Agreed MJ, typical checkout is max 3 circuits. My checkout on an AA5 was one circuit. The bl**dy thing floated for ever but I was nevertheless considered OK to take up a trial flight. What I wasn't told was that you started it on one mag so that took some embarrassing farting around. Yes, I should have known that from reading the POM...
I do agree that min hours on type is a good idea but the question of who pays is a potentially big problem, except in schools big enough to absorb the costs.
Re spinning, we all have our personal red lines. One of mine is I would never spin a type for the first time with anything other than an instructor with the relevant experience sitting next to me.