Two overseas students employed as tilers in Melbourne's outer east were paid as little as $3.34 an hour, they allege.

One of them said he had to live on two-minute noodles because he had little money.

Students Scott Lee, of South Korea, and Jackie Yang, of China, say they are owed $23,334 for about four months' work for tiling contractor Darren Spencer and his company D & K Tiling.

The two students were in Australia on 572 student visas. Mr Lee was first placed in September with Mr Spencer by Holmesglen TAFE as part of a work experience program.

The two students then both worked for Mr Spencer tiling new homes for Dennis Family Homes in Cranbourne.

Mr Lee, who is 35 and married with a wife and twins in South Korea, said he was not mistreated by Mr Spencer, just rarely paid. ''He was very kind with his speech, he didn't get angry at us, he didn't abuse us,'' Mr Lee said. ''But he always had a good excuse for not paying.''

Mr Yang, 32, and married, said he lived on two-minute noodles after not being paid, and for the first time could not afford birthday and Christmas presents for his wife.

Mr Lee, a former banker, and Mr Yang, a former McDonald's manager, were in Australia to pursue new careers.

Mr Lee was paid $2700 for more than 573 hours of work, or $4.71 an hour, while Mr Yang was paid $1500 for 450 hours of work or $3.34 an hour, it has been claimed.

They said they never received pay slips and had called Mr Spencer several times seeking payment after they left in late January.

Maurice Blackburn lawyer Elizabeth O'Shea, the students' representative, said overseas students were ''ripe for exploitation'' and said institutions such as Holmesglen needed to show care when sending students out into the workforce.

Ms O'Shea said Mr Spencer and his company were being pursued for back pay and if found guilty could face heavy fines for breaches of the Fair Work Act.

Mr Spencer conceded he owed the two men money but disputed it was about $23,000. ''It was nowhere near as much as that,'' he said.

He could not say how much he owed but said it was likely to be in the low thousands.

Mr Spencer said he spent a lot of time fixing up their work and was ''still trying to work out how I'm going to pay them''.

He said he had been through a marriage break-up and had been injured and there had been little work.

Mr Spencer said Mr Lee and Mr Yang had suggested the figure of $100 a day but they said he suggested that figure.

Ms O'Shea said the students were entitled to the minimum award standards of more than $180 a day and more for weekends and overtime.

''It's not good enough to say you have some freedom of contract - there are minimum standards that exist in this country,'' she said.

Mr Lee said other overseas students he knew had similar experiences.

''International students they feel like they don't have equality,'' he said.

''Australia is a First World country, it can happen in underdeveloped countries, not Australia.''