I'm just an ethusiastic amateur cook (note: not a chef!). I've been on lots of cookery courses, in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, eg France, Italy, Greece and Portugal. Some of the courses have been one or two days - a few have been for a week or two and one was for a month or six weeks (Cordon Bleu, Paris and the only one that gave me a certificate!) I have enjoyed them all - many with well known chefs such as Anton Mosimann, JeanCristoph Novelli, Rick Stein, Raymond Blanc and others - some just talented local cooks - for instance in Florence.
I also helped out a friend who had a business in London catering for business lunches at large companies in the City and also private dinner parties in the posher areas of town. It was hard work, and I only did it for about 6 months as it was not my 'day' job.
BUT, I know that I would NEVER wish to be a professional cook. I'm a red-haired, short-tempered Scot... If ANYONE had the temerity to complain about my food, I'd be hard-pressed not to explode... a bit like Gordon Ramsay (another Scot) who famously threw one of the UK's better-known food critics, A A Gill out of a restaurant with his dining companions, including Joan Collins.... and all Gill had done was WRITE a poor review of one of Ramsay's restaurants!
No, cooking for friends and family suits me fine