He has baked cakes, washed cars, painted fences and delivered many pizzas to fund three months’ volunteering with International Citizen Service in Kenya.

To leave home for the first time and volunteer for three months in a third world country is a brave move by Mike Synnott, 18, who has just sat his A levels at Ballakermeen High School.

Now he’s at a crossroads in his life, weighing up his next move, be it a job, apprenticeship or further education, this seemed to be the perfect opportunity.

He said he was inspired by the movie The Volunteers.

’Mum (Carol) is in finance and has worked all over the world,’ he said.’She met people working with the Peace Corps and it was when we saw the film about the Peace Corps with Tom Hanks I thought this would expand my horizons and do some good at the same time.’

The movie is a humorous take on volunteering and Tom Hanks plays a spoiled rich Yale graduate who escapes his debts by inadvertndly joining a Peace Corps volunteer programme in Thailand.

Mike meanwhile has been working very hard to raise the £800 required by organisers ICS, a UK Government funded programme providing volunteer placements for young people.

The programme involves an assessment day in London to sift out suitable candidates from thousands that apply.

’There are various tasks to test if you can work with others and solve problems,’ he said. ’It was definitely an experience. I had to travel for the first time without my parents. I had to take the Under ground. But if I cannot navigate through London, where I speak the language, how will I manage Kenya?!’

ICS runs programmes throughout the world. Mike was ’shocked’ to be sent to Kenya.

’There’s a lot of trouble out there,’ he said. It was a surprise, but you expect some trouble, it’s not going to be a first world country.’

He’ll be based in Machakos, a town of 150,000 people. ’It’s very basic,’ he said. ’There are no real roads.’

There he’ll help young people create sustainable livelihoods - such as giving young people the skills they need to find work and support their families and communities - working with youth centres, schools and community groups.

A greater challenge could be dealing with all those bugs!

’I’ve had lots of jabs,’ he said. ’I’ll take hand sanitisers and bug sprays. You’ve got to shake your shoes before you put them on. There are little things like that that will be hard in the first weeks. There are nasty things like hook worm. It will be a culture shock. I’ve travelled but never been south of the equator before.’

He could stay for longer than three months. ’There’s an option the UK government could sponsor me to stay for longer if my work is productive, I could stay out there.

’I could come out of this and say: "I love seeing the world and helping people" or the opposite, I could say: "I’m Manx born and bred and I want to stay here". Hopefully not.’

To donate see https://justgiving.com/fundraising/mikesynnott