Crossword Genius

Employee, beginner starting late (6)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

earner

'employee' is the definition.
(earner is a kind of employee)

'beginner starting late' is the wordplay.
'beginner' becomes 'learner' (learner is a kind of beginner).
'starting late' means to remove the first letter (the word starts later than the beginning).
'learner' with its initial letter taken off is 'EARNER'.

(Other definitions for earner that I've seen before include "Cash job" , "Means of acquiring money" , "One receives wages in return for labour" , "One who gets money for work" , "The one who brings home the money" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app