Temp Life Does Have Its Benefits : Some workers--including moms, students, people with seasonal businesses and entertainers--like the flexibility of fill-in jobs.

When free-lance violinist and violin teacher Gregory Wrenn is between jobs, he calls Remedy Intelligent Staffing in Mission Viejo. The staff, he says, is happy to hear from him and quickly sets him up with a temporary work assignment.

Wrenn, 27, began temping last year and sees it as security to the feast or famine of being a starving artist.

“Temping has helped supplement my income,” said the Aliso Viejo resident, who takes temporary assignments in word processing, data entry and general office work.

“The gratifying thing is the flexibility they give me,” he said. “They accommodate me when it comes to my work as a violinist.”

Although many people start temporary work with the intentions of finding the right full-time job, many like Wrenn temp on a long-term basis, said Kim Johnson, sales supervisor at Remedy Intelligent Staffing in the Mission Viejo office.

“We have many [employees], such as those in the arts, who don’t want a full-time job,” she said. “Individuals with seasonal businesses, students on break from school and mothers of young children also like the flexibility of temping.”

Of the 14,000 temporary workers employed by Remedy Intelligent Staffing in Orange County in 1994, about half want to remain temporary, said Bill Herbster, vice president of marketing for Remedy.

“The percentage of people wanting to work temporary on a long-term basis is higher in Southern California than other parts of the country, because we have the entertainment industry here,” he said. “Many people are interested in something other than a permanent 9-to-5 schedule.”

Unlike most traditional work arrangements, a rapport develops between longtime temporary workers and agency employees, Johnson said. The personality and interests of the employee are considered when making assignments.

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“I’ll often ask about their families and other interests,” she said. “Many lead very interesting lives; it’s fun to keep up with what they’re doing. And it’s an important part of our job to know what the [employee] wants. We try to match jobs with likes and dislikes. We’re really matchmakers.”

Wrenn says the agency knows that he doesn’t like to work in a large office and get “lost in the numbers. They give me assignments where I can work with people on an individual basis.”

When Wrenn can’t work as a temp, “I’ll call and let them know that I’m doing a concert but will be available in a few weeks,” he said. “That makes them think of me when work comes up.”

Debbie Sperry, 33, a San Juan Capistrano actress, has found temporary work ideal.

“I’ll never get another 9-to-5 job again,” said Sperry, who once worked for a doctor on a permanent basis. “Working in the doctor’s office was difficult in terms of scheduling,” she said.

“Although he understood my need for a flexible schedule, the other employees resented my ability to get time off when I needed it. I finally decided to start temping, and it has worked out really well.”

Sperry gets most of her income from acting but temps about once a week for extra cash. Most temps receive about $9 an hour.

“Although I’m still committed to doing a good job when I work, I have a lot more freedom,” she said. “I’m not obligated to go in every time they call. If I don’t accept an assignment, they don’t get mad at me; they just call me the next time.”

Joni Terrones agrees that calling the shots makes temporary work alluring.

“The agency doesn’t have a lot of control over you,” said Terrones, 40, who lives in Fountain Valley. “You decide when and how long you want to work.”

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Terrones, who is single, finds the flexible relationship attractive because she has a variety of other interests, including living part time in her home in Washington state near Puget Sound, and writing and working for Habitat for Humanity, which builds housing for low-income families.

For Terrones, developing a good relationship with the employment agency is important, because it ensures that she’ll be placed in an appropriate job.

“At the agency, they know what kind of work atmosphere I like and what my likes and dislikes are,” she said. “Because of that, just about every work assignment has gone really well.”