Anyone can join any public clan. The clans are more about competing in a ladder at the moment, but I know that some offer help to new players with their code.
See the following post’s section about clans for more information.
I would say look at the clans list and if any sound like a good fit, join. You can always message the leader and ask about the clan etc. I don’t know if any of the clans are meeting off line or meeting regularly to talk about coding, but if its a public clan they are open to join.