local area.

Good luck!