Involving amateurs rising within officialdom (4)
I believe the answer is:
laic
'involving amateurs' is the definition.
I can't tell whether this definition defines the answer.
'rising within officialdom' is the wordplay.
'rising' shows that the letters should be reversed in order (going up in a down clue).
'within' indicates a hidden word.
'cial' can be found hidden inside 'officialdom'.
'cial' written backwards gives 'LAIC'.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for laic that I've seen before include "Unlike minister" , "belonging to the people" , "of secular matters" , "Non-clergy" , "outside the church" .)