Essential to spend first year in the country (5)
I believe the answer is:
italy
'country' is the definition.
(Italy is an example)
'essential to spend first year' is the wordplay.
'essential' becomes 'vital' (similar in meaning).
'to spend first' means to remove the first letter (the first letter is removed or 'spent').
'year' becomes 'y'.
'vital' with its initial letter taken away is 'ital'.
'ital'+'y'='ITALY'
'in the' is the link.
(Other definitions for italy that I've seen before include "Mediterranean country" , "Land for strange laity" , "Founder member of the EEC" , "Land for laity, oddly" , "Problematical (informal)" .)