i'm unsure what kind of gate or gate policies you're referring to. we regularly have people just come to the grove, ask for a teacher, and begin their path on druidism through a dedicancy.
and this doesn't always take six months either. from personal experience i've had a student do it in a month. sure, sometimes it may take longer, but if all someone is coming to the community for is the magic at the end, they should probably look elsewhere. the druids pride themselves on rich culture, rituals, creeds, the list goes on.