Difference between a member of an organization and an external employee on github

Question

github docs are a bit unclear regarding the semantic difference between a member of an organization and an external collaborator. What is the difference?

I run a github organization for my school. I create repositories and allocate them to students. Should students be members of an organization or external employees?

Answer 1

This special GitHub Help page can help clear it. External collaborators have access only to the repositories available to their members. External employees cannot create teams or view all members and teams of the organization.