The peak body for international students is examining instances of workplace exploitation to help guide the government on how best to protect temporary migrants from dodgy employers.

The Council of International Students Australia will aim to survey several hundred international students throughout the nation on their experiences with casual and part-time work.

The Council of International Students Australia is surveying students on their experiences of work. Credit:Louie Douvis

Council public relations officer Arjun Mathilakath Madathil said the organisation wanted to gather data on why, despite public awareness campaigns and national attention on the issue, international students continued to fall prey to workplace exploitation.

The Wage Theft in Australia report released last year revealed one-quarter of international students earned $12 an hour or less and almost half $15 an hour or less, well below the casual minimum wage of $22.13 per hour.