Hi!
That is a tough one. It is really hard to find work down here for foreigners unless it is all arranged before you get here. Panama really discourages us from working here unless you have a business/investor visa where you start your own company and hire at least 3 Panamanians full-time.
A lot of North Americans have gotten into real estate and now the government is cracking down on them and posing fines of $10K per incident.
Currently the tourist visa is for 90 days only and then it is renewable only once, otherwise you have to leave the country for 72 hours and come back in.
The private schools are in PC and can be very expensive - upto $800/month.
Mary