As far as I understand, other countries like Argentina and Mexico have the same 'protective for the locals' legislation.
The only place I can think of where you could fly with a FAA licence is Panama. I used to spend a few days in Panama City just before each tuna fishing trip, and I remember companies called 'Helicópteros Atlántico' and 'Aerotech International of Panama' . A few years back -when I was writing my web page- I tried unsuccessfully to find their web sites. You may be luckier this time, or you can try to find their phone number on the Panama on-line yellow pages.
I wouldn't fly there and knock the door without previous arrangements. When there are no ships in the docks, you may find nobody in the office. Get things organised over the phone.
Regarding hours, I saw new chaps going at sea with just over 200 hours. No hours on the R44, just on the R22. AVIATUN would give them 15 hours of intensive training/check before that though, and a few fellows would fail it. At the end of the day, once this guy was sent on his own, he would have nobody to consult, nobody who would positively criticise him, until he came back three months later with an extra 250 hours in his logbook.
Language is not a problem. You will find that on ‘seiners’ fishermen speak Spanish, English and Portuguese depending on the occasion. During the catch, most of the orders are given in English. The boat skipper and the navigators (the ones that jump on the chopper for that manoeuvre) are fluent in English, irrespectively on whether they are Latin-American or American.
Like any other job, luck plays a big part. You may spend years waiting for ‘the phone call’, you may spend just a few weeks. To increase your chances, as usual, you must keep your profile highly noticeable with phone calls, faxes, e-mails, etc. Don’t rely on that cold piece of paper called CV (or resume, depending on where you are!).
Good luck!