1.) What costs are involved and is it possible to make any money to survive from it?
2.) Has anyone done it? could you please tell me about your experiences?
3.) does it help to get into commercial?
4.) is it who you know and whether you have rich parents, or can a standard young adventurous but determined individual do it?
5.) Grades! i am currently studying at 6form, but have never excelled in education, i have 8 GCSE'S and a C in english and maths ( not science ) and am struggling through A levels... ?
5.) any others things you would recommend!
I'll try to answer a few of your questions, and my answers will be based on Africa. For other areas, someone else can chime in.
1) Costs. Aside from your licence, which if you're European I would recommend that you get an EASA licence and convert it to whichever country you end up working in, other costs will be living costs to cover approximately six months in back packer joints and a return ticket somewhere. Salaries are usually very low. I stripped my savings supplementing my income for a large portion of the time I was there. Living is fairly cheap, but you won't be saving much.
2) Yes. I spent six years in Africa, five and a half years working as a charter pilot. Ditch the 'bush' bit, it's just pilot or charter pilot.
3) It is a commercial job. It's working as a pilot. If you mean does it help to get into airlines, then I would say it doesn't unfortunately. When I first chose to get a solid foundation in flying, easyJet were seeking 500 hours multiengine (piston). When I came back they were seeking bare minimum MPL and enough money up front to fund a small war. I don't see the situation changing. To fly in an airline, wait for an airline sponsored program, or do something else with your life. It does however give you experience that other spheres of aviation will appreciate.
4) Contacts help, as with anything in life. I went to Africa with a name and phone number of someone who would put me up for a month. It is possible to make contacts whilst there. Find the local drinking hole. If it's a backpackers as well, book a room for a month and dig in for the long haul. I burnt a fair amount of money visiting a few countries looking for the first gig, but once I got a job offer my licence conversion, work permit, training, etc… were paid for. If you have common sense, social skills and luck, you might get an interview.
5) You need a CPL ME/IR. I'd personally recommend finishing your A-Levels as a bare minimum. If you're at all academic, there a few courses out there that do a Bachelors in some form of aviation with an ATPL attached. Smaller companies are faced with the challenge of having to meet legislation that orientated towards much larger organisations, yet applied in a one-size-fits-all manner. Therefore if you can bring experience/knowledge of operations/safety management/maintenance management, etc… who knows, you could keep your CV out of the round file.
5 part II) Anything else… Being a charter pilot in a more remote area needs to be approached with a healthy dose of reality. If successful, you will be operating as PIC of an aircraft in an environment that offers little support, a lot of difficult decisions, and no experience or guidance to fall back on. The learning curve is steep. You will fly long days, in tough conditions, in noisy old aircraft, staying in an assortment of basic accommodation. You will be encouraged to explore the darker grey areas of day to day operational decisions. You'll make some really, really big mistakes. You may make a few you only walk away from by sheer luck alone. You'll learn a huge amount about yourself, aviation, and friendship. It is impossible to sum up the experience in an internet post. Suffice to say, if I were to do it all again, I'd make the same decisions. Where will it get you? If you get into aviation to fly, rather than for big jets and uniforms, it'll help with the general aviation side. I went from charter pilot to regional airline captain, to charter jet captain; so it's not a complete dead end.
Good luck and enjoy.