Acted as a beginner (5)
I believe the answer is:
cadet
'beginner' is the definition.
(I know that cadet is a type of trainee)
'acted as a' is the wordplay.
'acted' can be anagrammed to 'CADET'.
But, I am not sure how the anagram is indicated.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for cadet that I've seen before include "Military trainee officer" , "Trainee soldier" , "Officer in training" , "Junior officer; younger brother" , "One taking instructions" .)