Inept, like a convent starting off? (7)
I believe the answer is:
hapless
'inept' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
'a convent starting off?' is the wordplay.
'a convent starting' becomes 'hap' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'off?' becomes 'less' (I've seen this in another clue).
'hap'+'less'='HAPLESS'
'like' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for hapless that I've seen before include "Unlucky, unfortunate" , "Piteous" , "Pathetic" , "Ill-starred" , "Ill-fated" .)