What they really need is someone to tell them to add less than they probably need, then taste, add more, taste, add more, and expect to over-season and under-season some dishes as they get experience. Salt quantities in recipes have to be short, sometimes way short, so you're stuck learning the process with or without the quantities. I've never seen this explained in a cookbook, at least not in a way that made an impression on me.
Edit: A piece of advice that has stuck with me for a long time, long after I forgot where it came from, is it's a mistake to look for the state in between "not salty enough" and "too salty." That state doesn't really exist, especially when you're feeling nervous! Instead you should look for the overlap where you can perceive the dish as alternately "not salty enough" and "too salty," like that ambiguous drawing that your brain can resolve to either an old woman or a young woman[0]. That advice really works for me, but my wife, who seasons like a pro, thinks it's nonsense, which I think illustrates how subjective the process is and how it isn't information you can impart but rather experience you have to guide someone toward.
Edit: A piece of advice that has stuck with me for a long time, long after I forgot where it came from, is it's a mistake to look for the state in between "not salty enough" and "too salty." That state doesn't really exist, especially when you're feeling nervous! Instead you should look for the overlap where you can perceive the dish as alternately "not salty enough" and "too salty," like that ambiguous drawing that your brain can resolve to either an old woman or a young woman[0]. That advice really works for me, but my wife, who seasons like a pro, thinks it's nonsense, which I think illustrates how subjective the process is and how it isn't information you can impart but rather experience you have to guide someone toward.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Wife_and_My_Mother-in-Law#/...