Robyn,

The company I teach for believes, as do I, that bracing and assisted rescues
should be taught in a basic class, regardless of where you intend to paddle. We
do not teach self rescues until the intermediate class. The philosophy here is
that beginners should be paddling with other people. So we teach them assisted
rescues. They should really get some experience under their belt before they
are ready to do some solo paddling.
Most beginning paddlers are not interested in pursuing the sport any further
the an occasional weekend on some protected water with their friends. So they
should not have to pay to learn a lot things that will not be useful to them.
We offer a four hour course which is intended to be an introduction to the
sport of sea kayaking. And while you can argue that solo rescue technique may
come in handy even to the occasional weekend warrior, the truth of the matter
is that any technique not practiced regularly will be lost.
On the other hand, for the really gung ho types that want full immersion
into this sport, so to speak, we also offer a two day class which includes the
basic and intermediate techniques as well as instruction in dealing with the
surf zone. It's a lot to bite off in a single class, both mentally and
physically, but it is thorough.
I know a number of people consider the Eskimo roll to be a basic technique
as well, but since it requires more time and attention to teach as well as to
learn, most people make this a separate class altogether.
One last word of advice --- not all classes are equal. Some are better then
others, just as some instructors are better then others. If you like the
company you took your basic class through, then by all means stick with them.
But if you have some reservations about what you are getting back for your time
and money then it might be worth looking around.

Scott
So.Cal.