T-Max films have an anti-halation dye that, if you are lucky, comes off during processing. This is the purple you are seeing and it is normal.(posted 8838 days ago)For people starting in photography, I would strongly recommend traditional emulsions like Tri-X, HP5+, etc. The modern emulsions like TMax and Delta require very tight control of time and temperature for processing, which might be asking too much of beginners. On the other hand, it would teach the importance of controlling the process. But, what's the point if they give up in frustration?
You might consider Freestyle's film as a cost saving measure. It is reputed to be Ilford film.