I've ever directed traffic in front of my house on several occasions
Reasons -
when my neighbor moved (a fiasco) when someone lost a load of gravel on the hill (its all in my driveway now) several car wrecks at the top of the hill (until the highway patrol showed up)
Yes. Once at the school because there was a jam and no one else stepped up. Another was after an accident. I stopped because I thought I recognized one of the cars to be my neighbor. It wasn't. However one lane was blocked and traffic needed some directing so I jumped right in. The cops arrived shortly thereafter.
Yes. I once went through a three year period of being (unwillingly) unemployed. I did a course in traffic management and worked part-time for a while for a company which managed traffic around road works. The hours and pay were not sufficient to live on.
Circumstances - mostly rural roads being repaired after a devastating flood. All weathers, starting from just before sunrise, setting out the signs, until shortly before sunset, packing up. It was winter at the time - subtropical here - so hot enough for the sun to burn at midday, cold enough in the early mornings to see one's own breath. The worst part of the conditions - packing up quickly if rain threatens while laying tar. It will explode if it gets one drop in the truck. Putting up with drivers with road rage was so much fun either, though fortunately there were very few of them.