clerkship

clerkship — noun

1. The job held by someone whose work is keeping written records, handling correspo

1.名詞C1
釋義

The job held by someone whose work is keeping written records, handling correspondence, or doing other routine office duties, often inside a court, government office, or business.

例句

Camila took a clerkship at the local town hall right after finishing secondary school.

collocation: a clerkship at [organisation]

The bank advertised three junior clerkships, each paying a small but steady weekly wage.

countable plural: junior clerkships

同義詞
  • clerical post

    more descriptive; emphasises the office-paperwork nature of the work

  • clerkdom

    rare and slightly literary; refers to the collective body or world of clerks rather than one job

文法句型

a clerkship at [organisation]

hold a clerkship

用法筆記

Subject is usually a person taking up the position; the place where the clerkship is held appears with 'at' or as a noun modifier (court clerkship, town-hall clerkship). Treat as countable when speaking of specific posts, uncountable when speaking of the role in general.

常見錯誤

❌She works in a clerkship at the bank.
✅She holds a clerkship at the bank.
💡you 'hold' or 'take' a clerkship, you don't 'work in' one.
❌He did clerkship for six months.
✅He did a clerkship for six months.
💡countable when referring to one specific post; the article is required.

2. A short paid post in which a recent law-school graduate works for a judge, magis

2.名詞C1
釋義

A short paid post in which a recent law-school graduate works for a judge, magistrate, or senior lawyer, helping with research, writing draft opinions, and getting first-hand experience of how legal cases are handled.

例句

Tamar finished top of her class and won a one-year clerkship with a federal appeals judge.

collocation: a clerkship with [judge]

Many law graduates see a Supreme Court clerkship as the strongest possible start to their career.

compound: Supreme Court clerkship

同義詞
  • judicial clerkship

    more precise term that names the supervising judge as the key feature; common in US legal writing

  • pupillage

    British equivalent for trainee barristers; structure differs but the function is similar

文法句型

a clerkship with Judge [Name]

a clerkship at [firm/court]

用法筆記

Distinguish from sense 1: this sense always involves a law-school graduate or law student, and the supervisor is a judge or senior lawyer. The post is typically fixed-term — one or two years. American English; British equivalents are 'pupillage' or 'training contract'.

常見錯誤

❌She did her clerkship at the law school.
✅She did her clerkship at the federal court.
💡the clerkship happens at a court or firm after law school, not at the school itself.
❌He passed the clerkship exam.
✅He won a clerkship.
💡a clerkship is awarded competitively, not gained through an exam.

3. A period in the later years of medical school when students leave the classroom

3.名詞C1
釋義

A period in the later years of medical school when students leave the classroom and work directly with patients in a hospital or clinic, rotating through fields such as surgery, paediatrics, or family medicine.

例句

Baraka began his surgery clerkship at the city hospital and worked alongside three senior doctors.

compound: surgery clerkship

The paediatrics clerkship requires students to follow young patients through diagnosis and treatment plans.

compound: paediatrics clerkship

同義詞
  • clinical rotation

    more transparent label; covers the same activity but is used worldwide, while 'clerkship' is mainly American

  • clinical attachment

    British term for a similar arrangement, often shorter and sometimes used for visiting students

文法句型

a clerkship in [specialty]

a [specialty] clerkship

用法筆記

Subject is usually a third- or fourth-year medical student, never a fully qualified doctor; the work happens on hospital wards or in clinics, not in classrooms. Distinguish from sense 2 (law training): same word, but the field, the trainee, and the supervisor are all different. The specialty is almost always named: 'surgery clerkship', 'paediatrics clerkship', etc.

常見錯誤

❌The clerkship is the first year of medical school.
✅The clerkship is the third or fourth year of medical school.
💡clerkships start once students are ready to see real patients, not at the beginning.
❌Doctors do clerkships every year.
✅Medical students do clerkships before they qualify.
💡once you are a qualified doctor, the next stage is called residency, not a clerkship.