Hoping to Learn about Expat Life!!!

hello, all!

I am an MBA student at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. and am currently enrolled in a Global Human Resources class.

I'm hoping to learn a bit about expat life in Brazil, Costa Rica, and/or Columbia for a group presentation we have coming up... I'm hoping someone within Expat Focus can help me!

Specifically, I'm looking for any info regarding the following topics, as they apply to Brazil, Costa Rica, and/or Columbia:

- Working Conditions (What kinds of working hours are most common? Are there age restrictions for workers? Is nepotism present? Prevalent?, etc)

- Education Level (average within the country... and as compared to any other countries you may be familiar with)

- Labor Laws (Again, any age requirements? What about laws which limit the ways in which companies can fire/lay off employees? I know some countries have these... Any gender or racial restrictions on employment?)

- Safety (are there any safety issues in the work place? what about safety within the country itself?)

Any feedback will be much appreciated, group... thanks in advance for your time and feedback!!!

GradStudent