A probation period of three months is pretty common here in the UK, even for senior people. I've got 20 years experience and just checked my current employment contract, and I had one. Nobody seems bothered by it. Remember that if the company wants you gone, you're gone regardless of any probation period. The probation period only determines how many steps they have to go through to do it and how much notice you are given.

Yeah, not a chance I'd leave my current job for that kind of instability.

Pretty sure no one would. You'll only manage to get unemployed people. Who will bail if they get a full time offer during that three months.

I would. Why? Because I'm confident that they won't want to get rid of me at the end of that 3 month period. Hiring is expensive, and unless I mess up badly, there's no incentive for them to fire me. If they wanted someone temporary, why would they not just advertise for a contractor?

I wonder how much you'd have to pay someone in severance to make it worth it. If there's typically a 20% yearly salary piece for a recruiter, paying 10% direct to the employee in severance if their 3 months doesn't work out might make it work for a subset of people.

You know that all jobs have a probation period even more so in the UK.

Then why bother with the song and dance?

Could ask for a three month leave from current job. To travel the world or what not.

Even in EU it's a tough sell. Your current employer has to agree to it. Why should they, since you're leaving? It only complicates counting employees.

Better to have an employee that knows the grass is not greener on the other side, thus he/she has been there. A good employer will let you take a leave, its even a right in some EU states.

Doesn't mean you can go and work for potentially a competitor